Page 28 of No Rings Attached
She froze and slipped the notebook back into her purse.
“Ellie?” It was like she’d gotten caught doing something wrong. “You don’t have to stop whatever you’re doing or tell me if you don’t want to.”
She bit her lower lip, chewing on it so hard I thought she might draw blood. With a sigh she rested her arms on the table, and leaned in closer to me so she could furtively whisper, “I like to take notes about people and places I find interesting.”
I didn’t know what I expected her to say, but it wasn’t that. “Why would you hide that?”
A prominent line appeared on her forehead and her lips twisted. “Because it’s weird. And you know people here. I don’t want to cause any problems.”
I chuckled but noted the agitation that crossed her face.
“You don’t need to make fun of me.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glanced away.
“Ellie, I’m not. Please look at me.” I waited until her gaze was back on mine and repeated myself. “I’m not. All the best people are weird. Besides, I think that’s pretty awesome. I bet it makes you stop and appreciate a moment better when you write it down.” It wasn’t until the words left my mouth that I realized maybe I needed to take some of the same advice. I’d been working sixteen-hour days to get this expansion ready, and while I loved my job, I was letting it rule my life.
The one thing my parents cautioned us not to do.
Life was meant for living. Not just existing. And I was doing a shit job following that.
The smile that beamed back at me was glorious. It put every one of the previous smiles she’d tossed my way to shame. The curve of her lips, the gratitude in her eyes, the adorable dimple in her cheek … her responses up until now had seemed muted compared to this one. It was like this was who she was meant to be.
Whowecould be together.
This moment. This expression. This woman.
Ellie radiated innate joy, and now that I’d found the button that activated it, I wondered how her family—especially her mother—could treat her so horribly.
Chapter Seven
ELLIE
Ifelt more seen in the last few minutes than I had in my whole life.
“Thanks, Drew.” I slipped the small plain notebook and a pen out of my purse again. While we chatted waiting for our food, I jotted down my observations. I wrote about Matt and his surly attitude. How the diner was a unique, gorgeous shade of turquoise, and all about the unusual signs posted throughout making me smile.
My favorite was “Please do not lick the walls.”
Did people really do that?
Though I noticed interest in his gaze, Drew didn’t ask again to see my book. And I wasn’t ready to share with him the contents nor why I had this little habit.
My family hated that I took notes wherever I went. According to them, it was strange and embarrassing. It seemed like Drew didn’t mind that I was jotting things down, but my gut still churned in anticipation of him changing his mind. I kept expecting him to frown at me, or roll his eyes, or mutter about being lost in my writing. It didn’t matter that logically I knew he wasn’t judging me. The uncomfortable feelings that swept over me were ingrained from years of being told to stop. And while I didn’t try to be obvious about what I was doing, I hated missing an opportunity to forget my first impressions. It was hands-on research.
Nora set our lunches on the table and I jerked back to attention. “So Drew, who do we have here?”
“This is my girlfriend, Ellie. She’s here for the week visiting. Ellie, this is Nora. She listens to our problems and offers advice we should, but don’t take. She’s the best server in town and has the most adorable four-year-old daughter.”
Nora looked to be a few years older than me and had a kind, if not tired, smile. “Jenny’s adorable unless it’s bedtime, and don’t forget Rose, my soon-to-be teenager that acts like she’s eighteen instead of twelve.” Her eyes softened when talking about her kids. She turned to me. “Is this your first time in Ruby River, Ellie?”
I glanced at Drew, not sure what to say. We really needed to get our stories straight. “Drew and I’ve been doing the long-distance thing so it’s been nice to spend time together in person.”
“She also works for Kingsley Jewelry,” Drew explained.
“Is that how you met?” she asked.
I nodded.
“Hey, Nora. I could use a refill.” A customer called out for her, interrupting our conversation.
