“Oh.” Ellie’s shoulders slid down from her ears, and she took a minute to think. “It’s a gorgeous night. What about walking to Hurricane’s?”
“Sounds like a plan.” James wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close. They chatted about everything and nothing as they walked, and he never let her go. Even though she knew it was for show, his constant contact felt nice. She decided to enjoy it for what it was and not get caught up in attempting to decipher what it could mean. Her apartment was only a few blocks from Hurricane’s, and it didn’t take them long to get there. The hostess gave them a funny look as they walked in, then led them to a table far from the bar.
“Did you see the look she gave us?” James asked as he pulled out Ellie’s chair. “Wonder what that was about.”
She giggled as she sat and he scooted the chair in. “Maybe it’s because you’re sober? And here with a woman instead of those two douchebags you’ve been hanging out with?”
James leaned around her and put an elbow on the table, his body wrapping hers, his proximity taking her breath away. Why did he have to smell so good?
“Did you just call my friends douchebags? Are you telling me you don’t like poor Ethan and Oliver?” He arched an eyebrow and Ellie couldn’t decide if he was truly offended or if he was joking.
She smiled sweetly.
No, she didn’t like those guys. Not at all. Somewhere along the way, she pegged them as a definite part of the problem.
If she and James were on a real date, she’d be battling her desire to be upfront and honest about her feelings against her desire to not offend the guy. But they weren’t on a real date, so she had license to be as honest as she wanted.
“James. Darling. The first time I saw you with those guys, you were busy offending every woman within a two-mile radius while they thumped you on the back and egged you on. Oh, and when I came up to try and stop you from embarrassing yourself, one of them told me I was beneath you.” Ellie pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. “Seem like great guys to me.”
The look on James’ face was priceless. “It’s weird. Hearing you be this honest with me makes me wonder how many lies people feed me on a daily basis.” He straightened and took a seat across from her. “Your honesty is refreshing. I think.”
Ashley, the blonde waitress from the night Ellie first saw James, stopped at their table to take their orders. She recognized James and gave him a wary smile. “Whiskey, neat?”
With a satisfied grin in Ellie’s direction, he responded, “Nope. Just a Coke for me, please.” Ashley pretended not to be shocked as she jotted it down.
James pulled a laminated menu from between the salt and pepper shakers and handed it to Ellie. She waved it away. “There’s only one thing worth eating here and that’s the fish and chips. I never order anything else.”
“If you’ve never ordered anything else, then how do you know there isn’t something better?” He studied the menu. “For example, the nachos look amazing, as does the chicken sandwich.” He flipped the menu and pointed to the items. “What about the southwest egg rolls? Those are pretty amazing. I know that for a fact.”
“I like my fish and chips.”
“And you also seem to like living in a rut. How’s that working out for you, by the way?”
“I am not living in a rut! I just like fish and chips.”
“Ahhh,” James said, a wide smile breaking across his face. “It doesn’t feel so good when the truth tables are turned, does it? You can dish it, but you can’t take it? Is that what’s going on here?”
“Oh, no. I’m all about honest self-assessment. I just don’t think I’m in a rut.”
“Let’s see. You wake up before the sun is even thinking about rising. You go to work. You come home. Eat dinner alone. Go to bed. And that’s it. Every single day of the week. How is that not a rut?”
“It’s not a rut because that’s what I have to do. We’re not all propped up with trust funds keeping us cozy, you know. If I don’t work, I don’t eat.” Ellie sat back, fuming.
Who did the guy think he was? How dare he tell her how to live when he didn’t have a clue as to what real life was like? Her power bill was so late that they were threatening to turn it off! And he had the balls to tell her she was in a rut because she was wearing herself out, trying to keep her head above water?
James looked chagrined. “Whoa. Didn’t mean to step on a landmine there. I officially recall any statements regarding ruts or anything otherwise.”
Ashley returned with their drinks and Ellie very pointedly ordered the fish and chips. When the waitress turned to James, upping the wattage on her already wide smile, he asked for the fish and chips as well.
“They’re really good,” said Ashley, scribbling their orders across the little pad of paper in her hands.
“It came highly recommended.” James waited until the woman moved on to another table and turned back to Ellie. “Is money that tight? Is that why you don’t hire help at the café?”
She sat back in her chair as her face blanched. She never brought up money with anyone. Tessa knew she struggled making ends meet, but Ellie had never really explained just how much. What good would it do to share? It was her burden to bear. The consequences of her bad choices. Tessa didn’t deserve to be weighed
