Page 40 of Betrayal & New Beginnings

15

ELLIE

I woke up alone the next morning.Icould hear the shower going and realizedWademust have already gotten up.Idecided to get up too sinceIwas waiting tables today for the lunch shift.Iwas in the kitchen getting some coffee going whenWadewalked in.Hewas wearingArmygreen cargo pants and a tight black tee.Hishair was still slightly damp, and he looked so hot.Ijust stood there and stared at him for a few awkward moments until he spoke and broke my brain of its thought process.

“What’s on tap for today?” he asked, looking at me.

“Umm,”Isaid asItried to get my brain to focus. “I’mworking the lunch shift and then going withRuthieto the self-defense class after she gets off work.Ithink we’re going to do dinner afterward.”

“Archer driving you to all that?”

“Definitely the first thing, butI’mnot sure about dinner,”Itold him realizingIshould textRuthieand ask.

“If he can’t, text me andI’lltake you,” he stated. “Wantyou covered until we can get some more details on your ex, okay?”

I nodded.

“I’m heading out,” he said as he grabbed some stuff off his counter. “Igotta meetVincefor some help with a skip, but textArcheror me when you need to head down to work, and one of us will walk you.”

I started to protest thatIdidn’t need protection for that short of a walk sinceIliterally was living above the pub, but beforeIcould tell him, his phone rang and he picked it up.

“Yeah,” he said quickly. “Now?Okay,I’mon my way down now.”

“Text one of us on your way down.Imean it,Ellie,” he emphasized as he grabbed his keys and took one of them off. “Usethis to lock up.I’llsee you tonight.”

Then he was gone and out the door with me holding the key to his apartment.Itall happened so fast,Iwasn’t sure what to make of it.SoItried to just push it aside for now and get on with my day.Iwould think about it later whenIhad more time.Ilocked up and went back over to my apartment and got in the shower, did some laundry, and got ready for work.

KnowingWadewas likely busy because he was helpingVincewith a skip,Idecided to just textArcherabout having him walk me to the pub.Plus,Icould ask him about the driving situation for the self-defense class and dinner afterward.

He walked me over and told me he would drive us both to everything and just to meet them in the front office toRangerShieldat 4:30.Healso made me promise to text him if no one was around to walk me back to the building afterIfinished work.

Tammy was working behind the bar, and we had a rather mundane day at work, whichIwas happy about sinceI’dhad had enough crazy in my life recently.Ididn’t need work to make things more complicated.

Tammy also walked me back over to the apartment entrance after my shift since she said she needed to chat withArcherabout something anyway.Iwent upstairs to get changed for the class.I’dnever done a self-defense class before, butIimagined you moved around a lot.Thus, you would need to wear clothing that would allow you the freedom to move.Ifigured my tight spandex shorts and a semi-loose tank top over a sports bra would be best.ThoughIpacked some jeans and aT-shirt for dinner afterward.

I walked into the front office, expecting to seeRuthie, but insteadIsawArcherandWadetalking to each other in low tones.Bothof them looked up asIwalked in.InoticedWadewas eyeing my choice of workout clothes with an intensity that seemed to be a toss between approval and anger.

“Hey,Ellie,”Archersaid to me, and then he mumbled something toWadeas he started walking from the desk over to me.

“Um, hi,”Isaid awkwardly moving my gaze fromWadeover toArcher. “Where’sRuthie?”

“She’s already in my car out front.We’reready when you are,” he said as he moved past me and out the door.Istarted to follow but feltWadecome up behind me.

“Have fun,” he said as he squeezed my shoulders.Hedidn’t kiss me or show any other signs of affection physically, andIwondered if he was worried someone would see, or if public displays of affection just were notWade’sthing.Notthat he needed to show affection, sinceIwasn’t really sure if we were a thing or not.

Once outside,Islid into the back seat ofArcher’sSUVand said hi whenIsawRuthiesitting in the front passenger seat.

“Sorry about your car situation,”Ruthieexpressed, andIlooked over to the rearview mirror, hoping to seeArcher’sface to let me know how much he’d toldRuthieabout the situation.

“She knows about the tracker and your ex,” he explained, andIwasn’t sure ifIwas relievedIdidn’t have to lie to her or embarrassed that she knew about it. “I’mnot in the habit of telling strangers your business, butIneed her to know so she can keep an eye out if he calls or comes around the office.”

It made sense, butIalso didn’t like the thought ofRandallcoming around.Itfrustrated me that he was doing this and wouldn’t just leave me alone.

“I also have a car,Ellie, so if you need to borrow it, just let me know andIcan just stealArcher’scar for the day, orIcan pick you up and drive you myself,”Ruthieoffered, which was very sweet.

“First of all, she’s not borrowing your car because she isn’t allowed to drive anywhere by herself.Wade,Vince, orIwill drive her.Oh, andEllie,”Archerpaused. “Wordof advice.Donot letRuthiedrive you anywhere,” he said, his warning laced with a bit of humor.

“Oh myGod,Grandma.Youact like you’re a better driver than me,”Ruthiebit back.

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