“I’ll get you their name.”
“I need them at my place tonight,” Zee pressed.“The back has to be leveled, redone.If I don’t, Ella won’t set foot in the garden again.And I don’t blame her.”
There was a pause and Zee bit the inside of his cheek, wondering who the hell he was to order Ares to do anything.
“I’ll get a crew out there,” Ares said.“Anything else they need to know?”
Zee hesitated.His chest burned.“A fence.Around the back property.Should’ve done it years ago.”
Ella told him that she liked the wild openness of their back lot and he was proud to indulge her but that openness had given Nico the chance to drag her away and he was determined to close that security weakness, like River had suggested.
“Any word on River?”
Ares coughed and Zee’s stomach rolled.
“I know he needed surgery and that’s all.Carter hasn’t checked in for awhile.”
“He needed surgery but Carter hasn’t been in communication.”
His jaw ached as he ground his molars, rage rippling through him hot and consuming.
He clenched his fist until his knuckles cracked, forcing himself to breathe before he shattered his phone.
“I’ve never felt so useless.”
“Yeah, I get that.Zee, you know a fence wouldn’t have made a difference.”
Zee’s throat tightened.“I know.Thanks, Ares.”
“We’re happy to help.Call if you need anything else.”
When they hung up, Zee made the next call, his stomach a buzz of nerves.
“Maddie.Annie.I need to talk about Mom.”
Maddie’s face filled the screen, chin tipped up in that stubborn way that mirrored her mother’s.
“Good.We want to talk about her too.Did she tell you about the music job?”
“What job?”
“Dad.”Maddie’s said, exasperation in her tone.“It’s perfect for her.You should tell her to take it.”
“It’s almost closing and I think Mom is perfect for it.She’s always supported us.I know she doesn’t want to perform but she loves helping people and this music mentor position would be so good for her.”
“I agree.Tell me more.His voice cracked but he didn’t care.He couldn’t explain the well of tears in his eyes and had to shift forward to focus on what the girls were saying.
By the time he arrived at his office, Zee had formed a plan.
One that would show Ella what she meant to him.
The next time he came home, she’d be by his side.
23 ELLA
Nora’sguestroomsmelledfaintly of lavender, the sheets crisp and cool against Ella’s skin.It wasn’t the hospital she’d spent last night in, so she told herself she should be able to sleep.
But every time she closed her eyes, she was back in her garden, an arm grabbing her from behind and yanking her off her feet.The flashes were so vivid her body reacted as if it were happening all over again.
