The closer she came to the McKenna estate the less she was able to focus on the words coming out of her mother’s mouth.
“Haven . . . Haven, are you listening to me?”
“Hmm . . . um . . . yes. Sorry.”
“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t absolutely need the money.”
“Mom, I don’t have five hundred, but I think I can come up with three.” Haven would have to put off buying a car until her next paycheck.
“Well, if that’s all you have, it’ll do. Couldn’t you ask those rich folks you work for to get the rest of it?”
“No! Absolutely not. What about Detrick? He’s still living with you right?”
“You know Detrick is down on his luck. He doesn’t have a job.”
Anger rose up in Haven’s chest. “Detrick hasn’t had a job since the two of you started dating. That was almost two years ago.” He was the excuse her mother used for not being there when Haven needed her most.
Katrina sighed heavily into the phone. “Let’s not argue. When can you wire me the money?”
Haven pulled up into the McKenna’s circular driveway. Briefly, she shut her eyes. “If they’re open when I get off work, I’ll do it tonight. I’m not going to class.”
“Good. Good. That will work out fine.”
“Mom, I’m at work. I’ve got to go.”
“Okay. We’ll talk later? Tell Dylan I said hello.”
Haven and Dylan had been broken up for months, and her mother still didn’t know. There never seemed to be a moment where everything wasn’t about Katrina Shaw. Haven didn’t see any reason to correct her now. “Yeah. Will do. Talk to you later.”
After taking another minute to get herself together, Haven got out of the car. She dreaded seeing Ellis, but it was time to face the music. She’d behaved like a little slut-bucket with her employer’s grandson, and the worse part about it was, had he not stopped them, Haven would have slept with him. Her face went up in flames just thinking about it.
*****
Haven managed to get through most of the morning without running into Ellis. That ended the moment Bertha went up for a nap.
She was in the library reading over her notes when he walked in.
“You mind if I talk to you for a moment?” Seeing Haven with no makeup, hair in a messy ponytail, and hunched over her books still took his breath away.
Haven straightened her back. She’d been preparing for this conversation all weekend. “No. Not at all.”
“I wasn’t sure you would since you didn’t take any of my calls.”
Haven bit the inside of her lip. “Yeah . . . um . . . turned my phone off. Didn’t get your messages until today.”
“Look . . . I get it. I also don’t do this often so if I screw up, I apologize in advance. I’m not used to explaining myself, so here goes.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “First, I’m sorry about what happened the other night.”
Haven could only stare. She couldn’t make her voice work.
“I know I’ve already said that, but I just lost my head. You were beautiful, we were having a good time, and one thing led to another. It should never have gone as far as it did. I would never want to take advantage of you.”
She didn’t hear much after you were beautiful.
“Haven?”
She checked back into the conversation desperately trying to remember what he’d just said. “I’m sorry?”
“Do you accept my full apology? I’ve really come to appreciate you as a friend. I hope I haven’t ruined that.”
Her smile was forced. The pitch of her voice was too high. “Yes. I accept, and of course, you haven’t ruined anything.” Haven wasn’t sure why his words didn’t leave her feeling relieved, but, really, she knew why. Because in the back of her mind, she wondered what it would have been like to get to know Ellis on that level. “You have nothing to apologize for. You weren’t acting alone. I’m sure too much wine had a little bit to do with us getting carried away. We had already said that we would just chalk anything crazy up to that and leave it there.”
“So, we’re good?” Ellis’ face had the look of relief on it.
“Better than good.” She hadn’t been honest with herself until this very moment, so there was no point in telling him the only thing she was sorry about was that they hadn’t hooked up.
Thoughts of Dylan seemed to come at the worst possible moments. Haven felt guilty for it. They hadn’t been broken up long enough to be already interested in someone else—or sleeping with them either.
Maybe she should give him one more chance to make sure she was genuinely ready to move on. Haven had to wonder if this new revelation was actually about Dylan or her way of not having to deal with her budding feelings for Ellis.
The only thing Haven knew for sure was that she was more confused now than she had been just twenty-four hours ago.
Chapter 18
Dylan had been relentless in pursuing Haven ever since she’d attended the charity event with Ellis, almost as if he’d had a sixth sense of her forbidden tryst. She finally gave in and accepted his dinner invitation shortly after her heart to heart with Ellis.
Haven felt things for him she hadn’t wanted to admit. Even though their relationship had returned somewhat to normal, that night in the limo was never too far from
