Page 56 of Suddenly Desired
“Please,” said Ellie, panting for breath. “I got lost. The train’s still there, can’t you let me on?”
Shelby glanced at it as it slowly moved on the tracks, then she shook her head.
“Would it help if I told you I’d just lost the love of my life?” Ellie said, thrusting her ticket at Shelby.
“I really can’t.” Shelby glanced at the ticket before handing it back. “I could lose my job. You could lose a leg. Or worse.”
It was official. This was the worst day of her entire existence. Ellie scrunched up her ticket and sat on the nearest seat, putting her head in her hands.
“Hey, honey?” said Shelby.
Ellie looked up.
“I’m gonna make a call, see if I can get you on the next train, okay? Just sit tight.”
She walked away, and Ellie was suddenly alone in a pool of quiet. She fished in her bag, pulling out her phone. Mum wouldn’t be angry, she’d just be disappointed. And so was Ellie. Disappointed in her life, disappointed in herself. The Ellie Mae Curse seemed to have doubled in power, and she wondered how much worse it would get.
The Tannoy squealed again, a muffled voice spilling out of it. Ellie half listened, watching the trains come and go on the vast platforms. She couldn’t believe how close to escape she’d come, only to be denied it at the last hurdle.
Something in the announcement caught her ear, and she cocked her head, listening.
“That’s Ellie Woodward to the main desk. Thank you.”
Were they talking about her? She stood up, wishing she’d been paying more attention. Where was the main desk? She scanned the station and spotted it right in the middle.
She raced over and hovered impatiently in the queue until she was called forward. It was the same girl she’d spoken to before, Shelby, and she smiled at Ellie.
“Hi,” Ellie said, sliding her bag up on to her shoulder again. “I’m Ellie Woodward. I think you just called for me.”
“I did,” said Shelby.
With any luck they’d let her on to the next train. She could text Mum and ask her to pick her up an hour later.
The girl typed something into her computer, frowning. “I’m really sorry, but the next train to Devon doesn’t leave for another three hours.”
Ellie’s heart crashed into her shoes. Why had she called her over just to give her bad news?
“But that’s not why I need you. You’ve been requested. Hang on.”
Requested?
“Yeah, it’s definitely you. Come on, I’ll take you.”
“Take me where?” Ellie asked, pushing her glasses back up her nose. “I don’t understand.”
“You will.” Shelby slipped out from behind the desk, climbed on to an electric trolley and patted the seat next to her. Ellie got on, clutching her bag to her chest. They drove away, weaving through the crowds and heading out of the main station. Ellie’s mind was a whirlwind of confusion. She couldn’t understand what was happening to her.
“You say the love of your life broke up with you today?” Shelby asked.
“Yeah.” Ellie held on tight as they went around a corner. “Well, kind of. Um, not really. I mean, no. We weren’t even together. I just knew there was something special about him. I felt it. It’s never happened before. I’ve never met anyone I clicked with so easily.”
“He sounds amazing,” said Shelby.
“Yeah,” said Ellie. “But no. It wasn’t to be. Too much going on in his life. He pretty much said he would never be able to see me again. There aren’t any happy endings for me.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Shelby said with a grin. She steered them around the back of the train station and on to a large patch of tarmac, where a few small planes sat in a row.
Where were they? Were they going to throw her in a cargo plane and parachute her out over Devon?
