Page 37 of Ella and the Enchanted Bookshop

“Well, she wasn’t that bad when I left, at least.” Casey turned to Margaret. “And it looks like she’s doing quite well now.” She turned back toward the front door. “Come on, Ella. Thank Margaret, and let’s go home. The horses will need to be fed soon.”

I sighed. So much for rest. While it was true that I was improving quickly, I was definitely not back to normal. But before I could even push my covers back, Margaret was standing in front of me, her arms crossed as she glared at Casey.

“Ella will not be going anywhere until I deem her ready.”

My stepmother stared at her. “If you think you can tell me what to do with my daughter–”

“But I’m not your daughter.”

They both turned to stare at me. If I could have, I would have stared at myself. I hadn’t meant to speak the words out loud. And yet, they had come, and I had no desire to take them back.

“You said I’m your employee,” I said, pushing myself into more of a sitting position. “And as an employee, I haven’t taken a day off since last year.” With each word, I felt stronger, so I kept going. “I’m entitled to sick days,” I continued. “And I’m still feeling sick.”

Casey gave me a cold smile. “I thought we already had this discussion. And in it, we established the understanding that as my employee, I have the right to terminate you whenever I please.”

“Do that,” Margaret said in a dark voice that I had never heard her use, “and I will call the sheriff to do a well check on your horses. Don’t think I don’t know that you’ve been cutting Derrick Washington’s hours to a bare minimum, even after he called you to tell you about Ella’s illness.” She lifted her chin defiantly. “I know the sheriff. I’ve been selling him books since he was five, and I happen to know that he’ll be very interested in making sure all of your horses are healthy and aren’t suffering any sort of neglect since you were gone.”

Casey had never liked Margaret. From the time she’d married my father, Margaret had been suspicious of the woman, and she’d not made it a secret that she was checking up on my welfare. And she’d continued to do so even more after my father had died. I’d appreciated it, but Casey had always interpreted Margaret’s interference as a lack of trust in her maternal abilities.

A lack of trust that was–admittedly–completely justified.

The hatred that Casey had always harbored for Margaret, however, had always been kept somewhat hidden. She’d managed to bury it beneath fake smiles and vague greetings. But now it burned hot in her eyes as she and Margaret stared one another down.

The battle couldn’t last forever, however, and Casey was the first one to fold. She finally looked down at her purse and sniffed as she pulled it over her shoulder. “Very well, Ella. Perhaps I wasn’t clear enough about my Sick Day Policy, which is my fault. Stay until you feel well.” She met my gaze and her eyes narrowed. “But we’re going to have a thorough review of my expectations as soon as you return.” And with that, she was gone.

Margaret shook her head and huffed. “Finally! I thought she was never going to leave!”

“I can’t stay there,” I said quietly. “I’m going to have to leave.”

Margaret turned and looked down at me, compassion replacing the fury in her eyes. “I’m afraid so, love.”

I nodded. “I know I need to go. I just… need to figure out how to do so without losing Nevada.”

To my surprise, Margaret sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped me in a hug. I breathed in deeply when she did, relishing how it felt to feel completely loved and trying to memorize her scent of old books mixed with earl gray tea.

“You’ll figure it out,” she said softly, leaning back and lifting my chin. Then she tapped on my unfinished tale. “The heroine always does.”

19

Living Life

It was with a good deal of trepidation that I returned home two days later. It was Saturday again, a whole week after I’d gotten sick.

“Hello?” I called as I walked in, shivering slightly. It was decidedly colder than it had been the week before, as we were now halfway through October.

No one answered, so I made my way to my room to grab my thicker coat. My stamina was still less than stellar, but I was far healthier than the last time I’d tried to feed the horses. And the horses were my first and greatest concern.

“Think of it as a trial run,” Margaret had said when I’d told her my fear. “You said you need to leave that house–which you most definitely do, by the way. When that happens, you’ll need to leave the horses as well. See what she does without you around. She might surprise you.” Her smile had darkened slightly. “And if she mistreats them, I have the sheriff’s phone number. We’ll give him a call.”

As much as I would have loved to see Casey’s reaction to the sheriff coming to visit, I knew that doing such would essentially spell the end of my time with my parents’ beloved horses. And though I fully planned on leaving now, I didn’t want to be chased out of my own home.

I wanted the goodbyes to be on my terms.

Also, I wasn’t leaving without my horse.

True to Margaret’s word, when I got home, I found Casey in the barn, mucking out stalls.

“Oh, so you’re back now?” she asked, barely sparing me a glance.