Fallen for Her: Book 2 (3 page)

~ Ella ~

She hoped Ray didn’t see the tears sliding down her face as his train left the station and he waved from the window.  No, he couldn’t see detail from that distance.  Plus, she had a phony smile plastered on her face.  It was more like she was gritting her teeth to prevent the tears from coming.  She never cried when Bob left.  But then she never watched him leave.  She couldn’t really grasp why she was tearing up now.  Ray was an attorney there on business.  But, she sensed he really liked her as a person, as a friend.  The moment she brushed her lips across Boomer’s fur, she thought of Ray, and how comfortable she felt with him for the last two days.  How sensitive he was to her every feeling, every mood.  She was raw with grief when she met him, but now felt a sense of tranquility after being with him.

She carried Boomer to her vehicle and got in with him.  He was so cute, looking up at her, wagging his tail.  Every time her eyes rested on him, Ray came to mind.  She tried to focus on the coming week.  Ray was going to prepare the paperwork; he told her she would hear from him.  She knew it would take a few days, but he’d make it his top priority.  She had no doubt.

Driving home, she knew tomorrow would be a busy day.  She’d be returning to work as a real estate broker and her list of appointments was long.  Plus, Bob would be flying home.  He always took a cab from the airport.  He was a frequent flyer and had it down to a science.  If he had no flight delays, she expected him to be home by dinnertime. 

Her phone vibrated and she touched the Bluetooth to answer.  Cassie’s name came up on the display.  “Hey, where the hell have you been?” Cassie’s voice was insistent.

“With the attorney, you know, the guy from New York?” Ella replied.  Then she added, “Hey, you’ll never believe what I got!” 

“What?  An unexpected windfall from your father’s estate?” Cassie queried.

“No, I got a puppy!” Ella squealed, “A super cute puppy!”

“Are you kidding?  I’ve got to see this.  Does Bob know?” Cassie responded.

“Not yet,” Ella said, “But he’ll be home tomorrow late in the day.  He will find out then.”

“I’ll be right over.” Cassie said and she hung up. 

Cassie was ringing the doorbell within twenty minutes.  As Ella opened the door, Cassie pushed past her, “Where’s the puppy?”  Boomer was standing behind Ella and wagged his tail.  Ella rested her eyes on Cassie as she cradled the dog in her arms. 

“Oh gosh, he’s so cute, Ella!  What’s his name?” Cassie asked.

“Boomer,” Ella smiled. 

“What?  Boomer?  What sort of name is that?” Cassie giggled. 

“I like it,” Ella stated, waiting for the questions she knew Cassie would blurt out within seconds.

“Okay, so it’s a silly name, but he’s a cute puppy.”  Cassie gazed at her.  “I sense there’s more to this, Ella.  I need the rest of the story.  Just what did you two do together for the weekend?  I tried calling you but got no answer yesterday or last night.  And, don’t leave out any details.”

“There’s no cell phone service at the fishing camp, silly.” Ella walked into the kitchen and Cassie followed.  Over coffee, Ella described her day with Ray appraising the properties and the unexpected stop alongside the road to buy Boomer.  But when she talked about the overnight trip to the fishing camp, Cassie’s eyes widened.

“You slept in the
same
camp together?  Took a
bath
together?” Cassie was begging for details.

“We slept in
separate
rooms.  Took
separate
baths.  Damn it, Cassie, don’t make this out to be more than it is.  He’s a nice guy, very accommodating.  We had fun with the puppy.  I laughed a lot with Ray.  He’s a gentleman.”  Ella stopped talking feeling as if she had already said too much.

“Does Bob know about this wild weekend adventure?” Cassie’s gaze was intense.

“Of course he does.  He knows I met with an attorney.” Ella replied, now hoping to move on to another subject.  She didn’t want to tell Cassie she kissed Ray.  Not yet anyway.

“I think it’s so romantic.  The whole weekend, I mean it had to be exciting at least.” Cassie wanted more details.  “What did you eat, where did you go?  Did you get to know him, at least?”

Ella gave Cassie what she wanted: details.  She explained how Ray was patient with her in the building when she started to cry, but left out the fact that he embraced her.  Ella explained how Ray noticed the sign on the side of the road and they stopped and she bought the dog.  But when she told Cassie about the night at the fishing camp, she had to stop talking for a moment.  She didn’t know if it was a good idea to tell her she was in Ray’s arms kissing him for a few minutes.  It was so….private and sensual, the very thought of reliving the moment made her blush.  No, this was not for Cassie or anyone else to know about.  Ella decided this was hers alone.

“So, let me get this straight,” Cassie began. “This guy put his arm around you, drank beer with you, bought a puppy with you, spent eight hours in the car with you, slept in the same camp with you and he was some sort of Boy Scout?” 

