“I think they’d understand. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” Savanna surprised her by saying.
“Smart woman,” Henry commented. “Don’t say no.” He pointed to the card she’d forgotten was clutched in her other hand. “I’m staying in town one more night. But you have until New Year’s to say yes.”
“The playground.” Ella swallowed. “The school needs a new one, and it’s over thirty grand. And the iPads are old.” She ran through a list of all the things she could buy for her school that lacked the budget to do so.
“You’d spend your money at your place of employment?” he asked, sounding as shocked about that as she was at his offer. “You really are a hidden gem.” He offered his hand, and she tucked the business card in her pocket to accept it.
“I’m not saying yes,” she said while his big, warm hand enveloped hers. “Just maybe.”
“Stay an extra day,” Savanna blurted. “Come to the New Year’s Eve party. It’s at the Hawkins Ranch in Walkins Glen. Thirty minutes from here.”
Henry searched Ella’s gaze for her permission since she was a Hawkins. “You’re welcome to come. I’ll, um, give you my answer then.”
“A ranch, huh? Do I need to wear a cowboy hat?” He lifted a brow, his eyes raking over her again, this time almost suggestively.
“You’re fine just the way you are,” Ella rasped, not wanting to come across as flirty, but she was still stunned.
“Seven o’clock,” Savanna offered. “She’ll see you then.”
He pulled his hand back and tipped his head. “Have a good day, ladies. And it was a pleasure to meet you, Ella Mae.”
At the sound of her middle name rolling from his British tongue, she nearly melted.
But then a twinge of guilt that had no right to be there cut through her. Because pretty much only her brothers or Jesse called her Ella Mae, and not all of the time, but when Jesse did it . . .
I’m not Jesse’s. He’s not mine.
And five or six months in Paris felt like not just the chance of a lifetime, but her opportunity to finally move on from Jesse.
Chapter Three
“I thought I’d find you out here. Going for a ride so close to supper?”
Ella finished saddling up Lady, her Appaloosa mare, before turning toward her mother. “I need some alone time to think.”
Deb Hawkins stood just inside the stables, and even though Ella knew supper was most likely already in the oven, her mom was still wearing the gingham apron Ella had made for her in eighth grade. “It’s Paris, sweetheart. Rochella.” She gestured for her to come closer, like she was ten and not over thirty. “Do I want you to fly halfway across the world and live in France until June? No. But how can you turn down that opportunity? This is your dream.”
Ella shook her head and removed her cowgirl hat, setting it against her thigh. “Fashion is my hobby. Not my dream.”
“Call it what you want, but you kept that Instagram blog, or whatever it’s called, a secret from us. You started posting your designs for the world to see for a reason. You wanted to be seen. And, baby girl, this is your chance to be seen by more than fifty-nine people.”
“Sixty,” Ella said, smiling at the memory of Henry’s words and his charm.
Lady slowly walked alongside Ella and nudged her with her muzzle as if to say, I’ll miss you. Don’t go.
Ella faced her mare. Lady had been a birthday gift from her father a few years ago. She’d already had the name, and Ella hadn’t wanted to change it, even if it wasn’t all that original. But she was her “Lady” now. “I should get to riding, or I’ll be late for supper.”
“Just tell me something.” Her mom stepped forward and secured a hand around Ella’s jean-jacket-covered arm. “Are you hesitating because you think Jesse will finally get his head out of his rear end and kiss you if you stay?”
“Tell me how you really feel,” Ella said with a laugh, more so to hide the pain that threatened to creep into her tone. “I think that ship has sailed, Mom. He’s never gonna come around.”
“You know, I still have all of your diaries from middle school and high school. I found them under your bed forever and a day ago and put them in a box.” She gently squeezed Ella’s arm before letting go. “I didn’t read them, but I can imagine there was only one name scrawled inside. Well, maybe his and Patrick Swayze’s.” She gave her a gentle smile.
Add pity to the list of things Ella hated, especially when it came from her tough-as-nails mother. Her brothers all said Ella was the toughest in the family. Hardly. Especially where Jesse was concerned.
“You can’t exactly throw a stone anywhere in this town without hitting someone who thinks you two should be married. Or that it should have been Jesse’s ring on your finger instead of Brian’s,” her mom went on. “I don’t think that ship has sailed, sweetheart. I just think Jesse is moving slower than what even us Southerners would define as slow.” She frowned this time. “He refused to watch you marry Brian. The look on his face when he stormed out of the rehearsal dinner said volumes.”
“Maybe. But he didn’t beg me not to walk down that aisle.”
“Same difference.” Her mom tightened the knot at the back of the apron as Ella continued to stroke Lady’s shoulder. Her stunning mare was white with dark spots that flowed over the length of her body, known as the leopard pattern. Ella would miss her while in Paris, but she was certain even Lady would understand her reasons for going. Lady knew when Ella was feeling sad. Or just a whole lot of hurt.
“I think you should go to Paris. Give Jesse some time to miss you.”
“The man has had more than half his life to miss me. Fourteen years in the Army, and even when he left the military and returned home, he was always coming and going.” She wasn’t sure where he disappeared to from time to time, but he always came back. And then, coincidence maybe, Jesse’s weird disappearance acts stopped the day Ella called off the wedding.
Of course, recently, he’d surprised everyone by joining Falcon Falls Security, which was headquartered in Pennsylvania.
From what A.J. had told Ella about the security firm’s leaders, Carter and Gray, they’d found themselves in a hilarious rock-paper-scissors argument at one of A.J.’s teammates’ weddings that fall. They’d both wanted to recruit the Army veteran, Oliver Lucas, and their tug-of-war over the man led to Carter and Gray combining forces to create Falcon Falls.
According to Savanna, since Jesse didn’t exactly open up about any-freaking-thing, Falcon also had “secret” sites around the globe courtesy of their boss, Carter Dominick. Carter was the only man Ella had met that gave off an even more mysterious vibe than Jesse.
“Jesse didn’t have an easy life growing up,” her mom abruptly announced. “And you know his dad basically forced him into the Army at eighteen.”
There was something in her mom’s eyes that said she knew more than she was letting on. “What is it?” Ella lowered her hand from Lady and closed the bit of space between her and her mom. “Rory would have said something if . . . well, if there was something to say.” She gulped, searching her brain for childhood memories that would’ve been a red flag for this “not an easy life” Jesse might have experienced.