“So when will Ellie be joining us for breakfast?”Willow asked.
Becket grinned as he pulled out a chair.“So that you can all pester her?I don’t think so.”
“You’ve never before brought a woman home,” Hayden remarked.
Nodding, Becket helped himself to breakfast.“I’ve never before met someone like Ellie.”
Willow touched his hand.“Ellie’s a friend.If you want to move on, tell her.Please don’t let her find out only when she sees you with someone else.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Becket said.
“Mom says Gloria is moving out of her house this weekend,” Willow said.“And although Ellie is still waiting for all the paperwork, she’s going to move into the house the weekend after.But you surely know that?”
Surprised, Becket looked at his sister.
“You didn’t know?Don’t you two talk?No,” Willow stopped him with a hand.“Please don’t answer that, I don’t want to know.”
“We talk.”He frowned, trying to remember whether they’d spoken about her purchase of the house at all, but nothing came to mind.Talking was not on his mind when he was with Ellie.
Why wouldn’t she tell him she was moving into her house?Okay, they hadn’t really talked since last Monday when he’d brought her home, but she could’ve said something.
As everyone got up to leave the breakfast table, Willow pulled him to the side.“Have you told Ellie about ET Beck?”
“She knows I doodle,” he said.
Willow shook her head.“Telling her you’re doodling and telling her about your art are two different things.Especially now that she has become part of your daily posts on Instagram.You should tell her.Sooner or later, someone is going to figure out the connection.It’s better if Ellie hears it from you.”
“You coming, Becket?”Hayden called from outside.
“Coming!”he shouted.
“And tell Hayden.He deserves to know.”
Fed up, Becket strode out of the house.Telling Hayden would just complicate matters.The same with Ellie.He would like to know, though, why she hadn’t told him she was moving into the house she’d bought.
*
It was mid-morningbefore Ellie had time to sit down with a cup of tea.Slowly she exhaled.The last week with Becket had been wild and wonderful and heartbreaking.They didn’t talk, they hardly ate or slept, they simply couldn’t keep their hands to themselves.Every time she touched Becket, or he touched her, they ended up in bed.
Pressing her hand against her chest, she willed her heart to slow down.At this rate, she might just end up hyperventilating.She was frustrated and tired from lack of sleep and irritated with herself for worrying when Becket was going to tell he her was moving on.At some point he was going stop showing up, she’d accepted that.The question was, when?
She hated feeling like this, but she also didn’t want to be the one who ended things if there was a chance she could be with him for one more day.Dropping her head in her hands, she groaned out loud.Pathetic.She knew that.Wasn’t she supposed to be an independent, single spinster, happily living her life with a cat?And what had happened to the idea of getting a cat?She was moving into Gloria’s house the following weekend; she should talk to Cooper about the cat he’d mentioned.The cat tree scratching post with activity center she’d bought in Bozeman had already been delivered.
Because Gloria was graciously letting her move into the house before all the paperwork was finalized, Ellie had offered to get someone to clean the house.The house was almost perfect as it was, but she wanted her bedroom walls repainted.She’d found someone to do the job and was very pleased with herself for organizing it all on her own.
For the first time in her life, she could create her own space the way she liked it.She couldn’t wait to move in and make the house her own.Everything had to be ready before the movers delivered all the stuff that had been in storage in Phoenix, though.
She had a house.It wasn’t quite in her name yet, but soon it would be.The last week had been so busy.Between staying with Becket most evenings, organizing movers and painters, and running the shop, she had little time for anything else.She’d spoken to Rose over the phone, but she hadn’t been to see her.
It was Tuesday which meant it was book club night, but there hadn’t been time to readNorth and Southagain as she’d wanted to.Which reminded her, she had to let Becket know she couldn’t see him tonight.Taking out her phone she texted him quickly.
And maybe she could stop by Laura’s house and ask Rose if she wanted to join their discussion tonight.It was six weeks since Rose’s arrival in Marietta.At some point she would have to leave the house.Asking her to join them on a book club night where she would know everybody, might just be a way to get their friend to leave the house for once.
*
Irritated, Becket checkedEllie’s message again.
Book club tonight.
