Page 24 of All I Need

“Oh my gosh! Is it that bad? What did I do wrong?” Ellie stands abruptly from her chair, reaching over to the pan of lasagna, using the spatula to poke at it like that would bring her answers.

Miss Polly’s eyes widen and she looks at her plate, up at me, then takes a small bite herself.

“You’re ridiculous. It’s delicious!” She’s absolutely correct. It is.

Ellie’s blues dart to me and I shrug. “I guess everyone has a different palate.”

She takes a bite herself and reaches over and whacks me on the shoulder. “You brat! I thought you were serious.”

I burst out laughing. “I had to do something to welcome you to the family.”

“Ugh. You’re the worst,” she grumbles with a smile on her face.

I grin and she harrumphs, plopping back down in her chair.

And that, is how the elephant in the room becomes an ant. Because for the rest of our meal, which is the best freaking lasagna I’ve ever tasted, but I wouldn’t dream of saying that in front of Miss Polly’s company, the mood is lighter. We laugh. We eat. We talk and share stories of our childhood.

Well, I tell her stories of my childhood, she asks question after question but it isn’t lost on me that she deflects when I ask about her own. What we also don’t talk about is the day I met Ellie and what brought her here.

But with every smile she aims my way, every twinkle of her eyes and sound of her laughter, it becomes more obvious that I want to know.

“In case you were still questioning my taste buds, that lasagna was amazing,” I tell Ellie, leaning back in my seat.

“I’m glad you think so.”

Miss Polly kicks me under the table and I jerk in my seat. She then shifts her gaze dramatically to Ellie. Obviously, she wants me to get on with the job offer portion of the evening.

“I hear you’re planning to stay around for a bit?”

She smiles and it lights up her entire face. In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen her smile so widely since I met her. Even earlier when her smile was the thing that kept me telling stories it wasn’t as bright as it is now. If I thought she was pretty before, I was mistaken. She’s gorgeous.

“I am. I need to take care of a few things back where I used to live, but I’m staying here with Miss Polly. For a while, anyway.”

She doesn’t explain the things she needs to take care of but I assume it has something to do with the owner of the car.

Then… she lifts her left hand and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and all I see is an empty ring finger. I can’t take my eyes off her. I don’t blink. I’m not even sure that I breathe. I simply stare.

Whoever put that ring on her finger is no longer a factor.

Asking her to work for me would be the absolute worst thing I could ever possibly do. I’ve always been pretty stingy with my feelings for other people but it seems that all went out the window when Ellie showed up.

“I have an opening at the vet clinic if you’re looking for work.”

Well, that thought didn’t stick.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Miss Polly sit up taller in her seat.

“Pardon?”

“Right. So, my office manager, Linda, who also works the front desk and basically runs my life, is retiring. Grayson knows how to do some stuff at the clinic, and Willow can help when she’s not at the hospital but I really will need to find a replacement.”

“It sounds like she’d be a hard one to replace.”

“I’m not going to lie, she will be. But I’m not worried. If you’re interested, the job is yours.”

“Don’t you like, need a resume or my background? How do you know I’d be a good fit?”

Shit. She’s right. I know nothing about her.

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