“Ellie? Are you okay?” Vic stepped closer. “You went pale.”
Ellie swallowed. The aftertaste of the ice cream in her mouth was too sweet. Her lips were cold, and her head throbbed. “Yeah, sorry. I just…” She shook her head and then winced when it hurt even more.
“I lost you for a moment there, El.” Vic sighed, looking guilty. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything about dying.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” Ellie gave Vic the best smile she could, fighting to speak through the tightness in her throat. “I guess it just takes a while.” And the tension between them wasn’t helping. God, she hated conflict.
Nissy stood from her cushion and stalked onto her lap, nosing around her chin. Her soft whiskers tickled gently, and Ellie held on to her small warm body.
“I wish it had never happened.” Vic stood, looking at her with concern. “Here, let me tidy up so you can get some rest.” She stacked the empty bowls and carried them into the kitchen.
Ellie gave Nissy a last cuddle and then put her back on her cushion, then pushed herself up to follow. She found Vic rinsing bowls at the sink. “You don’t have to do that.”
Vic threw a smile at her over her shoulder. “I don’t mind. I hate seeing you look so pale.”
Ellie leaned against the doorframe, suddenly even more tired than before. She was standing precisely where her hallucination had stood. His big shoulder pressed against this exact doorframe.
If only he was real.
“Shall I get the guest room ready for you?” Ellie asked. “We can have leftover apple pie for breakfast like we used to.”
Vic chuckled, but her back was still to Ellie. “Thanks, El, but I need to get back.”
“Tonight? Really?” It was a long way back. But maybe they needed the space.
“Yes, I promised—” Vic turned away to stack the bowls in the drying rack, cleared her throat, and then started again. “I’ve got a lot to do tomorrow. Easier to drive back now than face the morning rush.”
Ellie watched her friend, taking in Vic’s stiff shoulders as she fussed with the crockery. “Okay, if you’re comfortable with the drive…. Hang on. Who did you promise?”
Vic shrugged without turning around.
“Are you seeing someone new? That’s great news.” Relief welled through her. If Vic was dating again, starting to try again, perhaps she’d begun to recover from the hurt Warren caused.
Vic spun to face her, her voice sharp. “What? No! Of course I’m not seeing anyone else. Warren is…”
Hell. Ellie leaned more heavily against the frame, just as her hallucination had done. “Warren is?” she prompted.
“Nothing.” Vic dried her hands with jerky movements.
Ellie moved closer, her heart thudding heavily in her ears. “Are you back with him? You can tell me, Vic. I?—”
“I don’t want to talk about this with you.”
“Okay.” Ellie took a slow breath. “Okay, that’s fine. I just don’t want to see you hurt again. You’re my family, and Warren—” What were the right words? She didn’t know anymore.
Maybe it didn’t matter; Vic clearly didn’t want to hear them anyway. She neatly tucked the tea towel away, smoothing it until it was perfect before stalking past Ellie and into the hall. “I have to go.”
“Alright.” Ellie forced a smile. “I’ll be here, if you need me.”
Vic grunted as she grabbed her coat and bag. They didn’t hug goodbye, and Ellie stood at the door watching for long moments after she drove away.
Then she closed up the house, checked all the locks, said goodnight to Nissy—who had taken herself to her cave—and made her way upstairs for a hot shower.
And if she checked every mirror more than once, if she lay listening for a deep voice long past the time she should have gone to sleep, she was just being careful. It didn’t mean anything.
And the quiet emptiness—the fact that he had disappeared and never come back—had nothing to do with how alone she felt.
Chapter Six
