Page 78 of Love At First Fright
Under the moonlight, in the still cold air, Rosemary watched as Ellis said goodbye.
“Can you forgive me, sweet boy? For that night?”
Hank tilted his head to the side again, and seemed to reply by giving Ellis’s hand a sloppy lick.
“Thank you, Hank. I know you can’t understand me, but you saved me. Again and again, just by being there. My life was fuller because of you. I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry. And I love you, so much.” He patted the air softly. “You can go now, sweet boy.”Hank stilled, as if Ellis’s words were settling over him. Rosemary felt the air around them swell and for a second the world grew soft and permeable. She heard a raspy bark, as if down a long echo, and Hank dissolved into moonlight.
Ellis tipped forwards and buried his face into Rosemary’s neck, and she stroked his hair.
“Stay with me tonight?” he asked, voice hoarse.
“I would love to.”
Together, they returned to the Gatehouse.
He’s not afraid, he’s not running away,she reassured herself, but she didn’t truly believe it until she knocked on Ellis’s door and found him sitting in bed, Fig snoring at his feet.
“Warmed it up for you,” Ellis said as Rosemary climbed into the bed. They’d only spent the one weekend together, but climbing into bed with Ellis already felt like the most natural thing in the world. It felt like home.
“So, you’re a clairvoyant. Or a medium? Ghost whisperer? What’s the technical term?”
“You know, I’ve never really picked one. I sort of think of it as this weird little quirk of my family, or at least my mother’s side.”
“I can’t believe ghosts are real. So you said there were two in the house, Juliet and Emilia?”
“Cecilia. They were in a fight, but it turned out one of them had just been stuck in the closet for a couple of hundred years.”
“You helped a ghost come out?”
“Mm-hmm. Can you imagine being stuck in the closet all that time? I’m not surprised Juliet was so bitter.”
For a moment Rosemary saw Ellis’s face contort into a pained expression, but he masked over it fast. “Yeah, that would be horrible.”
28
The email arrived as Rosemarygot out of the shower that morning, feeling all bubbly inside after Ellis had done all manner of filthy things to her under the hot steam. If every morning could start that way, she reckoned she’d be happy forever.
It was from her film agent, Josephine.
The studio called, and they asked if you have any other scripts? I know you’re on deadline, but do you think you could whip up the first 20 pages for me by March?
Josephine didn’t have to specify, Rosemary knew she meant the same studio that was producingWhen the Devil Takes Hold.This was big. This meant the higher-up execs and producers had been watching the dailies and were happy with what they saw.
“What are you grinning about?” Ellis said, towel-drying his hair in a way that made Rosemary momentarily forget her train of thought.
“They want another script from me.”
“Oh, love, that’s amazing.”
“But they want some of it for March, and with the draft of my new book due, that’s going to be tricky. I can do it, but when we get to London I’m really going to need to knuckle down. Wish I had my beanbag chair.”
Ellis placed his hands on her shoulders. “You can do this. It’ll be stressful, but I’ll be around to help you with that stress”—he winked—“and you can always go and spend some days writing in Dina’s café. You said it’s a good work spot, right?”
Rosemary smiled. She still had to pinch herself that Ellis remembered the things she told him. God, the bar for dating really was on the floor.
“You’re right. Dina will keep me caffeinated all day.”
They went down to the kitchen together, and when Lance came in, Rosemary let Ellis cover the conversation, letting herself think about what script she’d want to send the studios. It was a big ask, when she was already stressed. The deadlines were stacking up again, and that ever-present tightness in her chest kept threatening to choke her. But speaking with Ellis had kept the tightness at bay for now; he believed in her, and somehow that made it easier to believe in herself.
