“Are you ready to leave?” I asked.

“I am if you are,” she replied.

What I didn’t tell her was that I wasn’t coming with her to take her home. I needed to stay back and have a talk with Ashlyn. I also had to rethink this situation with Ellery. My head has been f**ked up ever since I saw her, and I need to put an end to it. She deserves better than me as I’m not the man she thinks I am. I will hurt her eventually or she’ll hurt me, and that’s something I’m not in the market for.

We walked out to where Denny was waiting for us, and I opened the door for Ellery.

“I’m going to have Denny take you home; I have something that I need to wrap up here,” I said as I took her hand and lightly kissed it. “Thank you for coming with me tonight. I hope you had a good time.”

She looked at me with her ice blue eyes, and I could see the disappointment in them. “I had a wonderful time, Connor. Thank you for inviting me.”

She was hurt that I didn’t accompany her, and for the first time, my heart ached putting her in that limo by herself. I hated this feeling, and I’m stopping it. I have no choice. It needs to be done. I walked back into the hotel to find Ashlyn and talk to her, but she was nowhere to be found. I sat at the bar in the hotel lobby and ordered a scotch to drown my feelings. A while later, as I was ready to order my second glass, Denny called.

“Denny, what’s up?”

“I thought you should know that Miss Lane forced me to drive her to the beach.”

“What! I gave you orders to take her home,” I yelled.

“Connor, you know how Miss Lane is, and she gave me no choice. I’m almost at the hotel to pick you up.”

“Doesn’t she know how dangerous it is for a young woman to be on the beach at night, by herself? Her disregard for safety is ridiculous!” I hung up the phone and walked outside as Denny pulled up to the curb.

“Drive me straight to the penthouse so I can pick up the Range Rover,” I said as I got inside the limo.

“I’m sorry, Connor, but she left me no choice. She’s a very stubborn girl, and she said if you have a problem with it, then she’ll deal with you herself,” he lightly smiled.

“Is that so? She said that?”

Denny nodded his head. “Like I said before, Connor, you’ve met your match with Miss Lane.”

We pulled into the parking garage, and I hopped in the Range Rover and drove to the beach. It was only about a 10 minute drive. I was furious at her for doing this. How dare she defy my orders and put Denny in that position to disobey me.

Chapter 7

I put the Range Rover in park and got out. The air was quite warm for this time of year. I looked out into the ocean as I was searching for Ellery. The ocean looked beautiful at night with the moonlight shining down, illuminating each wave that pushed its way to the shore. I can see why she wanted to come here. I saw her down by the edge of the water as the light of the moon fell down upon her and illuminated her silhouette. I could hear a light laughter coming from her as her feet touched the water.

She was so full of life; and a free spirit. I stood there with my hands in my pocket as I cleared my throat.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” My voice angered.

She stood still and turned to look at me. “What are you doing here, Connor? Don’t you have things to wrap up?”

“I’m here because you didn’t make it home and forced my driver to disobey my orders,” I said in an abrupt tone.

“Well, it was such a beautiful night, and I wanted to be here; it’s my favorite place to visit.”

“There’s a time and place for that Ellery, and now is not the time.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way, but I’m not done here yet, and I’m not leaving.”

“Let’s go now, Ellery,” my voice commanded.

“Don’t be so grouchy, and if you want me to go, then you’ll have to catch me,” she laughed as she started running down the beach.

“For f**k sake, Elle, you’re pissing me off!” I yelled as I started to chase after her.

I was catching up to her. I could tell she was becoming out of breath as she started to slow down. I came up behind her, picked her up, and put her over my shoulder. I’m glad it was dark so she couldn’t see my half smile. She was kicking and screaming as I was carrying her through the sand.

“Put me down, Connor Black!”

“Not a chance! You’ll just run again, and I’m done playing games.”

“I won’t, I promise. I’m out of breath anyway,” she said.

I knew she was out of breath, so I gently put her down. She immediately sat herself on the soft sand in that expensive designer dress. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing as she held her hand out to me and asked me to sit next to her.

“I’m not sitting in the sand in this tuxedo,” I said.

She looked out into the night ocean waters and softly spoke, “Live a little, Connor, life is too short.”

Her words were serious. She wasn’t playing anymore. Against my better judgment, I sat down next to her. She didn’t look at me, but the corners of her mouth were slightly turned up. We sat in silence for a moment. I was staring out at the water, trying to see what she saw. She came here for a reason, and now something was on her mind. I was just about to ask her if she was ok when she started to speak.

“It was my 16th birthday when I was diagnosed with cancer. Hey, happy sweet 16! Guess what, you have cancer.”

