Page 101 of Love At First Fright
“And it seems to me like y’all had something pretty special for a while there. I guess what I’m trying to say is, there are a million reasons why someone might have made a bad decision,whyhemight have made one, and I don’t want you to go around thinking that any of them are your fault. Seems to me there was a lot more going on there than meets the eye.”
Yeah, and his name is Brody,Rosemary thought, but didn’t say anything. It still felt too raw to talk about much.
“Thanks for saying that, Dad.”
“I’ve got you, sweetpea. Always. Even if you move out there.”
She gaped at him. “How did you know?”
He smiled and shrugged. “You’re my daughter. And you always seem happier when you’re near Dina and Immy, in London.”
“I do want to go back,” Rosemary admitted. “Not immediately. It will take some planning. And I’ll come back to visit more. But…these days, when I think about where I want to live my life, it’s always England.”
Her dad squeezed her with a signature Russell Shaw bear hug. “I’m happy for you, sweetpea. Maybe I can come visit you and get some cuttings of English roses.” He headed back out to the greenhouse, leaving Rosemary to finish up in the kitchen. Bee was weaving around her ankles, the ghost cat sitting on the windowsill, licking one delicate translucent paw.
“That went better than I expected,” she said to the pair of them. The ghost cat offered her a silent meow in reply. She felt better at the idea of moving now that her dad had met someone new. She didn’t like to think of him being alone as he got older, especially if she was further away.
And she was glad that Maria was a widow, too, in a way, since she would understand that particular form of grief.
Her dad had survived losing her mama; she could survive whatever had happened with Ellis. Grief had a way of teaching you just how strong you could be. It hadn’t been as long,and even if it was love, she hoped that over time she could think about it all with less bitterness and pain. So what if Ellis wouldn’t be David in any adaptation that might be made ofJulia;that shouldn’t stop her finishing it and delivering it to her film agent as planned. And she could finish her novel draft, the stress of getting it done was no longer all-encompassing. Other ideas for other novels brewed in the back of her mind, ones that she would find time to finish. It wasn’t time to move yet, she’d spend Christmas and New Year here. And after that? London was calling.
36
Ellis was trapped. Why hadhe agreed to come to this New Year’s Day charity gala? He vaguely remembered donating some signed memorabilia, but after three whiskeys, everything was vague. That’s the way he liked it, these days. There was one benefit to today: his fake relationship with Jenna was over. She’d got the part in the movie she’d been up for, so he was off the hook. There’d be no official breakup, there didn’t need to be. The press would do that for them.
The first thing he’d wanted to do was go to Rosemary, but he couldn’t. He’d fucked up the most precious thing in his life. He’d done it to protect her, he would have done anything for her. She washis.But that was the problem. His attitude, that dominant need to protect her, had stopped him from calling her in the moment. He hadn’t given her a choice, and now he’d lost her.
Ellis took a long sip from his glass, letting the strong smokiness of the drink make his world a little hazier. One more hour; he would stick it out for one more hour and then he could leave. It was more about showing up in the end, smiling as they announced his donation and clapping when they closed thebidding on it. He slumped back against his window seat and watched people swaying in the ballroom, all partnered up, their bodies a tangled mass of expensive suits and designer dresses.
He replayed his conversation with Brody over and over again in his head. Followed by what he’d told Rosemary. Something kept bothering him about it all, that had taken him a few days to place. Brody hadn’t shown him the footage. Surely he would have shown it to him to gloat, that was Brody’s MO. So why hadn’t he?
Ellis fled into the garden, wandering down a spotlit path until he found a bench. It was a little damp, but he didn’t care.
He sat in the dark, listening to the chatter and music carrying on the frigid wind.
“You’ll catch your death if you stay out here too long, grandpa.”
Jenna sank down on the bench next to him.
“I didn’t know you were at the party.”
“I was your plus-one, remember?”
He nodded, slowly, drinking some more.
“I was looking for you, actually,” she said. “I have news.”
“You got the job.”
“Yeah, but that’s not my news. I fired Brody.”
Ellis turned to look at her. This young woman had more bravery than he did.
“Good. Fuck him.”
“Fuck him.” She clinked her drink against Ellis’s. “I’m here with Lyn, actually. They’re just at the bar. I suppose I ought to thank you for introducing us.”
“You’re welcome.” Ellis didn’t feel like talking and he wasn’t sure he could handle much more of Jenna’s good news, even if he was happy for her.
