Page 24 of Make Her Mine
My brothers got up and put their empty plates in the dish bin, then walked out, shaking their heads as they left me alone. They probably thought I was stupid for sitting around, waiting for Ella to return. Somehow, I didn’t care what they thought. Iwantedto wait for her.
So, I waited. In the library, I discovered some books on racehorses. Three hours went by as I found out all sorts of cool things about the horses. When I checked my cell for the time, I just about lost it. “Where the heck is she!?”
The library was close to the garage, and I knew I’d hear the car pull up when they returned. And as I stood there, looking out the window, I thought about how dumb it was to hang out, doing nothing but waiting.
But I kept on waiting anyway.
Grabbing my coat from my bedroom, I went down to the garage for a gold cart to head on down to the horse stable. At least Ella wouldn’t think I’d sat around in the house waiting. The last thing I needed was for her to think she had the upper hand.
Another hour later, as I roamed around the barn examining things, the dogs barked. Someone had come up the drive, so I got back on the cart and hightailed it up to the house. Sure enough, Ella and Darleen were pulling into the garage.
Slowing down, so it didn’t look like I was hurrying, I pulled into the space designated for the golf cart and plugged it back to charge the battery up. “Oh, hey there, ladies.”
Darleen looked at me as Ella hurried into the house. “Oh, hi, Brandon. Whatchya been doing?”
“Checking out the horses. I’ve taken an interest in them.” I tried not to hurry into the house to find out why Ella hadn’t even said hello to me. So, my walk was purposely slow and ambling. “Guess lunch is about ready now. Thought I’d come up and see about that.”
“It’s almost noon; I’m sure it’s nearly done,” Darleen remarked as she went inside in front of me. “At least I hope so. Ella and I left before eating this morning. I’m famished.”
Why they had left so early? How to ask without sounding like I cared? “Yeah, I noticed you weren’t there for breakfast.”
Walking beside her through the empty kitchen that still smelled of food, I pushed the door open to the lunch area where Todd and Mrs. Finley were setting it up. “Oh good, you’re home, Darleen. Where’s Ella?” their mother asked.
“Probably in her bedroom. She didn’t feel that great.” Darleen put her purse down on a chair, then went to make a drink.
I wanted to ask about Ella but thought better of it. Instead, I got a glass of iced tea and examined the food. “Burgers. They look great, Todd.”
“Sweet potato fries, too. I used an air fryer,” he announced as he pulled the silver top off to show them. “Guilt-free and so flavorful. You have to try some.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” As I started making my plate, my brothers came in with Kyle and Mr. Finley. “Hi, guys. Did ya have fun at the feed store?”
“We got some baby chicks,” Dyllan beamed a smile a mile wide. “I’ve always wanted a few. A man with chicks! Ha ha!”
“I had no idea.” I put some lettuce on my burger, then found an assortment of cheeses and had to taste a sample of each one before deciding to go with one called Havarti. “Who knew there were so many types of cheeses! And you never serve American cheese, Todd. Why’s that?”
“Because it’s artificial,” he told me. “Why do we, as Americans, allow our good name to be used on that crap?”
Clayton agreed, “Right. It tastes like plastic with yellow number 5.”
As I took a seat, I felt bad Ella wasn’t here. “Maybe someone should bring Ella a meal.”
Darleen shook her head. “She’s in a terrible mood. Just leave her alone. She’ll come out when she’s ready.”
“Maybe she’s in a bad mood because she hasn’t eaten?” I offered.
Mrs. Finley looked at me. “Maybe so. I’ll go check on her.” She left the room, and it made me feel better.
I’d never thought so much about anyone in my life. Why was Ella always at the forefront of my mind? But she was there.
Managing light chit chat with everyone, I got through lunch, then headed to the sitting room where Ella liked to hang out. There was a big picture window she liked to sit by to watch the meadow.
She wasn’t there, so I went to the other room upstairs where she likes to hang out and draw, but she wasn’t there, either. With no other options, I went to the Finley’s quarters.
I’d never been so nervous, and it made me feel insanely stupid. My fist hung in the air, millimeters from the door. Taking a deep breath, I knocked. No answer came. So, I knocked again—still nothing.
Looking around, I saw nor heard anyone around and checked to see if the door was unlocked. It was open. The place looked like an ordinary apartment. I stepped into the living room; it had a kitchen to the left and a hallway in the back.
She must be down there in her room. Which one was hers? I could knock on each door as I found it. As I went back there, all the doors were open, except one. It had to be Ella’s.
