Finding Ellie (Complete)

Chapter 16

The day started off with clouds ominously cropping up over the horizon. A storm was brewing off the Atlantic, making its way to Western Ireland. The worst of it would be there by nightfall. No one seemed immensely worried about it seeing as it was forecast to hit offshore.

Sometime after lunch, Ellie walked down to the pub to meet Aidan. From there they would take that drive they had been meaning, but never got around to. She let herself in, waved to Fiona who was on the phone looking rather bothered and halted when she heard raised voices coming from Aidan’s office. One was his for certain but she didn’t recognize the other. There were only a few people in for lunch that day and thank goodness for that, Ellie thought when a very, colorful string of words could be heard.

“You owe me,” The other voice, a woman’s, was saying.

“I owe you nothing!” Aidan’s gruff voice bellowed out. “What have you done but make his life miserable? Get out of my pub.”

Ellie slightly jumped when the door slammed open revealing an infuriated Aidan. Having been on the receiving end of his anger before it was safe to say he was, at the moment, far beyond what she had seen him express.

“Once I bring my lawyers into this you’ll see it’s my pub.” A woman with dark hair, cut into a sharp bob and wearing a tailored jacket over a well-pressed, cream blouse and dark-colored, fitted skirt left the office first. “Your father was a weak and stupid man. Give me what I want and I won’t come after your precious bar, it’s as simple as that.”

She had been a beautiful woman once, as far as Ellie could tell. Tall and slim, she had an air of sophistication and class, or at least she tried to come off as those things. It seemed the years had not been so good to her. The woman’s eyes were what really clinched it for Ellie as to who she was. She had Aidan’s eyes, or rather Aidan had his mother’s. She sailed past Ellie, nose in the air, not even acknowledging her, a stench of perfume following in her wake, her heeled Mary-Janes echoing in the nearly empty pub.

“She’s a piece of work, that woman.” Fiona jerked her head in the direction of the door.

“Was that his mother?” Ellie inquired, of course already knowing the answer.

Fiona’s face hardened. “She’s no mother.”

Approaching cautiously, Ellie knocked lightly on the door frame. The telephone was ringing again and she was vaguely aware of Fiona answering it. Aidan was sitting forward in his chair, his head in his hands. She stood there awkwardly, not certain what to say, not certain what she could say. This wasn’t a ‘there, there’ moment where you simply patted his shoulder and say everything would be fine.

“I’m sorry…,” she began, shutting her mouth when Aidan lifted his head, fire in his eyes.

“I don’t want to hear it,” he snarled then bit back an oath when he realized it was Ellie who was standing there and not the bartender. “Now it’s my turn to say I’m sorry, I thought you were Fiona.”

“I’m sorry for Fiona then.” Ellie offered a sympathetic smile as she sat in the chair across from his desk. She reached for her ring finger again.

“Why do you do that?” Aidan motioned, his voice still grating with irritation.

“A habit I suppose.” She dropped her hands, busied herself with smoothing out her shirt.

“Do you miss him?” He wasn’t sure why he asked and was deathly afraid of what she might say. What if she said she did? He wasn’t sure he could handle it.

“No.” She set her palms down flat on the desk. “I miss the future I could have had but not necessarily with him. We married young, more so because we thought it was what was expected of us. A convenience more than anything and it was anything but.”

“Aidan,” Fiona popped her head in the office. “McCarthy’s is closing early. They need someone to pick up the fish order by three o’clock instead of the usual time.”

“They’re closing early?” Aidan stood from his chair, knocking it back into a filing cabinet. What else could possibly go wrong that day?

“The storm is turning. It’s expected to hit land after all.” Fiona looked at him apologetically. “I’d go but….”

Aidan shook his head, interrupted her. “I’ll go. You make sure everything is ready for the evening rush as I doubt it’ll be as bad as they say. And you know how the promise of a good storm gets people out.”

Fiona inclined her head looking as though she wanted to challenge it but let it go and went ahead with the nights preparations. The man could be so stubborn, she only hoped he would be ready when the storm hit. If Colm Brady was saying it was going to be one to remember she did not doubt him.

Aidan laced his fingers through Ellie’s. “Come on” he pulled her through the bar and outside. “It’s not the alone time we’ve been after but it’ll be time spent together all the same.”

