Page 14 of Now that I Found You
“No, I want to tell you in person. It’ll be worth the wait though.”
“Only if you insist. I’ll call you on your break. You remembered your watch, right?”
I smile down at the watch he got me around my wrist. He knows I’m terrible about carrying a phone, it’s not something I’ve ever liked having to do. Call me old school but having all these high-tech gadgets like my phone connected to my car stereo and my watch is not something of importance to me. After what’s happened to me, I know how imperative it is to Callum that I’m able to connect with him anytime I need to.
“Of course, I did,” I reassure him.
“Alright, baby, I’ll talk to you later. Have a good day and remember I love you.”
I don’t know what I’d do without him here, looking out for me, wanting to take care of me. “Love you, too, handsome.”
I picture him leaning back in his office chair, his sexy smirk lining the curve of his mouth. His facial hair longer, just how I like it. He was standing in the bathroom this morning getting ready to shave, and I begged him to leave it. I love it when he grows it out a little and how it feels against my palm when I run my hand over the side of his face.
Pulling up to Hudson’s Grocery a little while later, I pull into a parking spot near the back of the lot and shove my keys into my back pocket. I’m so anxious to tell someone the news, but I want the first person I tell to be Callum. He deserves to share this moment with me.
The bell dings as I enter the store, and I hear Hudson’s sweet voice greet me. “Morning, Ellie.”
“Morning,” I sing, bounding over to him to say hello with a kiss on the cheek.
Hudson is more of the grandfather I never had. As Kinsley’s biological grandpa, I think it’s what’s bonded me to her. They both have this undying need to help people.
When Callum and I were planning our wedding, I debated back and forth on whether I was going to walk down the aisle alone or not. My father passed away when I was nine and the thought of anyone but him walking with me was hard to accept.
On the other hand, if it weren’t for Hudson, I don’t believe I’d be where I am today. I still remember when I called him from the pay phone asking about the ad I saw for the house for rent in Arbor Creek. He could pick up on my hesitancy to move away.
Hudson offered me more than a place to live. He gave me this job. He took me in, he looked out for me, and watched over me. There were many nights I would lie awake in bed and pray to my dad he’d get me out of Garwood. I believe he brought Callum and Hudson into my life for a reason and despite wishing it were my dad who walked me down the aisle, giving me away, I know he’d be happy I had Hudson step in for him on my big day.
I walk back to the break room and drop off my keys and jacket before punching in and heading back to the front of the store.
“You have it from here?” Hudson asks, as he finishes stacking candy before breaking down the box. “I promised June I’d meet her for lunch, and I need to make a run to the bank. I won’t be gone more than an hour.”
I wave him off, reassuring him I have it from here as I take over stocking the shelves with more Halloween candy.
A short while later, after I’ve finished sorting the goodies, I head back toward the front of the store and do more organizing. A group of kids came in earlier looking to spend their allowance on candy, tearing through the aisle and leaving it in a disarray.
The sound of a voice clearing from behind startles me.
“Hello.” The ominous voice acknowledges me.
“Hi there, you ready to checkout?”
“Yes.”
Tossing the candy onto the shelf, I turn to smile at the gentleman behind me. Expecting to find another friendly face from Arbor Creek, I have to force a smile on my face when I find the opposite.
His dark hair is longer, tucked behind the back of his ears, with his red trucker cap pulled down covering most of his face. That’s not what sends off alarm bells in my mind. No, it’s the stench of alcohol on his breath hitting me from the moment I turn around, mixed with the strong aroma of cigarette smoke.
Forcing myself to breathe, I paste a smile on my face while mentally telling myself to get through it. Help this man purchase his items and send him on his way.
Everything in me wants to fall to the ground and curl into a ball, but I don’t. I’ve come so far in the past few months. I have fought hard to move on from the torment of my past following me. It’s not just me anymore. I have so much more to live for now, and I’m not going to let my PTSD cripple me any longer.
I can do this. I know I can do this.
My fingers quickly type in my employee number on the old register, as he sets the case of beer down on the counter. I quickly slide it over the scanner, ringing it up.
“Will that be all for you, sir?”
For the first time since turning around, I look up and make eye contact with him. It’s like a snap of the fingers, and I’m back in the dirty old basement of the abandoned house.
