Page 39 of Ripped & Shipped
She called it.
If it’s possible, I’m even angrier with myself than I was earlier this morning.
Ella Mae grabs her drink and strolls over to our table. “Good morning, Duke. Chris.”
She keeps her eyes trained on Duke and barely glances at me.
“Hey, Ella Mae,” Duke says, his tail practically wagging like the overeager puppy he is.
“Congrats, by the way,” Ella Mae says to Duke. “That’s going to be one cute baby. Between you and Shannon, we’re talking about winning the genetic lottery!”
Duke thanks her, beaming like the proud dad he is.
Turning to me and taking a long sip from her frothy frozen coffee drink, Ella Mae says, “My peeps ate you up like ice cream on a hot summer day, Christopher.”
I’ve been studying my coffee like it holds the secrets to all life’s mysteries. My eyes snap up to meet Ella Mae’s at this announcement. I shoot her a subtle warning glance. Maybe I should have laid out parameters before we redrew our lines last night—no discussing our little filming session with anyone in our zip code.
“How would your peeps know about my man, Chris?” Duke asks, obviously salivating for any juicy detail he can get.
He’s as bad as the seniors at the salon when it comes to gossiping.
“Oh, Chris didn’t tell you?” Ella Mae asks.
She turns and winks at me. “I guess it’s just our little secret, then.”
“By the way, I rescheduled with Drake,” she adds.
I grunt. I know it sounds like a grunt, too. I don’t think that guy deserves a second chance to film with her, but it’s really not my business.
Ella Mae seems to read my thoughts.
“Not to worry, Big Boy. He’s DrakesDaMan.”
Big Boy. She went there. In front of Duke.
“Yeah, well. Now that you put it that way,” I say, glancing up at her again.
The pink of Ella Mae’s shirt draws my eyes to her lips and cheeks. They’re both shaded a light, bubble-gum pink. Her lips are glossy and frosted, like a glass of pink lemonade with sugar crystals around the rim. My gaze travels up to her blue eyes. They’re so blue, like a swimming pool with the sunlight glinting off it in the middle of July. And they’re sparkling with challenge right now.
“I’m not in need of a bodyguard, Soldier.” She smiles a cat-ate-the-canary smile, and turns to walk away from our table and out the front door. “Have a great day, guys!” Her voice trails off as she steps outside. “I know I will.”
“What was that about?” Duke asks before the door even swings shut behind Ella Mae.
“Nothing much. She and I bumped into one another in Columbus. She caught me on camera.”
I’m not actually lying. Just keeping a bulk of the details to myself. The last thing I need is Duke looking up Ella Mae’s video and sharing it with anyone who has a minute to check it out.
Duke studies me as I sit silently drinking my coffee. I change the subject by asking him what he and Shannon are thinking of in terms of baby names. Duke’s easily redirected to other subjects, especially ones involving him, my sister, and my new niece or nephew. I only wish my mind could be so easily coaxed to focus on something other than Ella Mae today.
CHAPTER15
Ella Mae
I stepout of Bean There Done That with a winning smile on my face. Did I plan the timing of my morning frappuccino run just right? Did I leave the house hoping to land smack dab in the middle of one of the usual coffee dates between Chris and Duke? And did I put just a tad extra effort into my hair, makeup, and wardrobe today so I could be a fierce force of femininity and take charge of the narrative?
Mayyyybe.
When it comes to diffusing potentially strained situations, I always say, better sooner than later. Chris and I were bound to see one another. More than likely, he was going to dodge me, ignore me, or simply make this awkward. I merely got a jump on things by showing up looking ahhh-maze-ing and acting cool as a cucumber. I actually did Chris a favor, even though he was squirming like bait on a hook from the moment I entered the cafe until the second the door swung shut behind me.