                                                                                                ***

A light drizzle had already started but what else was new? This was your typical, Ireland weather. He would go pick up his order and be back in time to serve it for the evening meal. He glanced over at Ellie who was sitting there quietly. He knew she was thinking about the scene earlier with his mother.

“My mother….” he stopped, cleared his throat and tried again. “She came by to….”

“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” Ellie said, softly taking his hand and giving it a squeeze to let him know she was there to listen but only when he was ready.

“I’ve told you that my father left everything to me before he passed away.” He absentmindedly rubbed circles on the top of her hand with his thumb. “She does not know this, she thinks I’m just being bitter and denying her what is rightfully hers.”

“She said that?”

“Those were her exact words.” Aidan released her hand, pounded on the steering wheel. “She has never been a mother to me. I don’t know why I thought it would be different once he was gone. In any case, she will be in for a rude awakening very soon.”

“I hope I’m here for that,” Ellie stated, casually. “I would love to see her face.”

“Why wouldn’t you be here?”

“I’ve been in Ireland for a month. I’m going to have to go back to Boston sooner rather than later. It’s nearly time for me to go back.” She looked down at her hands, not wanting him to see the distraught look on her face.

There was a strained silence the rest of the way to McCarthy’s. He didn’t want to think about her leaving. Couldn’t begin to imagine going back to the way things were without her around. Without her sweet smile, or the way her hair fell around her shoulders. She would call it dirty blonde but it was much more than that. At dusk, her hair was a dark, golden color. When the sun hit it, strands of caramel wove through and it always smelled of honey. Just now, she had it pulled back in a high pony tail. Reaching behind her head, he tugged at the hair tie, letting her hair loose.

“I love it when it’s free.” He shrugged when she gave him an inquisitive look.

It wasn’t just her looks, he thought, although she was beautiful… something else she wouldn’t agree with. It was her personality as well. He’d never met anyone quite like her. Even after being betrayed, she still believed in love. She was genuinely kind to anyone and everyone she met. And only she could infuriate him and make him laugh with one word. Those were only some of the reasons he loved her.

Oh God.

He had to take credit for not slamming on the brakes when the realization hit him. He loved her. Had he not taken every precaution? He moved his eyes slyly over to her. Damn it.

                                                                                              ***

“I apologize for making you pick this up earlier.” Ryan McCarthy was saying to Aidan. Both men heaved well-sealed foam containers in the box of Aidan’s truck.

The only son of Old McCarthy, Ryan was set to inherit the family business in the next year. The McCarthy’s had been fish mongers for as long as Aidan could remember. He knew his own father had conducted business with them and he had kept the tradition.

“It’s no bother.” Aidan took Ryan’s extended hand, squeezed a bit too hard when he caught the younger man give Ellie the once over. By then, the wind had picked up and the rain was starting to come down harder.

“This one’s surprised everyone.” Ryan nodded his head to the clouds. “It sort of snuck up on us, coming in quick and much earlier than expected.”

“We’ll be on our way then.” Aidan placed a hand on the small of Ellie’s back, a subtle but clear statement of ‘mine’.

Ryan’s smile widened. Wasn’t that a sight? And one he couldn’t wait to tell his father about. Aidan Dunne had taken the fall.

                                                                                                ***

The way home had Aidan muttering curse after curse under his breath. Ellie could tell he was trying to downplay the storm but it was obvious he had seriously underestimated it as rain and wind lashed out violently at the truck. Strong gusts of wind had him struggling to keep the truck from being pushed off the road. A forty-five minute trip was turning out to be much longer than he cared for. Ellie’s hands were closed into tight fists, her nails digging into her palms leaving small crescent moon shaped indents. Reduced to a snail’s pace, they were still a good half hour from Doolin when they were forced to stop. Looking at the washed out road ahead, Aidan let out a frustrated string of oaths.

“We have to turn back,” Ellie told him, eyes wide. “Find another way.”

Aidan shook his head, irritated that he hadn’t listened and even worse, that he had put Ellie in danger. What had he been thinking? He hadn’t had he? His mind had been on her, always on her, incapable of any other thought but her. Every day, every hour, every minute, it seemed she invaded all corners of his mind. This was the very thing he had been trying to avoid all these years.

“We can’t stay on the road.” Aidan clenched his teeth, “We’ll wind up in a ditch.”

“What do you propose we do then?” Ellie looked at him sideways, hoping he wouldn’t suggest they hunker down in the truck.

“That,” he said, as he pointed out the driver’s side window.