Page 24 of The Billionaire and the Maid

“Over there,” I point to a willow tree on the edge of the pond.

She nods. “Gunther got his hoof stuck and I went flying.”

“I heard you yelling,” I add.

“I’d never seen a naked boy before,” she whispers in mock horror.

I roll my eyes. “I had on underwear,” I point out.

“Whatever, it was practically falling off you. Your whole ass was on display,” she replies, poking me in the ribs.

“I can’t believe you got stuck in a tree,” I retort.

She blushes. “I probably shouldn’t have been wearing overalls to ride, but Gunther wanted to go out, so I just threw on my riding boots and helmet,” she tries to explain with a semi-guilty grin. But I’m starting to shake with laughter at the memory of little Ella hanging from a tree branch by her overalls.

“You would have been so screwed if I hadn’t been there,” I manage before bursting into laughter as I remember finding her.

“Probably. I’d have never heard the end of it from Nancy, that’s for sure,” she answers with a widening grin. “Why’d you say your name was Ace?”

“My grandfather calls me that sometimes and some of the guys at school would call me that, but it’s been years since anyone but Nonno has said it.” I pause. “You said your name was Eleanor.”

She rolls her eyes. “It is. Ella’s my nickname, you jackass.”

“Oh, right.” I suddenly feel like an idiot. How had I not known it was her? I didn’t really know the family that lived on the property that backed up to the woods. I guess I was vaguely aware of some kids over there, but they were younger and I just didn’t pay attention. I know I’ve seen her stepmother around town, but I just never paid attention. All the connections were right in front of me this whole time and I was completely oblivious.

“We’re really stupid for not having figured this out before now, aren’t we?” she says my thoughts out loud, which is something she used to have an uncanny ability at doing.

“That’s for sure.” I look at Ella for the first time, really look at her. She has the same eyes, but otherwise, she looks so different than the little girl I spent a summer hanging out with. I didn’t tell a soul, not even Tate because I didn’t want him to tease me for hanging out with a kid. But Eleanor was more than a kid. She was my friend. And we had so much fun that summer. I could just be me when I was with her. I didn’t have to be a cool kid starting high school soon. I was just her “Ace.” My days as a kid were waning, even then I knew it, but Ella drew them out that summer. She let me be free and wild. We built forts, went swimming, galloped across the back fields, and even came up with a secret handshake.

“Your dad…that’s why you weren’t here when I came home the next summer,” I say sadly, remembering how I’d come to our spot for three weeks in a row before I finally gave up.

She nods and looks out at the pond.

“Yeah, that was the end of it…all of it,” she whispers as she watches two ducks in the pond. She wipes a stray tear away and glances back at me. “Do you think the treehouse we built is still over there?” She points in the direction of an old oak tree we’d found while riding one day.

“Only one way to find out,” I state as I stand and offer her my hand. She takes it and immediately launches into our secret handshake. I laugh as I reciprocate it.

“I can’t believe you remember that,” she says, giggling as she climbs up on Velvet and starts trotting toward our old treehouse. It takes us about five minutes to get there, but when we do, we find that it is in fact still there.

She looks up at it. “It’s not as…” She trails off.

“Sturdy as you remember?” I finish her sentence.

She shrugs. “Yeah. I don’t know what I was expecting. I mean we were kids. It’s pretty impressive considering we didn’t even know how to use the hammer. I think you did most of the work.”

“I mean, it looks alright,” I declare as I hop off Rook and walk over to it, giving one of the ladder rungs a gentle shake. Her confidence in my building skills that day were next level. She always had the uncanny ability to make me feel like I could do anything, be anything. I start to climb it.

“Chase! Stop! That’s a really bad idea!” Ella calls out from where she’s jumping off Velvet.

“It’s fine,” I assure her. I manage to get up to the platform we built, and I look around. “See, still sturdy!” I declare as I give a little jump. Now, in retrospect, the jump was a bad idea, but I did it anyhow. And now, I’m falling, through the wood platform and straight onto the ground fifteen feet below me. I land with a thud.

She rushes to my side. “Oh my God! Are you OK?” Her hands are running all over me, clearly looking for an injury, and fuck if my dick doesn’t start to respond.

I brush her hand away gently. “I’m fine. My pride is…a little injured, but I’ll make it,” I say as I start to get up and brush the leaves off my ass.

“I can’t believe you did that!” she says with a roll of her eyes.

“It really did look sturdy,” I try to explain but even I know my actions were more of the fourteen-year-old boy she met all those years ago and less of the nearly thirty-year-old man I am now.

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