Chloe looks at her, giving her a guilt filled smile as she shrugs. “Sorry, Auntie Remi.”
“Are you Ella?” A woman asks as she steps up to her with her arm linked through her husband's. She looks to be in her sixties and I recognize her from seeing her at Vera's gallery before. She's one of their highest paying clients.
“Hi, yes!” Ella beams with confidence and my heart swells as I watch her come out of her shell to entertain the woman. Remi quickly takes Chloe from her arms as the woman calls Ella over to one of her paintings. The one that she said was her favorite. I watch her as she shakes her head and tells the woman she brought the painting to sell, but now she isn't sure she's ready to part with it. The woman frowns, but they move to the next one, diving into the complexities of the piece.
“Thank you for doing this for her.”
I turn my head to look at Remi, pulling my attention from Ella for a moment. “I didn't do this.”
“Not this show,” she explains, shaking her head as she sets Chloe down. Her eyes travel with her, keeping a close eye on her as she steps closer to my side. “Ella has always been overly cautious and always questioning herself. She did a lot of work on her self-esteem after Jacob and was slowly coming out of her shell, but there was still a spark missing. She was still afraid to take the plunge into any kind of unknown.”
Remi takes a few steps forward to keep watching Chloe and I move with her, glancing at Ella before looking back at her friend.
“You helped her to rebuild her confidence. You helped show her there is good in the world and in herself. I've never seen her like this before, but she's glowing.” Remi smiles, the pride radiating from her expression. “She never believed in herself before and look at her now.”
“This version of Ella was always there inside of her,” I say, my voice soft as I watch her moving around the room.
“You're right,” Remi agrees, nodding her head as her gaze follows mine. “But without you, I don't think she would have fully embraced it. I think she would have continued to diminish the light inside her soul. You gave her the time she needed to deal with the aftermath of Jacob showing up. You didn’t walk away when she needed that time.” She looks back at me. “So, thank you, Cole. Thank you for making her see and believe.”
I stare at the star of the show, my heart soaring through the clouds as she moves with a confidence she didn't have when we first met.
She's the most amazing person I've ever met.
And I have every intention of making her mine again.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
ELLA
Sitting on the back steps, I stare out at the lawn, wrapping the blanket tighter around my body. I'm finally free from Jacob Evans. There isn't a single thing tying us together any longer and I haven't heard from him since he showed up unannounced that one day. Life has taken such an unexpected turn and has been overflowing with positivity.
The gallery sold all of my paintings last week and they've already said they’re ready for more, whenever I have more pieces available. It's been absolutely crazy to me, having this all happening. The fact that people want my work has almost instilled even more confidence in me.
The only thing missing is Cole. That night at the art show, I was pulled away by someone interested in purchasing a piece and I lost Cole after that. I caught sight of him walking around with Remi at one point but then after that, he disappeared. As much as I wanted to reach out to him, I knew I had to wait.
I needed to wait until I could officially close that door to my past.
My phone feels heavy in my hand and I stare for a moment, emotion lodging in my throat as I attempt to swallow it back.A wave of uncertainty and anxiety rolls through the pit of my stomach, but I ignore it.
I ignore it because I want to see him. I want to talk to him.
I want to let him in, completely this time.
Skipping over the messaging app, I tap on the phone icon and slowly type in his name. I watch, excitement lacing through me and I press my finger, lifting the phone to my ear. My heart pounds erratically in my chest and time feels suspended as it rings. And rings.
Disappointment washes over me as it goes to voicemail and I end the call, staring at my phone again. An impulsive thought passes through my brain and I grab ahold of it, typing out a message to him before I get the chance to second guess myself.
Ella
Hey. I know it's getting late, but I wanted to see if you could stop by so we could talk.
My eyes widen, and I read over the message I sent, instantly regretting it. It feels too forward, like I shouldn't have suggested something like that. I should have eased into the conversation instead of jumping in head first.
Inwardly, I cringe, but I don't let myself un-send it. Instead, I leave it there in his inbox and lock my phone before setting it down on the ground beside me. Twenty minutes pass before I finally get up, heading back into the house for the night. Cole never responds and I look at my phone once more before setting it down on the counter as I get a drink.
In an effort to chase away the negative feelings, I head into my art room to find a blank canvas and some jars of paint to lose myself in.
I don't know how long I've been painting for when a soft knock sounds on the glass pane to my right. My eyebrowspull together, confusion and fear pricking my skin. Convincing myself I was hearing things, I direct my attention back to the canvas when there's another tap on the window.
