Finding Ellie (Complete)

Chapter 11

Ellie wasn’t upset with Aidan anymore; she was, however, very upset with Mrs. Callaghan. Overhearing the woman talking about her and Aidan with her friends had changed everything.

Pacing in her room, Ellie was now faced with the possibility that her feelings for Aidan weren’t real. They had been thrown together so many times she couldn’t help but wonder if something else had been at work here. It turned out there was and their names were Aileen, Patricia and Constance. Thinking back, she realized she had been herded toward him quite a bit. Mrs. Callaghan had been the one to suggest she stop at Dunne’s. It wouldn’t surprise Ellie if the old woman had heard about her first encounter with Aidan and decided to manipulate the situation to her desired outcome.

She slapped a hand to her forehead, now realizing how Colm and Carrick, who were coincidently married to Aileen and Patricia, were always inviting her to meet them for dinner or a drink at Dunne’s, where she and Aidan would no doubt run into each other. Ellie wondered if Aidan had been in on it as well but dismissed it immediately. The way he had acted toward her from the beginning up until their blowout she doubted it. Had that kiss been nothing more than an act? On the other hand, if it was then he was one heck of a performer. She stopped her pacing and sat on the bed, turning on her laptop. There was one person she could talk to about this.

“Please be home, please be home,” she glanced at the clock. It would be around noon in New York. Surely she’d be up by now, Ellie hoped, crossing her fingers.

“Hey, I was hoping I’d hear from you today.” Poppy’s face appearing on screen had Ellie tearing up.

“Thank God you’re home I have so much to tell you.”

                                                                                                      ***

“Hold on, I’m getting a notebook,”

“What? Why?” Ellie gave a frustrated grunt.

Poppy reappeared with a black notebook and bright pink pen. “So I can keep track of what’s going on.” She uncapped the pen and started to write what she had been told so far. “Ok, you had a huge fight with Mr. Personality...."

“Aidan.”

“Aidan. Whatever.” Poppy rolled her eyes. “And he accused you of trying to find a lover while your, apparent, husband is back home waiting for you.”

“Yes.”

“Jackass,” Poppy stated, kept writing. “Then he apologized, offered to be your tour guide, and walked you back to the B & B.”

Ellie followed along, nodding after every statement.

“If he apologized, then what’s got you so upset?” reaching somewhere off-screen, Poppy brought a cup to her lips, drinking deeply.

“I’m getting to that,” Ellie raised a brow at her friend’s impatience. “Where was I? Oh, then someone turned on the lights in the B & B while we were kissing so that ruined the mood.”

Poppy stopped writing and surveyed Ellie, unsure how she could be so nonchalant about what she had just said while Poppy wanted to squeal like a little girl.

“But he was so detached about it once we broke apart, like ‘see you at the pub’” Ellie deepened her voice, mimicking Aidan, unaware of Poppy’s stare. “I almost expected him to give me a shoulder punch like he would one of the guys.”

“What the hell Ells?”

Ellie snapped her mouth shut at the outburst. She had debated saying anything at all but in the end decided she couldn’t leave it out. Now, she wasn’t so sure. She shrugged her shoulders, trying to look indifferent about the whole thing. It had been painfully obvious that Aidan thought he had made a huge mistake; she certainly wasn’t going to make a fool of herself thinking there was something between them because of a kiss.

“Seems like a pretty, important detail to leave out,” Poppy pointed out, feeling a little hurt by the exclusion. “Just saying”

“All right, I admit I didn’t want to say anything,” Ellie huffed. She pushed her hair away from her face. “I just didn’t want to make a big deal out of something that I am not even sure is real.”

“Let’s say you were to make a big deal out of it what would you say?” Poppy took another drink from her cup, set it aside. The sudden, doe-eyed look on Ellie’s face was delightfully unexpected.

“He held my hand when we walked back from the harbor. Mine felt so small in his big one, but he made me feel… different.” Ellie scowled. “That sounds so stupid.

“Don’t think about it,” Poppy prompted. “You’re a writer aren’t you? Use your words.”

“I could tell he was fighting against it, against what was happening. Like, he didn’t know if he should kiss me. Maybe he didn’t know if I wanted him to or if he even wanted to.”

Poppy rested her chin on her palm as she listened to Ellie. Poor Ellie, she was so clueless, she had no idea she was half in love with the guy already. Poppy couldn’t wait for her to figure it out. She had never spoken about Chad like this.

