Never Far Away (The Never #2)(76)



“Gotcha,” Ella said as she slid over to prepare a plate for him. She handed him the plate and melted a little at his smile.

“Thanks, Babe,” he said as he pecked a kiss on her lips and started eating. She couldn’t help but imagine many more mornings spent this way: the two of them getting ready for the day, eating breakfast, small and not so small kisses. It was perfect and she wanted it forever. She smiled to herself, basking in the certainty of them. He was it for her. She’d had this thought before, a moment or two where she was reminded that he was most definitely the center of her universe. And every time her mind and body reminded her that she was irrevocably his, she was shrouded in a peaceful contentment. There was nothing as sweet and comforting as knowing you’d found the person that all your forevers were tied to.





Chapter Seventeen


Ella


She spent the morning hours trying to help Tilly around the restaurant. She cleared tables, did some dishes, but when she had tried to help a gentleman at the bar, Tilly shooed her away.

“You are not an employee, Ella. Sit down and relax,” Tilly said with an exasperated smile.

“I hate just being in the way; I want to help,” Ella said, trying to sound convincing.

“You could never be in the way, Honey. If Porter thought he’d let you spend the day with me to be wiping down tables and doing dirty dishes, I’d never get him to fix a darn thing around here again. You’re simply here to keep me company and look pretty. Do you want a drink?”

Ella laughed because it was ten in the morning. “No thank you, maybe later.”

Tilly shrugged her shoulders and gave a wink to Ella. “When more help gets here I want to take you out for lunch.”

Ella was a little surprised by the invitation. “I don’t want to be any trouble, we can just eat here.”

“I’ve eaten ninety percent of my meals for the last twenty years here. Indulge me a little and go out to lunch with your future mother-in-law.”

Ella blushed at the insinuation that she and Porter would inevitably get married – not to say that she didn’t think it was true, it was just a little soon and Ella felt silly for believing in the fairy tale aspect of their relationship.

“No use getting all worked up about it. Facts are facts my dear and my son isn’t going to let you get away again. I would bet anything on it.”

“Well, the feeling’s mutual,” was all Ella could get out before she started to blush again.

When lunch time came around, Tilly drove them to a little café on the waterfront. The sun was shining and warm and it felt wonderful against her skin. She was pleased to see there was outdoor seating and agreed enthusiastically when Tilly asked her if she wanted to sit outside. There was a slight breeze coming off the water, bringing with it the salty-sweet scent of the ocean that she loved.

Both Tilly and Ella ordered a salad with crab, something Ella would only order while at the beach so she thought it a treat of sorts. Once they were left alone to wait for their order, Tilly asked Ella about her life before Porter: high school, college, parents, jobs. The conversation flowed easily and Ella found herself laughing more than once and Tilly’s sweet and good natured interest in her background. Tilly’s curiosity pushed Ella to talk about her first boyfriend, which got Tilly talking about hers.

“I was a senior in high school here in Lincoln City and he was a year older than me, working at the mill.” Her eyes went hazy and Ella could tell her mind had drifted into the past. Tilly gave a small and quiet smile. “Andrew was so handsome: tall, dark hair with brown eyes. He was still young then, but he was so big and broad. His presence was imposing sometimes, all shoulders and chest, much like Porter.” Ella nodded her head because she knew exactly what Tilly was talking about. “Everything about how we met was mundane and typical, no heroics or drama was involved, but it was perfect. I was a waitress at a diner in the evenings after school and one night he came in with a few friends. When I went to their table to take their order, I almost couldn’t speak for how handsome he was. My brain went all silly and girly, but I managed to muddle my way through.” Tilly’s eyes twinkled with the memory and Ella could feel the love she still had for this man radiating off of her.

“He and his friends left the diner and I had this terribly rotten feeling in my gut that I would never see him again. My heart knew it was tragic. I watched him leave and get into the backseat of a car that drove him away. I tried to ignore the nagging from inside my brain, but even then I knew he was the one and that he had just driven away.

“Well, the next night he came back in, this time alone. He asked to sit in my section and when I saw him, I swear, I almost dropped a pot of coffee all over the floor,” she laughed at the memory. “I had never dated any boys and had no idea how to flirt with one, so I just nervously walked over and treated him like any other customer even though my heart was pounding out of my chest and I couldn’t take my eyes off of his mouth.” She went quiet for a few moments and Ella let the silence float between them, allowing Tilly the opportunity to relive those exciting moments that Ella was so familiar with.

“He came in every night for a whole week before he got up enough nerve to ask for my phone number, even the nights I hadn’t been working. My boss told me he came in, asked to sit in my section and then left disappointed when they’d told him I wasn’t in. All the women who worked at the diner warned me that if I let him get away it would be a mistake. I knew that already and didn’t need them to tell me.”

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