Never Far Away (The Never #2)(9)
“I am definitely not opposed to that,” he said as released a breath, smiling.
Ella’s phone buzzed in her purse and she read a text message from Kalli, reminding her that they were supposed to meet to go over some clothing options.
“Are you free tomorrow? The Saturday Market is open and I haven’t been yet this season. We could walk around and eat at the food trucks for lunch,” she said hopefully.
“That sounds great. Want to meet around eleven?”
“Sure. I will meet you at the waterfront at eleven, then.”
They both stood up and headed to the exit. Once they were both outside, Ella gently grabbed Porter’s arm and looked him in the eyes.
“Thank you for coming and finding me. I can’t imagine that the last eight weeks have been easy for you, but in some ways I am glad that I wasn’t the only one affected. It’s nice not to feel completely alone, even if only for a moment.” She slowly and tentatively moved towards him and pulled him into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his waist, hands clenched, not wanting to feel too much too soon by allowing her finger tips to run along his back. Her cheek came to a rest on his chest and she felt his body tense at her touch. For a few agonizing moments she stood there alone in a hug, wondering if she had overstepped some invisible border. Then she felt him relax and his arms wrapped around her shoulders. Shivers were sent down her spine when his nose found her hair and she heard him inhale.
“You still smell the same,” he whispered.
“I wish I could say the same,” she mumbled into his shirt. He did smell good, though, of wood and soap. “I guess I will see you tomorrow, then,” she said as she pulled away from him.
“Do you need a ride home?” He asked.
“No, thank you, I am headed back to the store.”
“Isn’t it closed?”
“Yes, but I have some things I need to take care of.” She saw in his face he was instantly concerned, and his brow was scrunching and coming to a point between his eyes. “What’s the matter?”
“It bothers me to think of you there after hours and at night.” Ella cocked her head to side and studied him. Her entire family had been completely and ridiculously over protective of her for the last two months, and it had become overbearingly irritating. But for some reason, when Porter put on a protective front it made her feel cherished.
“I will be ok. I’m actually meeting a friend there. I won’t be alone and I won’t be there for long, either.” Porter drew in a deep breath and stuck his hands in his pockets.
“Ok then, I will see you tomorrow.” She watched his eyes until he had turned around heading in the opposite direction of her store.
Ella made it to Poppy and as she was unlocking the door, she saw Kalli come around the corner. Kalli’s face lit up with a genuine smile that Ella had no choice but to return; Kalli’s friendly and sweet nature was contagious.
“Hey, Lady,” Kalli said in greeting. She nearly always called every woman she spoke to “lady”. It was a quirk that Ella found endearing.
“Hey yourself. Ready to check out that dress I was telling you about?”
“Always.”
The two of them went into the store and Ella punched in the code for the alarm system, making sure she armed it for safety while they were still in the store. Kalli told Ella about some snafu that had occurred on the set of the film she was working on as Ella was walking through the store, taking off her sweater and setting her purse on the counter.
Kalli was one of the new developments in Ella’s life for which she was grateful. Kalli had a way of making Ella completely forget that she was living with a void in her mind. It was refreshing to be around her because Ella never had to wonder if Kalli knew more than she was letting on, or if she was keeping something from her. Kalli was simply real, friendly, and good. They had quickly formed a strong and powerful friendship. As she spoke she brushed her auburn hair over her shoulder, and then mindlessly twirled the small and delicate diamond stud that adorned her ear. Her hands were constantly moving, whether she was talking with her hands, gesticulating wildly, or simply fingering the hem of her shirt. If she stayed still for a whole five minutes she might have turned to stone, or so it seemed.
“I mean, I can’t help it if one of the extras stupidly spilled coffee on the lead’s shirt. I can replace it, but I can’t turn back time and take it back, ya know?” Ella was forced back into the conversation by her question.
“Definitely.” Ella smiled because she knew Kalli could find a way to complain about almost anything, and nearly did. But generally her frustration had a short lifespan, and once she got the words out of her mouth you could almost see the tension melt away from her. Ella didn’t mind being a sounding board for her, because the comfort she got from their friendship outweighed this slight character flaw by no comparison. “Ok, so I received this dress in a shipment and I think it would be perfect for the movie.” Ella grabbed the dress off of a rack behind her and held it up for Kalli to see.
The dress came to just above the knee, was gathered at one shoulder with a shimmery applique. It started as a light blue at the gather and gradually moved into a midnight blue towards the bottom.
“Oh, Ella, I love this,” Kalli said as she tucked her hair behind her ear. “Ombre is totally hot right now and the one shoulder look is really sexy. This would be perfect for the gala scene. We shoot that in two weeks.”