“Yes, exactly.” Ella responded.  “He was more than a gentleman.  I trusted him, completely.  When I was with him it felt as if I knew him somehow.  I know that sounds crazy.”

Cassie had to leave for a spa appointment and even though Ella would have loved to have gone with her, she needed to clean the house in preparation for Bob’s return tomorrow.  He was such a stickler about that.  Plus, she needed a hot shower.  As she peeled off her clothes, she opened her Facebook page on the iPad, and the photos of her at the train station with Ray were posted on her timeline.  She stared at them for a long moment.

The sidebar light was lit next to his name.  She sent him a message,
Thank you for the photos, I love them.

Ray’s response was quick: 
You’re welcome.  I had a great time with you this weekend.  I want to hand deliver paperwork.  Are you free on Friday?

~Bob~

He glanced at his Rolex and asked the flight attendant in first class when the hell they were landing.  It was the second time he asked her the question, and was getting impatient.  He pulled the small turquoise box labeled Tiffany’s out of his valise and opened it.  The nine carat flawless diamond cost him a cool $200,000 which was half of his bonus this year.  But, he made the sacrifice because he knew it would be a big surprise to Ella.  He couldn’t wait to see her face when he gave it to her.  He had already made reservations at the country club, they could walk over from the house.  That way having a few drinks wouldn’t matter.  The weather seemed nice for a walk, a little brisk, but temperate.  He wanted everything to be perfect.  He’d call the club manager in the cab on the way home to make sure the setting was the way he’d requested.

He was hoping Ella’s windfall from her father’s estate was as large as he originally estimated.  He was a bit concerned that John Wakefield had left assets to his wife and mistress.  He had been under the impression that he would’ve left everything to Ella.  She was all he talked about.  Bob was sure that Ella was his top priority.  The merging of their two fortunes would put them into another category of wealth on the scale of success he had been dreaming about.  Millions marrying millions created exponential wealth.  The flight attendant finally got back to him.  They were landing within fifteen minutes. 

“Oh my word,” the flight attendant stared at the small turquoise box in his hand.  “What size is that thing?  Is it real?” 

“Yes, it’s real, all right.” Bob slipped the box containing the ring into his valise and zipped it.  “I just hope she likes it.”

“What woman wouldn’t love that?” the flight attendant gushed.  Bob loved the attention from the other passengers.  Some of them offered congratulations once they realized he was holding an engagement ring.  He nodded in affirmation and smiled. 

As the flight landed, he walked swiftly to the baggage carousel and, exasperated, finally wheeled his baggage to the waiting cab at the curb.  The cab driver hustled to put his bags into the trunk and Bob got into the backseat.  The cab smelled of cigarette smoke, motor oil and some horrible pungent air freshener masked the smell of urine.  Mentally, he made a note to use a private car service in the future.  Who knew what happened in that cab to make it smell like that.  Whatever it was, he didn’t want to be near it.  Tapping his phone, he sent a short text to Ella,
Honey, I’m home
. 

~ Ella ~

Ella heard her phone chime with a text and realized it was Bob.  She read it and stood in the hall mirror applying lipstick and running her fingers through her hair, trying to decide if she should wear it up or down.  Boomer seemed to be sensing her nervousness.  She brought the dog outside to make sure there would be no accidents on the floor. 

The kitchen and bathroom had been scrubbed with disinfectant and the windows opened to air out the house, to Bob’s liking.  The bed sheets had been changed and his closet was organized the way he liked it.  She had purchased his favorite imported Boursin cheese and organic red grapes and arranged them on the plate in the kitchen with the Rosemary bread he liked.  Rummaging around in the wine cellar, she located the perfect pairing for the snack.  Bob was always hungry when he traveled.  He refused to eat any food on the plane. 

Lounging on the sofa, Ella touched her iPad and her Facebook page came up.  She had a message from Ray,
How are you?  I’m working on the paperwork and will drive up Friday.  Would that be good for you?

Ella responded: 
Bob
is due to arrive here any minute.  Let me check my schedule.  I’m doing a lot of showings this week
.  She hadn’t expected Ray to have the paperwork ready to sign so quickly.  He was efficient.  Glancing at her calendar she noted she had an overnight shopping trip planned with Cassie. 

She messaged Ray back: 
Cassie and I are shopping and staying overnight in Kittery area on Friday.  

Before she could add to that, Ray shot back a response: 
Great.  Let me know where you’ll be staying.  I’ll get a room there and meet up with you.  You can sign everything and your friend can sign as witness. 

Ella wrote back: 
That will be fine.  We’ll arrive at the Low Tide Inn approximately 5:00 PM on Friday.  Plan to shop all day Saturday and drive home later. 

