“Son, take good care of this little lady.She is a keeper.”
“I intend to,” replied Ben.
Taking both of Ella’s hands in his, Herman said, “Little missy, it has been a pleasure meeting you.Any time you want to talk about soil or come out and play in my fields, you just let me know.You folks have a safe trip home.”
“You as well, sir,” replied Ben.
At that moment, Millie came up and said, “Herman, stop bothering those young people.”
“He’s not bothering us, Miss Millie.It is nice to see you again,” Ben said.
“You too, young man.I enjoyed talking with your parents tonight.Please tell them good night.There is still a crowd waiting to meet them and take pictures.”Turning to Ella, Mille added, “It was very nice to meet you, Ella.I wish you the best at Michigan in the fall.I hope we see each other again before you leave.”With that, Herman and Millie headed for the exit.
Ben turned to Ella with a strange expression on his face.“What did they mean about Michigan in the fall?”
Ella shrugged and said, “You know I am set to go there.We have talked about this.I can’t just walk away from my career because we got married and are having a baby.”
Looking at Ella like she had just said she wanted to jump off the nearest bridge, Ben said, “Yes, you can because as you just said, we are married and are having a baby.How in the world can you do that if you are in Michigan?Think about it, Ella.There is no way that will work.”
Ella started to ask Ben why it couldn’t when he cut her off.“Look, this is not the time or the place to have this discussion.I have to start the takedown.I came over to get you because Joe is about to head back to the city.He is going to give you a ride.”
“Can’t I wait and ride back with you?”Ella was not looking forward to another two hours in a car with another guy she barely knew—even if she could probably sleep the whole way.
“No, I am going to stay at Mom and Dad’s.We have an early event in Searcy tomorrow.”
“Well, can’t I just stay there with you?”Ella hated how whiney she sounded.It was ridiculous.She was basically begging her husband of two months to spend some time with her on their first Valentine’s Day.
“I wish you could.Trust me.I really do.But we are going to be flying to Malvern and back tomorrow.I have no idea what time I will get home.I think it would be best if you just go home.Don’t you have that lunch with Dan’s wife tomorrow?”
Ella had completely forgotten about the lunch.Dan’s wife, Lauren, had invited her to lunch to meet some women involved in the Junior League.Ella had hated the idea but had no clue how to get out of it.So she rode back to Little Rock with Joe and wondered for the umpteenth time how her life had turned so quickly and so completely into something she didn’t even recognize.
Chapter 22
Little Rock, Arkansas
After Ben’s trip to Malvern, he had come home just long enough to drop his laundry and repack.He and his father had been invited to a friend’s cabin on the Little Red.They were going to spend a few days fishing and playing cards.To Ella, that sounded a lot like a male playdate, but Ben assured her it was work and that his participation was not only expected but required.Once again, Ben waltzed out of their condo with a suitcase, a kiss, a declaration of his love, and a loosely worded promise of when he would return.
As promised, Ben did call Ella every night to check on her.Her marriage was starting to feel very much like their courtship had in the beginning—the main difference being that back then, they seemed to talk for hours about everything and nothing.Now the calls were short, quick, and to the point—almost scripted.Their sole purpose was to check Ella off Ben’s to-do list.She wished the calls left her feeling more connected to him and not like a checkmark.
What made all of this so much worse was the extreme boredom Ella battled almost every day.She read constantly, but even that got old.She had never been a big television watcher, but she was finding herself bingeing shows on Netflix and Prime in the middle of the day.The worst was when her parents would call and ask about her life.She was too embarrassed to admit that she was fast becoming exactly what her mom had so accurately predicted, a woman who lunched and shopped.She had become an accoutrement to Ben, and she had no idea how that had happened.
As much as Ella hated how her life was going, for once she was glad to be home alone when Herman Waters’s secretary texted her with an opportunity she could not turn down.
Ella, hello, I am Sarah Lite, the personal assistant to Herman Waters and the Waters Family Farming Collective.I believe you two met a few days ago.Mr.Waters would like to speak with you today at 1:00 about possibly helping with our current soil study.Will that time work for you?
As Ella read the text, her mind ran wild with questions about what Herman might want.She had no idea—other than he wanted to ask her more about the study she had done as her final senior project in December.They had talked about it extensively that night.She had really liked him and was curious to see what he wanted.She quickly responded.
Yes, 1:00 is perfect.We can talk then.
At one o’clock on the dot, Herman Waters rang her phone.
“Hello,” answered Ella, her voice calm but with an undertone of uncertainty.
“May I speak with Ella Carrington, please,” the gruff voice of Herman Waters roared through the phone.
“It’s me, Mr.Waters,” Ella responded.“Your secretary said you would be calling to discuss soil conservation.You already know that is one of my favorite things to talk about, but I was surprised to hear from you so soon.How can I help you?”
Laughing, the older man replied, “Well, little missy, I need your help.I don’t know if you recall, but I shared with you last weekend that we were starting a large soil study program on our fallow fields.You may also recall that I have engaged one of the leading soil conservationists, Bobby Blesson, to head it up.As I remember it, you were aware of Blesson’s work.”