“I did what you told me,” When Poppy looked at her quizzically Ellie looked down, smiling softly as she remembered the way his lips had felt on hers. “‘Do something Ellie would never do’ so I stood up on my toes and kissed him, just a light brush of my lips over his.”

“That’s my girl,” Poppy punched the air.

“He just stood there so I figured I’d completely misinterpreted the moment. I made it to the door, he saidmy name and then his mouth was on mine.” Ellie’s cheeks flushed at the memory. “It was like no other kiss I’ve ever had before. It felt desperate and exciting, like he couldn’t get enough of me. The feel of his mouth on mine sent a current through me. When his hands found me underneath my coat I thought I was going to explode.”

“God this is good,” This wasn’t the first time she wished she had a bowl of popcorn, instead, Poppy settled for the licorice strands on the coffee table. “Who’s the moron that turned on the light?”

“I don’t know.” Ellie lifted her shoulders, shook her head. “It doesn’t make sense if it was Mrs. Callaghan.”

“Why’s that?” Poppy asked, chewing thoughtfully.

“Because about an hour ago I was coming down the stairs and heard her and her friends talking. Saying how, in the meantime, they were going to make sure Aidan and I keep crossing each other’s paths.”

“I wonder what they mean about ‘in the meantime’” Poppy’s eyes burned with curiosity.

“No clue,” Ellie shrugged. “You dyed your hair again?”

“Don’t change the subject. You didn’t ask Mrs. Callaghan what they meant by that?” it was apparent now that Poppy had colored her hair to a deep, chocolate brown. “What else is bothering you?”

Ellie blew out a breath. “Well, if they’ve been interfering all this time how do I know I actually feel something for him?”

“Ells, you know how you’re feeling, you just don’t want to admit it.” Beating around the bush had never been Poppy’s strong suit. “But if you’re really not sure, how about taking him up on his tour guide offer, you might be surprised with the outcome.”

                                                                                                ***

For two days Aidan hadn’t seen Ellie and it was driving him crazy which in put him in a downright, awful mood. He had been taken off guard with the kiss, as any hot blooded man would have if a pretty woman suddenly planted one on him. She hadn’t been to the pub or any of the shops near it as far as he knew. What the bloody hell was she trying to do to him?

Fiona was smart enough to keep out of his way when he was like this. Brenna, on the other hand, who would usually keep on aggravating, was in a strange mood herself. Just this morning she had come knocking on the door of his cottage. When he answered she said nothing and only held a jar of something out to him, he wasn’t paying much attention to be honest. He would have spent more time thinking about it if he wasn’t so used to her. It was plain as day she was now trying something new since her previous attempts to get whatever she wanted from him were not working.

It was when he was so engrossed in paperwork that he didn’t, at first, notice the figure standing at the door of his office. As his mind was elsewhere, nothing he was reading made sense. He pushed his chair back from his desk, lifted his head and froze.

“I’m sorry, I can come back later,” Ellie announced, timidly, shifting from one foot to the other.

She had said it so quietly, he strained to hear her. She was there, in his pub, in his office. There was no way he was letting her leave.

“No, no please, sit.” He gestured to a chair, wished he would have de-cluttered the office like he kept meaning to.

She looked like a dream, dressed in dark blue jeans, knee-high boots and a red flowy blouse. Ellie sat, gave him a small smile and played with a button from her shirt.

“I suppose you’re wondering what I’m doing here,” she said, after an uncomfortable silence.

“It may have crossed my mind.” Aidan couldn’t keep his eyes off her, contemplated pinching himself. He was afraid to in the event it was a dream and he would wake up with Ellie nowhere in sight.

“I’d like to take you up on your offer,” she stated. As a habit she reached for her ring finger, saw his eyes flicker there and settled for folding her hands in her lap. “If it’s still on the table”

Before confusion could set in, Aidan remembered his offer to show her around. His face broke out into a grin. He had a few ideas and would need to make a phone call or two but he was certain she would love what he had in store. “What changed your mind?” He had to know.

“After talking with my best friend I realized I had nothing to lose.” Afraid he had been about to say no, she visibly relaxed.

“Nothing indeed,” He leaned back in his chair, put his hands behind his head, that silly boyish grin still on his face. Neither noticed that Brenna had been standing just outside the office, seething after having overheard their entire conversation.