“Sooo,” Jett questioned tentatively. “Is that a good or a bad thing?”
Now Ellen grinned at her. “Oh, it’s good. Very, very good. Trask has needed someone like you up in his business for a long time; someone who doesn’t put up with his bossy, cranky side.Also, someone who challenges him about the seriousness of life, which I noticed you did tonight, spectacularly.”
Ellen suddenly became serious. “Do me a favor, though. Don’t let his intensity get to you. Don’t let him wear your spirit down. If you find yourself trying to change anything about yourself because of him, walk away. It wouldn’t be right for him to snuff out the light I see in you. But…” She hesitated.
“But what,” Jett encouraged.
“But if it’s possible without losing yourself, can you please stick around and keep at him? I have a feeling if you don’t back down, both you and he will be pleasantly surprised.”
“Either that or we’ll end up killing each other,” Jett snorted.
Ellen became suffused with smiles again. “Well, you know what they say, don’t you?”
“That opposites attract?” Jett guessed.
“Well, that, butIwas going to say ‘there’s a fine line between love and hate’.”
Jett sighed as she put the last dish in the machine. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see which one it turns out to be.”
Ellen wiped her hands on a dishtowel, clearly finished with that subject, and became all motherly-business. “The two front rooms upstairs are made up and ready. There’s a bathroom in the hallway between them that you’ll have to share with Trask, but I’m sure you’ll manage just fine.”
Had there been a hint of innuendo in Ellen’s voice?
“And just to let you know, Guy and I have a suite on the first floor toward the back of the house. We can’t hear a thing once we’ve shut our door for the night.”
Hah.The womanwasgetting impudent.
She was basically telling Jett that she and Trask had free rein once they made their way up from the first floor.
Amazing.
Although maybe not.
Trask was, after all, forty-seven years old, and his parents had probably given up a long time ago that he’d find someone who could put up with his bossy ass. Ellen might be seeing Jett as her last hope.
Jett gave her a wink. “I’ll take all that you’ve said into consideration, but don’t expect miracles. Right now, I’m pretty sure I’m at the top of Trask’s crap-list.”
“That’s because you confuse him,” Ellen countered with surety. “Just keep doing what you’re doing and be yourself. Things will work out the way they’re supposed to in the end.”
Linking her arm with Jett’s, Ellen led her back into the huge, informal dining room, where Trask and his father were standing, chit-chatting.
Had Trask perked up at the sight of her, or was she reading into things now that Ellen had put possibilities into her head?
Of course, the initial expression she thought she’d seen was quickly masked with one of pique.
Right.
“I’ve already taken the dogs out, and got them settled in the heated mudroom,” Trask clipped.
Jett walked over and glanced through the glass to where her two pups were, indeed, conked out on their beds. The poor babies. They’d had a long day.
“Thank you,” she said sincerely.
“Are you ready to head up?” he continued. “I’m thinking you’ll need to get back to Portsmouth in the morning so you can arrange to wrap things up there before you come north again.” He sounded…put out.
“That’s the plan,” Jett agreed, not wanting to think about the massive job it was going to be to clean out her childhood home. “But I kind of thought it would be nice to see the Diver Downeast office before I leave. I’d love to meet Sheila, and you could certainly use help unloading all the stuff I brought up.”She quickly demurred, giving him an out. “But if that doesn’t fit your agenda, I can wait. And if you’re too busy to drive me to the airport, I can call for an Uber.”
There.That would let him know she wasn’t about to become dependent on his grumpy self.