I was stunned by what she had just said. Why was she telling me something so personal? I gulped because I didn’t know what to say. Her voice was soft, and her eyes were focused out in the distant ocean waters. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and hold her tight, but I couldn’t. I was afraid of her reaction. I reached over and lightly took her hand in mine as I whispered, “You don’t have to do this.” I watched her take in a sharp breath as she continued.

“I couldn’t bear the thought of my father having to go through that torture and pain again like he did with my mother, so I decided I was going to spare him from having to.”

“Ellery,” I whispered as I leaned closer to her. I still had her hand in mine, and she didn’t try to pull away. The feeling inside me was overwhelming as I softly rubbed her warm skin with my thumb.

“He was going out on one of his drinking binges, and I knew he wouldn’t be home until the middle of the night, if at all, so that was my opportunity to put my plan into action. I filled the bathtub with hot water, laid back, and took a razor blade to both my wrists. Can you believe it was the one night he forgot his wallet and came back to the house? Talk about fate, right? He found me and called 911. I almost didn’t make it; I had lost so much blood.”

I couldn’t say a word. I was choked up as I just sat there holding her hand. I was feeling her pain, and it hurt me so much to know that my friend, this beautiful woman, went through something so terrible.

“I guess God had other plans for me. I went through a year of chemo and went into remission. I was given a second chance at life, and for that, I’m grateful. Like I said yesterday, I was young and stupid, and I made a terrible mistake.”

The overwhelming need to hold her finally won. I let go of her hand and put my arm around her, pulling her into me. She rested her head on my shoulder.

“That’s why you have this overwhelming need to help others, isn’t it?” I asked her as I lightly kissed the top of her head. “You’re a good person, Ellery Lane,” I whispered in her ear.

Tonight was a turning point for me. Ellery let her guard down and showed me her broken side. I knew when I saw the scars on her wrists that she had a troubled past. I never dreamed she would have to fight cancer. She closed her eyes as she left her head resting on my shoulder. She was exhausted, and it was late. I needed to get her home. I picked her up from the sand and carried her across the beach. She put her arms around my neck and laid her head on my chest. I held her tight. I needed her to feel safe with me. I opened the door to the Range Rover and gently laid her in the front seat. She started to stir so I whispered to her, “Sleep, angel.”

I pulled out of the parking lot and drove to her apartment. I kept looking at her as she slept peacefully. She looked like an angel. Everything I tried to bury tonight came back to the surface and drowned my fears with a bit of hope. Maybe, just maybe, something more could come of our friendship one day. I pulled up to curb of her apartment. Her purse was lying next to her so I opened it and grabbed her keys. I got out and walked around to the passenger side, and I opened the door. I carefully picked her up as she put her arms around my neck, and I carried her to the door. I inserted the key, unlocking the door and lightly kicked it open with my foot. I carried her down the hallway to her bedroom and gently laid her on the bed. I looked around the room and saw a blanket in the corner.

I walked over, picked it up, and covered her with it to keep her warm. I stood over her while she slept and ran the back of my hand down her soft cheek. “Sleep well, angel, and sweet dreams.” She didn’t move or make a sound.

I walked out of the bedroom and stood in the middle of her apartment. I looked around at the practically bare space that is her home. It reminded me of a box. With the sale of her paintings, she would be able to move into a bigger and better apartment. I made the decision that I was going to help her find one.

***

The next morning after my shower, I sat on the edge of the bed and looked at my cell phone, debating whether or not to text Ellery. I looked at my watch, and it was still early, but I decided to send one anyway.

“Hi, I hope you slept well. I just wanted to see if you were up and how you were feeling.”

As I hit the send button, I could hear voices coming from downstairs. Who the hell is here at this hour in the morning? I walked down to the kitchen where I found Ashlyn talking to Denny.

“Ashlyn, what are you doing here? Do you see what time it is?” I asked in an irritated voice.

“Good morning, Connor. You look quite handsome this morning,” she smiled as she walked over and adjusted my tie.

I rolled my eyes and walked to the coffee pot. “Answer the question, Ashlyn.”

“Phil asked me to get these papers to you. He said he was sorry, but he won’t be in the office until later, and he said you needed them for your meeting. So I told him I would deliver them personally to you.”

She stood beside me and reached across to grab a cup. I sighed as I moved out of her way. “Thank you for delivering the papers, Ashlyn, now you can leave.”

“Connor, why do you have to be so heartless? I’m riding in with you. Why should I pay for a cab when we’re both going to the same place?”

I took my coffee and headed into my office to look over the paperwork before my meeting at Black Enterprises. My phone chimed and there was a text message from Ellery.

“Good morning, Connor. I slept well, and I’m feeling fine; thank you for your concern. I hope you have a terrific day, and don’t work too hard!”

I smiled as I read her words. I quickly replied. “I’m glad you’re feeling fine, and I always work hard; it’s why I’m as successful as I am.”