Page 117 of Finding Home

“Ok… Elle.”

FORTY-FOUR

“I am the happiest creature in the world. Perhaps other people have said so before, but not one with such justice. I am happier even than Jane; she only smiles, I laugh.”

~Jane Austen,Pride and Prejudice

Aloud vibration hummed from Elle’s purse as she stood in front of the mirror of her Chicago hotel, slipping in a pair of silver hoop earrings. She was putting the final touches on her Willa selected ensemble for her big presentations at Sloan-Whitney’s Annual board meeting. It was her second day in Chicago. The first day spent attending the ribbon cutting and announcement of their partnership with Magda’s foundation that would expand Elle’s mobile mammography program. It had been a huge success.

Shuffling over to the chair, she scooped up her black hobo bag grabbing the phone and a tiny envelope clinging to it out. The envelope tumbled to the red carpet. Letting the call go to voicemail, her eyes locked on the tiny, embossed logo of the Village Rose stamped on the envelope’s top right corner. It wasthe card from the last flower delivery from Clayton that arrived the day before she’d left.

She’d slipped the card into her purse assuming it was just another sassy message from Aunt Janet. Bending down, she lifted the card, tracing her fingers over the logo. Tapping the envelope with her finger, she considered just putting it back without opening it, but compulsion nibbled at her to know what Janet had written.

And what if it wasn’t from Janet? What if Clayton had written the card for the last delivery? Carefully opening the envelope, she read the tiny card’s smooth print. It wasn’t Clayton’s handwriting. It wasn’t Janet’s either.

You’re worth the risk. ~Love, Uncle Pete

Elle’s face scrunched in confusion as she stepped back to sit on the corner of the bed completely missing it and falling to the soft carpet on her butt. “Fuck.” She picked herself back up and lowered to the bed, hitting the corner this time.

What risk?Was he saying she was worth Clayton taking a risk on for love?What does this mean?Her brain swirled as her eyes studied each letter as if they would somehow reveal their hidden truth like one of those mysterious eye photos that if you stare at long enough suddenly a boat appears.

Pointless!Standing up, she grabbed her cell, which managed to land safely on the bed and dialed Pete.

He answered on the third ring. “Hey, kiddo. I was just showing my foreman the article about your event yesterday. So proud of you.”

“Thanks.” She paused, soaking in his praise like a warm bubble bath before continuing. “What does ‘You’re worth the risk’ mean?”

“Straight to business. I see you finally read the card. Let me get in my truck.”

Elle could hear the pound of hammers, buzz of saws, and loud gruff voices distinctive of a construction site. With the slam of a door the sounds grew muffled and distant.

“Ok. Can you hear me?” he asked.

“Yeah. What does it mean?” Elle tapped the toe of her shoe on the floor eagerly.

“Well, love is a risk.”

“I know,” she huffed, but then winced. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“Are you saying that I was worth the risk for Clayton? If so, shouldn’t the card go to him? Also, why is the card from you? Wait, did you send the flowers? No, Clayton acknowledged them when I thanked him. I’m confused,” Elle sputtered not letting her uncle answer any of her questions. She paced back and forth from the door to the window. None of this made sense.

“Kiddo, take a breath.” Laughter lilted in Pete’s voice.

Elle dropped onto the bed, crossing and then recrossing her legs.

“First, the flowers were from Clayton. He had called them in on Tuesday. I was there seeing your aunt before heading back to the house to meet Tobey. She told me how she had been writing silly cards to you that accompanied the weekly flowers from Clayton. I asked her to let me write that week’s note.”

“But what does it mean?” she pushed, agitation growing as she struggled to understand his message.

“The message was for you, not Clayton. I think he already knows you’re worth the risk. I don’t thinkyouknow that you’re worth the risk. They always say that before you can find someone worthy, you have to know you are worthy of being loved. During our ‘Week of Pete’ date…side note, can we get that trademarked?”

Elle let out an annoyed breath.

Pete chuckled. “Ok, we’ll put a pin in that for later. Back to you. When we drove back and talked about you coming home for the holidays, I asked you if you’d be staying with Clayton and you were evasive. When you don’t want to talk about something, you clam up. You avoid, deflect, or flat-out refuse. I knew you didn’t want to talk about where you were staying because you didn’t want to talk to me about ending things with Clayton once you left town. If you ended things with Clayton because it wasn’t right, that’s one thing, but I don’t think that’s what’s happening here.”

“I just thought it was best to not drag things out.”At the time.“His life is there and mine is…” The ache in her throat cut off her words.

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