“Damn,” Ellis mumbled under his breath. “I’m getting soft.” He was admiring a sleeping woman who was so off-limits it wasn’t even funny. He needed a distraction—a woman. He’d been home the past couple of weeks and had given his grandmother his full attention. Ellis smiled to himself. Tonight, he was going release some stress and attempt to get into a little trouble. He’d called Layla to schedule a date. She was more than eager to hook-up. Gently, he placed his hands on Haven’s shoulder and shook.
One minute she was reading, and the next, Ellis was lightly touching her on the shoulder. Her eyes popped open. She jumped and sat straight up. Wide-eyed she looked up at him. “Sorry, I fell asleep.”
Ellis shrugged. “No need for apologies. You’re tired, and I think my grandmother mentioned she was going to take a quick nap once Dr. Lawrence leaves.”
Yawning, she responded. “There just aren’t enough hours in a day.” Haven’s cell phone rang, and she pulled it out of the back pocket of her denim jeans. Her face soured as she looked at the number on the display.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that face before. It must really be someone you don’t want to talk to.”
“I think I’d rather take an acid bath.”
“Damn. I’d hate to be the person on the other end of that call.” Jokingly, he walked over to the desk and picked up the portfolio he’d left earlier. “I think there are only a couple of people who could get a reaction like that.”
“I’m thinking you’re right. It was Dylan. He’s been calling me like crazy over the past week.”
“You haven’t talked to him since the breakup?”
“A couple of times, but I’m doing my best not to fall into old habits. I just don’t want to do this crazy dance we do anymore.”
Ellis walked back over and took a seat in the chair opposite her. “What kind of dance is that? You told me you broke up but never gave me the full story.”
She hunched her shoulders. “It’s still too raw to talk about. The bottom line is he says and does awful things, only to come back later confessing his love and apologizing. Only somehow everything always ends up being my fault.”
“That’s . . . pretty messed up. Not judging but you were with him for four years.”
Haven sighed. “It wasn’t always like this. In the beginning, we had some really great times. I fell in love with that Dylan, and I guess I was hoping one day the man I fell in love with would show back up.”
“So, do you still love him?”
Haven thought about it. “Love.” She sighed. “Do I still love him? Yes. No. Maybe. I know I’m an idiot for this, but I wish I could put the genie back in the bottle and go back to how things were a few weeks ago. Blissfully, ignorant. And, then I hate myself for feeling that way because that means I am willing to accept his cheating ass ways just to be with him. I’m not . . . at least not anymore. He’s been calling, begging to talk, and making all kinds of false promises. He and I both know that he’s never going to change. And, I’m an insecure mess when we’re together. I just want to be a better me. One who’s not willing to accept being treated like crap. That means I have to spend this time focusing only on my well-being for a while.”
Ellis nodded. He understood. “Makes sense.” It sounded as if she still loved the prick, but he kept his thoughts to himself.Haven had opened up to him somewhat over the past couple of weeks but still kept a lot to herself. He understood her distrustful nature completely. Dylan had done a number on her. In Ellis’ case, people always had ulterior motives for wanting to be in his company, and he’d lost interest in trying to figure out the truth behind all the lies. But, it was different with Haven. They both shared only what they wanted and didn’t feel any pressure to do more than that. So, while Ellis was naturally suspicious of people, his instincts told him Haven wasn’t one to keep at arms distance—well, she was, but not because of that. Ellis continuously reminded himself that his grandmother would kill him if he made a move on her. And, given the fact he had no plans for settling down anytime soon, it was a good idea to keep their relationship strictly in friend zone territory.
He wasn’t exactly sure when he’d softened toward her. Watching how hard she worked without ever complaining, and to his knowledge, never asking his grandmother for anything had a significant impact. Ellis wanted to help her more, but, she was too proud to allow it.
Lost in his own thoughts, he hadn’t heard much of what Haven had been saying but caught the last of her comments.
“Speaking of dealing with lemons, what’s up with my car? It’s been at the shop for two weeks. I can’t imagine what it’s going to cost, but it should be fixed by now.”
Her car was a piece of garbage. It wasn’t safe to drive, and now that he understood her situation, Ellis in good conscience couldn’t allow her to drive it. His grandmother wouldn’t want him too and would be furious if he did. At least, that’s what Ellis told himself. Until he could come