She heard the cab door close and ran to the window to see Bob wheeling his luggage toward the garage.  The moment he stepped through the doorway, Ella ran to greet him with Boomer in her arms.  But the look on his face told her he wasn’t in the mood for a hug.

“Please tell me you are dog sitting for someone…” Bob said with a note of sarcasm, “You know I’m allergic to dogs.” 

Ella leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek, sensing his mood was not pleasant.  “Actually, Bob, this is my new puppy, Boomer!”  She said with as much cheer as she could muster. 

“I guess you decided not to consult with me about this…”  Bob stared at her utterly shocked. “And who would give a dog a name like that - Boomer?  It’s ridiculous.  Ella, we talked about this when Maverick died…you agreed…no more dogs – period.” 

“Well, I thought you could take the allergy medication if you have a reaction.  Really, Bob, he doesn’t shed.  He’s short-haired, and very tiny.” Ella could see her case was falling on deaf ears.  Bob had moved to the kitchen.  He was eating the snack she put on the counter for him. 

“And, for God’s sake, Ella, this bread is stale.  How long has it been sitting here?”  He drank the glass of wine in between complaints.  “At least the wine you selected is decent.” 

“How was your trip?” Ella tried desperately to change the subject.  She thought it would be good to talk about his win.

“Big client, honey.  Big money.  And you and I are going to the club tonight to celebrate!” Bob smiled, “I worked very hard to get this client, but it paid off.  All of the golf games, dinners, and listening to his wife drivel on about absolutely mind-numbing things like charitable events and movie stars.  Oh you have no idea how much I had to put up with to get him to sign.  But, it’s done.  And, I’m home now with you, honey.”

It was the first time he smiled since he walked in the door.  Ella put Boomer on the floor and he curiously waddled over to Bob to sniff him.  But Bob ignored the puppy and finally embraced her and kissed her forehead.  He walked into his office to turn the computer on. 

“I’ve reserved a table at the club for 7:00 PM, early dinner.  I’ve got to check my e-mail.  I noticed some contracts were sent to me when I checked my phone and just wanted to print them off to go over them.  I’ll just be an hour or so, honey.  Hey, wear that red dress tonight.  You know, the sexy one you wore to the Christmas party last year?”  Bob seemed to be conversing with himself. 

Ella responded, “Sure, Bob.  The red dress that looks like lingerie, I know the one you mean.  By the way, I’m going shopping Friday with Cassie.  We have an overnight trip planned for Kittery.  You know, the outlets before Christmas trip.” 

He didn’t turn around but said, “Yes, honey, that’s fine.  I know.  It’s a Cassie thing.  Hey, if you’re going up to the bedroom, would you bring my luggage up and put the dirty clothing in the laundry?”  Ella pulled the large suitcase upstairs with Boomer scrambling to follow her.  The puppy hadn’t mastered stairs just yet.  Once she got to the top, Ella opened the suitcase on the bathroom floor and started tossing dirty items down the laundry chute.

She put Bob’s toiletries in their place in the master bathroom.  Then stored the luggage in the back of the walk-in closet.  Boomer followed her every step of the way.  She ran the bath water a little on the hot side and slipped into the over-sized tub big enough for three.  Boomer plopped himself on the rug next to the tub.  Ella laid back in the hot water and let her body go limp.  She felt the tension melting away and closed her eyes.  She couldn’t stop the little twinge of excitement about meeting Ray in Kittery during her upcoming shopping trip.  She looked forward to Friday with eagerness and hope.  Not sure what she was hoping for.  But one thing she knew for certain,
she couldn’t wait to see him again
.  Looking at the photos he posted on Facebook of the three of them made her heart melt.  His caption said it all, “New BFF’s Ella and Boomer.”  That was so cute. 

She imagined him working on the train ride back.  He seemed to be that type of guy,
efficient
.  Of all of the wonderful qualities Ray had, the one she loved the most was his selflessness.  He gave of himself freely expecting nothing in return.  If she smiled at him, he made her feel he just got a gift.  Even though she had just met him, she felt as if Ray knew more about her than Bob.  Just a hunch.  She closed her eyes and imagined Ray’s kiss in the moonlight at the camp.  Who would’ve thought a kiss in the kitchen of a fishing camp could be so romantic? 

That was something lacking in her life lately. 
Kissing
.  Or any form of affection.  She moved her legs in the soapy hot water allowing herself to feel feminine, sensual, and slipped down into the water up to her neck.  With eyes still closed, she thought about Ray and his eyes, and lips and hands.  She thought about touching his masculine chest, his bicep.  She wondered what he looked like naked.  Did he have tattoos?  Was he one of those guys who shaved his chest?  The urge to know everything about him all at once was overwhelming.  It was a very pleasant bathtub daydream.