Page 38 of Rules of the Heart

Once more, she had that awful, sinking feeling, but she studiously ignored it. She knew what she was doing. Ella had turned Valerie’s life upside down. She had convinced Valerie to go against the rules, something Valerie would never have thought herself capable of. Ella was and always had been a wild card, and Valeriehatedwild cards.

She would do well to remember that.

15

Ella

Ella hated fighting with Valerie, but she didn’t know how she could change anything. She wasn’t going to settle for less, and Valerie wasn’t going to agree to more. They were at loggerheads. They were both annoyed with each other, and Valerie had taken to spending time in her office doing paperwork again, delegating her surgeries to other surgeons.

Ella was sure that Valerie was avoiding her, trying to avoid more fights. In the beginning, Ella had accepted this strategy, but no more. She wanted Valerie, and she hadn’t gotten this far in life by not fighting for what she wanted.

She was going to do her very best to woo Valerie. If her attempts failed… Well, Ella supposed she would have to move on. It wasn’t a pleasant prospect, but it also wasn’t one she needed to consider right now.

So, the next day, Ella turned up at Valerie’s office with yellow roses. She remembered once in bed when Valerie had mentioned the yellow rose gardens she had loved walking in with her father as a child.

Valerie answered the door, her expression shifting into one of confusion when she saw what Ella had with her. Her brown eyes were lovely and open for just a second. Her face looked hopeful. “Ella, what—?”

“Come on a date with me, Valerie.” Ella was determined. Ella kept getting these glimpses of the real Valerie. The Valerie she kept buried deep beneath her frosty surface.

Valerie frowned. “You know I can’t.”

“I think you can, and I’m going to prove it. We belong together, Valerie. You will see that sooner or later. Until you tell me you don’t want me- not because of rules or age gaps or any other stupid reasons, I’m going to do everything I can to convince you of that.”

Ella hesitated, wondering if Valerie would use this opportunity to tell her to leave once and for all. If Valerie told Ella that she wanted nothing more to do with her, Ella couldn’t in good conscience keep pursuing her. That would be stalkerish and wrong.

However, she didn’t think that Valerie would tell her to cease and desist. She knew that Valerie really did want her. It was just her own issues holding her back.

“I can’t do this right now, Ella. I’ve got a surgery.”

Ha. That certainly wasn’t a “leave me alone,” which meant Ella was still free to keep trying. Surely, Valerie would soften sooner or later.

Ella smiled sweetly and backed away. Valerie’s face was softer than it might have been.

Two weeks later, Ella was beginning to reconsider that opinion. Valerie’s office was now full of yellow roses, she seemed happyenough to receive them but never backed down on her decision not to date Ella. She ignored the sweet notes Ella left for her in her locker, and avoided Ella as much as was humanly possible, given that they worked in the same hospital.

She was polite to Ella when she saw her and her eyes weren’t so frosty but she wouldn’t acquiesce to Ella’s requests.

It was an icy day and Ella decided to take the train to work rather than risk driving on the frozen roads. She sat with her head leaning against the window, trying to think of a method of courtship she had not yet tried.

“Monday getting you down?”

Ella looked up to find a pretty woman sitting in the seat opposite grinning at her.

“Something like that,” she mumbled.

“Yeah, it can be pretty brutal going out in this cold. I’m Kate, by the way.” Kate had dark hair and eyes and a beautiful smile.

“Ella. What kind of work do you do?”

“I’m a teacher. I teach high school chemistry. How about you?”

“I’m a neurosurgeon.”

“Wow, that’s super cool. What an important job. No wonder you look so serious.”

“It’s not that. It’s… Well, it’s my boss. We haven’t exactly been getting on well as of late.”

“Ah, I know that pain. Bosses can be tricky.”

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