Never Far Away (The Never #2)(10)

“That’s exactly the scene I thought of when this dress came in.”

“Can I take it to the set for approval? I really think they’ll like it.”

“Of course. Not a problem,” Ella said with a smile. She grabbed a garment bag from under the counter and began to put the dress in.

“So where were you coming from when I saw you unlocking the door?”

“Oh, um, I had just met a friend at the coffee shop up the street.”

“A friend?”

Ella knew she was digging around and contemplated not telling Kalli about Porter. But then she realized she couldn’t really tell her sister about their meeting, so by default Kalli was the only other person she could talk to about what was happening.

“Listen, I really need to talk to someone about this, but I don’t want to put you in a bad position with Megan. I need this to be kept between us, so if that’s something you feel comfortable with, I would really love to tell you about it.” Concern instantly came across Kalli’s face and she took a few steps towards Ella until she was close enough to put a hand on her shoulder.

“Ella, of course you can tell me anything. I promise I won’t tell Megan unless you give me the ok.”

Ella looked down at her hands which were wringing together in a nervous manner. She let out a loud breath and decided she needed to talk to someone about Porter.

“Do you remember me telling you about the man I heard when I was waking up in the hospital?”

“You mean ‘The Voice’?”

Ella tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at her reference, not sure if she liked the way it sounded coming from Kalli’s mouth. To Ella, the voice she had heard in the hospital had been sacred. And even though she was being completely sincere, hearing her refer to it as if it were part of some urban legend sort of irritated her.

“Don’t say it like that, Kal. It happened. I heard it and now I have proof.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The man whose voice I heard in the hospital came into Poppy today.” Ella got a little satisfaction when Kalli’s eyebrows shot towards the roof and her eyes became as wide as the “o” her mouth was making.

“You’re joking.”

“Never would I joke about this.”

“That is a good point. Are you sure it was really him?”

“Well, for one, I would have recognized his voice in an instant. I heard him speak and my whole body responded to his voice. My stomach dropped, my breathing went all crazy, and I had to focus just to turn around without falling on my ass,” Ella said, remembering the way her body had been so quick to let her know of his presence. “And two, he told me who he was.”

“Oh my gosh, Ella. This is huge. What did he want?”

“He wanted to see me. He said that he’s been trying to convince my mother and sister to let him see me since I woke up, and it seems as though he just got tired of waiting for their permission.”

“And Megan never told you he was trying to see you?”

“No, but that isn’t her fault. Megan is very much in the middle here. My mom is worried about me. I can see why she wasn’t sure if it would be good for me to see him, but I can tell that him being in my life is going to be good.” Ella couldn’t help the smile that was finding its way onto her face and she could feel the blush tagging along with it.

“What did you guys talk about?”

“I asked him to tell me about the robbery and I asked him what had happed between the two of us.”

“What did he say about the two of you?”

“Not really a whole lot, actually. Nothing too specific. He basically said that for the ten days leading up to the robbery, we had met and fell in love.” What she didn’t tell Kalli was that she got more information from the way he said the words than from the words themselves. The way his words made her feel was even more powerful than just the content.

“He’s in love with you?”

“Apparently,” Ella said as she shrugged her shoulders.

“This all seems a little weird, Ella. Some guy shows up in your store and tells you that he loves you, but you don’t remember him at all? Isn’t that a little suspicious?”

Ella couldn’t disagree with her. It was weird. But nothing about her life right now was normal. Ella rubbed her hand up and down Kalli’s arm.

“Everything is going to be ok. I know he’s here for a reason and I intend find out what all of this means, if anything.”

“You’re going to see him again?”

“We’re going to The Saturday Market tomorrow.”

“Well, at least it’s out in public. Do you want me to go with you?”

“No. I want to spend some time with him alone and see what he has to say.” She also wanted to be alone with him to focus on the way her body seemed to be connected to his. She needed space away from everything to just let him be with her.





Chapter Four


Porter


Last night was the first in weeks that didn’t haunt Porter. When he walked into his house, he was no longer accosted by images of Ella that made it difficult for him to breathe. She was still everywhere, but instead of gripping his heart and weighing him down, the memories made him smile as he remembered her in his kitchen wearing his clothes, or leaning up against his wall, dressed in lace, waiting to be ravaged. He went to sleep in his bed, wasn’t tortured by her scent, or the emptiness of the bed. He was comforted by the way he could still feel her hugging him from only hours earlier.