Page 28 of Falling for the Grumpy Stranger

Ella waved enthusiastically to her sister. Her older sister was taller with copper hair and light freckles. Like Ella, she was stunning but in an entirely different way. Her sister put down the coffeepot she was holding and walked across to greet us.

“Aria, this is Rhett Lockwood. He owns Grimstone Manor,” Ella said. “Rhett, this is Aria.”

Aria shook my hand. “It’s nice to be formally introduced.”

I felt a twinge of shame. “Yes, I’ve been in here, and I’m sorry if I came off rudely. I can be standoffish without trying. At least that is what my mom has told me many times.”

“Well, I’m glad to meet you now. There’s a table by the fire,” Aria suggested. A massive man who looked entirely out of place wrapped in a cook’s apron came out from the back. The guy was so tall his head nearly touched the hanging lights. He spotted the three of us still standing in the dining area discussing tables, and instantly, his brow furrowed, like that of a stern dad. He crossed his thick arms over a big chest as he reached us. His scrutinizing gaze fell right on me. I put on my most polite smile, but I wasn’t really in a smiling mood.

“Dex, this is Rhett Lockwood. He just moved to town and lives in Grimstone Manor, the old house on the hill.”

Dex was still giving me the evil eye as he nodded. “You’ve been helping Ella with her work?” He didn’t ask it in a friendly tone.

Aria rolled her eyes. “You two, take a seat.” She grabbed Dex’s arm to turn him around and lead him away, but it was a bit like watching a tiny tugboat try to drag an ocean liner. She cleared her throat to let him know he was done with his big, mean father act.

I half expected Dex to lift his hand and do the two-finger point between his eyes and mine to let me know he was keeping an eye on me.

Ella gave an eye roll of her own as we meandered over to a table that was close but not too close to the fire. “Just a minute,” she said with a sigh. She hurried to the back, but I could still see her as she gave Dex a quick hug. She returned quickly. “Sorry about that. Dex is very protective of all of us, and frankly, it’s kind of sweet.”

“Not so sweet when you’re on the receiving end of his scrutiny,” I said. “But I’m not mad. Intimidated, yes. I always considered myself pretty tough and a guy who could hold his own in a fight, but that guy—” I shook my head. “Would not want to face him down in a dark alley. Or anywhere, for that matter.”

Ella laughed. “He does take up a lot of space, but the man can make a quiche that’ll bring tears to your eyes.”

Aria returned with menus. “Sorry about ‘Atilla the Hun.’ He’s very protective.”

“It’s cool. I completely understand.”

“I’ll be right back to take your order. I highly recommend the broccoli cheddar soup,” Aria said.

Ella smiled smugly. “See, I know my soups. I’m going to pair a bowl with a bacon and tomato sandwich.”

I patted the menu. “That actually sounds perfect.”

The flames in the hearth warmed the café, and while it was cloudy and gray outside, inside the café, with its strands of lights and delicious aromas, was extremely inviting. “Your sister started this business all by herself?” I asked.

Ella beamed instantly. It was the same big smile she wore whenever she talked about one of her sisters. “And she was young, mid-twenties. She went into finance after college.” Ella shrugged. “Don’t ask me what that entailed. It all sounded so boring, as a younger sister I wasn’t the least bit interested in herdull business career. Then she realized she wasn’t interested in it either. Nonna, our grandmother, was an excellent cook and baker. Isla and Aria spent a lot of time in the kitchen with her.”

“Not you?” I asked.

“I was better at taste testing, especially when Nonna was baking cookies or cakes. But I loved writing. Even as a little girl, I’d draw out storybooks and then read them to my sisters. I’ve been working on—you know—that book, the book that will hopefully get me noticed in the literary world, but it’s hard. A lot harder than I imagined. My sisters have been so wonderful. They’ve been supporting me so I could pursue my dream, but I recently decided I needed to start supporting myself. That’s why I applied for a journalist position at online publications. I was lucky to get this job.” She reached over and placed her hand on mine. “That’s why I’ll be forever grateful to you. I’m not sure I would have ever discovered all this highly personal information about the Grimstones without your help.” She took her hand away, but I could still feel the soft warmth of her palm long after. “That said, I started the episode about Margaret, and I think it’s going great, but now I’m really looking forward to writing Magnum’s story.” She rubbed her hands together eagerly. “Think I’m going to like this whole journalist gig.”

“I’m kind of liking it, too. As long as you’re doing the writing. Ella,” I started and then realized I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to say. I knew one thing for certain—I wanted to see more of Ella. “I hope we can keep this going. I’m sorry. I’ve been in an anti-social bubble for far too long. What I’m trying to say—awkwardly—is I’m very fond of you—of your company. Meeting you has been good for me.”

Ella’s cheeks turned pink. “That’s good, Rhett. I feel the same way. I, too, have been inside a bubble for a while, a mostly empty bubble where I’m surrounded by fictional characters. My sisters call me the hermit, and they aren’t far off on that assessment.This has been good for me, too, and not just because of the story.”

Aria walked over to take our order. The conversation ended, but I was feeling pretty good about the way it went.

Chapter Twenty-Two

ELLA

The wind was blowing hard rain against the windows of the cottage, seeping through every crack it could find. I pulled the blanket closer around me and adjusted the laptop so it wouldn’t slip off my lap. After a wonderful lunch, Rhett and I walked back to the house. We talked and laughed and at one point, it seemed Rhett wanted to take my hand. But he didn’t. We’d brought out into the open the fact that we liked being around each other, but we hadn’t defined it yet as a hand-holding kind of friendship. That was still to be determined, but I’d found myself really wanting him to hold my hand.

I helped him pack some more books before his appointment with a contractor who was coming to give the house a look. I left him to the business of renovating. I had my own work to do. Saying goodbye took deliciously long. Neither of us wanted to part ways, but we made plans for my return in the morning. We took the next step of exchanging phone numbers at Rhett’s suggestion. It felt like a big step forward.

This evening, Isla was with Luke, of course, and Layla and Ava had decided to drive over to Fairview, the neighboring town, for karaoke night at the local bar. So, I was left alone with the shiver-producing chill, leftover lasagna, my laptop and my half-written piece about Margaret Grimstone. I’d started a fire earlier in the evening but grew lazy about keeping it up. Sometimes a cozy fire took far too much tending and coaxing for my liking. It was much easier to drape myself in several layers of blankets and double socks on my feet. I’d expected rain but not the howling wind, and it was strong enough for me to pull out our emergency supply of candles and flashlights, just in case. The cottage was so old that a few good gusts could take out the electricity. My sisters and I had spent many hours doing homework by candlelight. We loved it, of course, because homework was so tedious, but doing it by flickering candlelight always made it way more adventurous.

My fingers were poised to start typing again when a sharp wind pushed against the cottage. Everything inside the house creaked, including the old couch I sat on. Isla and I usually started singingWizard of Oztunes whenever there was a brutal storm outside, because when the wind was strong enough it felt as if our small, lopsided cottage might be ripped from its foundation and carried over to Oz.

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