Though an apology from the two of them would have been welcome, she knew she wouldn’t get one. And that was okay.
Forgiveness came easily for Ella. It always had. “Sorry Derek ended things with you,” Ella said.
Pris sniffed and scuffed a hand under her nose. “Yeah, well. Looks like that’s over for good this time.”
They stood before one another awkwardly before Pris made her way over to retrieve her phone and headed up the stairs.
It was enough. She didn’t need any more words. Something told Ella Pris’s relationship with Derek wasn’t the only thing that was over for good this time. She hoped her own relationship with her wicked stepsister—such as it was—was over as well.
Ella turned to her dad and gave him a final hug.
“You want to come over for dinner on Sunday?” he asked.
Nearby, Stina slammed a cupboard.
“Sure,” Ella said, recovering from her brief wince. “As long as you don’t mind if I bring someone.”
Dad’s brow crinkled with surprise. “Oh? Are you dating someone?”
Another cupboard slam. Evidently, Stina was protesting in whatever way she could. Now was probably not the best time to go into details, though Ella was ready to shout them from the rooftops. She was dating someone. A handsome someone, and she couldn’t wait to have him be part of her life in every way he could be. If that meant meeting her dad, all the better.
“Yeah,” she said. “His name is Hawk.”
Pris or Stina would have heralded Hawk’s billionaire status. They would have crowed of his successful candy company, of how she had managed to snag him before anyone else did.
Ella might tell her dad all of that. Sometime. But for now, it was enough to have a man like Hawk care about her. To want to be with her. When she was with him, all those other details didn’t really matter. Even if he had no money, no status—no candy, she thought with a chuckle—she’d want to brag about him anyway.
He was a good man. Generous. Thoughtful. Open and forgiving. She couldn’t have asked for anyone better.
Epilogue
Ella couldn’t stop staring. The designs had turned out even better than she’d hoped. She flipped through the pages, one after the other, taking in the fringe on the sleeves of one outfit, the contours of the skirt on the next. This was brash and bold. It was delicate and unexpected. Her portfolio was finally ready to be presented to the head of fashion at Garson’s School of Fashion Design.
She’d gotten the email only yesterday. After a year of preparation, after applications and interviews, the Dean of Fashion Design had replied stating how impressed the team was at her submissions—one of which included the gown she’d finally finished.
They wanted to consider her for their program. Ella had only to present her portfolio during a final interview with the department head.
Singing came from down the hall. Charlotte had taken the third room in the apartment Ella and Chloe shared, and she often hummed to herself or belted the latest Taylor Swift hit at the top of her lungs. It wasn’t as annoying as she remembered Charlotte’s spontaneous singing to be. She’d improved a lot in the years since Ella had left their home. She found she didn’t use her earbuds quite as much these days.
Today, the serenade was a chorus from The Messiah, the oratorio Charlotte’s choir was preparing to perform for the Christmas season. For some reason, it jarred Ella into motion. She had to hurry. If she wasn’t careful, she’d end up answering the door in her jeans and t-shirt once Hawk came to pick her up.
Something told her he wouldn’t mind, but she didn’t want to miss the look on his face when he saw her newly made gown, finished with Grandma Larsen’s help.
Carefully, she placed the designs in their folder and set it on the shelf near her closet. She then dodged around the maze of piles on her floor to where her gown hung. Quitting custodial and focusing on selling her designs instead hadn’t changed that much about her. But she was happier than she could ever remember being. Happier than she’d been since before her mom had died eleven years ago.
“If only Mom could see you,” Ella cooed to her halter-top gown in all its teal, spangled glory. The base layer was a curve-hugging underdress that cut to her thighs and was softened by a much longer, translucent A-line overlay of such thin fabric it made her feel as though she were floating.
Charlotte poked her head in. Fake lashes made her eyes pop. “You say something?” Her dark hair was already curled in a tasteful pile atop her head. She’d clearly been ready for some time now. Hawk was setting her up with his security guard, Ethan, and Charlotte was over the moon about it.
“Just talking to my dress,” Ella said, shrugging it off. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
Charlotte pinched her pink lips together in a pleased stupor. “I can’t wait. I’ve always had a thing for security guards, you know? I’ve wanted to get to know him since I saw him during your disastrous accusation.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Ella said. “Being accused of theft is the prime matchmaking setup.”
Charlotte laughed. “You know I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant he’s hot. I couldn’t help but notice, regardless of the circumstances.” She shrugged.
Ella returned her laughter, playfully pushing her out of the room. She dressed as quickly, but as carefully, as she could. Chloe helped twist her hair into a French knot at the back of her head as Ella powdered and plucked and got her makeup in order just in time for a knock to sound at the door.
Charlotte squeaked. “Is that him? I mean, do you think Ethan is with him right now?”
“Not sure,” Ella said, her own heart chiming as well. It didn’t matter how many dates she went on with Hawk, or how long the distance was between seeing him from one time
