For the first time since Dylan entered the apartment, his arrogant façade slipped. His confidence dropped a peg or two. “Where the hell am I supposed to go?”
“The list I named was kind of long. Maybe Jocelyn’s husband won’t mind if you bunk with them. Hell, I don’t know, but you’ve got to get outta here!”
“You’re acting like a lunatic!”
Haven went to the closet and snatched his coat out then threw it at him. “No, you’ve never seen crazy from me.” Her tone dropped, and it sounded almost unhinged to her own ears. “But, if you don’t leave now, my crazy will be Breaking News.”
Dylan must have understood that he’d pushed her too far. He didn’t argue. He grabbed his coat, the two suitcases, and left.
Haven wrapped her arms around her body, looking around the room she wondered, who had just invaded her body, and what the hell had she done?
Chapter 7
Haven’s swollen eyes didn’t close for even a few seconds as night transitioned into day. She watched the colors of the sky change from a mix of dark blues to various shades of purple then to orange until finally daybreak. Life went on regardless how disastrous things had become in her life.
Still, it was a relief when morning finally arrived. She no longer had to pray to fall asleep as her mind replayed the last four years of her life with Dylan. No, she could get up and go about her day using the mundane tasks as distractions to keep her situation from suffocating her.
Only Haven couldn’t stop thinking about problems that hadn’t existed just a week ago. For starters, she had no idea how she was going to move forward with her life. How she was going to pay the rent in the next couple of weeks had moved way up on her priorities list. Dealing with practical matters of living from day to day on top of the shattering of her heart was almost too much.
Not only had Haven been unable to sleep, but fatigue also settled within her bones. She managed to drag herself out of bed to go to the bathroom and clean up.
“Ughhh . . . “ Her groan matched not only her mood but how she looked as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. The puffiness and dark circles under haunted-looking eyes were too pronounced. Zombies looked better than she did. Haven splashed cold water over her face hoping it would help. It didn’t. At this point, all she could do was put faith in the miracle of makeup. With luck, it should at least make her presentable.
An hour and a half later, she’d shown up to work. Ms. McKenna wouldn’t be down for breakfast for another thirty minutes.
Haven stood with her hands wrapped around her body looking out the picture window of the library. The crisp white snow covering the expanse of the grounds was spectacular. The tranquility of the image didn’t match the unrest within her soul.
“It must be nice not to have to worry about money.” She spoke, thinking she was alone with her thoughts. “Maybe I can find some work at the college.”
Ellis happened to walk in the room as Haven was mulling over her options. He’d just come from working out. “Work at the college?”
Her head snapped around the moment she heard his voice.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the sight of her. Haven looked like shit. His eyebrows knitted together. “You’re not thinking of quitting, are you? My grandmother would be heartbroken.”
“No.” She slowly exhaled. “I just have a few new expenses, and I’m going to need to make some extra cash to pay for them. I’d never leave Ms. McKenna.” What Ellis didn’t understand was Haven needed the relationship almost as much as she did, if not more.
He continued to watch her intently. “That’s good to know. How’s the car driving?”
Her tone was listless. “Like a dream, thank you.”
Ellis folded his arms across his chest. “Alright. What’s up?”
Haven turned back around to stare out of the window. “What? What do you mean?”
“I’ve known you for two days, and in that time, I’ve learned a couple of things about you.” Ellis ticked his observations off on his fingers. “Number one . . . you have a slick mouth. I’ve been in your presence for more than five minutes and haven’t experienced it yet. Number two . . . there’s a fire in your eyes that’s missing today. Now, you’re talking about finding another job. You didn’t mention that yesterday. Did something happen last night?”
“Nothing I want to talk about.”
Ellis nodded slowly. “Okay.” Haven was being stubborn. If she didn’t want to discuss it with him, fine, Haven Shaw was not his problem. He started to leave the room then stopped abruptly and turned around. “You’re important to my grandmother, which means I have a particular interest in you. If you change your mind, I’ve been told I’m a good listener.”
The corners of Haven’s lips inched upward to something that almost resembled a smile but not quite. “Who told you that?”
“Ah, there she is.” The sarcasm in her voice let him know that, whatever was going on, she would be alright. “I knew you couldn’t control yourself for too long. I live here, so you know where to find me if you change your mind.”
Haven lifted her head up and down as she watched him leave the room. She appreciated his concern but found herself in a situation that only she
