Page 26 of Defying Ella
Mel chuckled. “That does sound incredible. Not much of a chore, is it?”
“Not at all.” I smiled at her teasing note. Mission nearly accomplished. “So you should go home and do your own relaxing. With that ruggedly handsome boyfriend of yours and my mischievous niece.”
“Fine, I guess you’re right.” Mel sighed. “We can keep in touch with Andy for updates from home.” I bit my lip, holding in the need to encourage her further. “We’ll head home tomorrow. But if you need me at any point, if Jared pushes you too hard and you’re about to take advice from Daphne, pick up the phone, okay?” A vein of steel coated her words.
I grinned. Thus far the forks had not turned into weapons, but I wouldn’t be making any promises.
“You’ll be my first call.”
When I finished uni, I felt completely lost. I loved my family, but it didn’t seem to be enough. Everything I’d ever learned suggested I needed to know where my life was heading and needed a purpose in the form of a career and a passion. It seemed at the time that the only way to gain any of that was to leave the safety and comfort of family behind. Soafter three years of studying for a degree in Cardiff, living at home with my parents and spending nearly every weekend with my sister, I abandoned it all with nothing more than a backpack and a one-way plane ticket.
It took me a year to appreciate the support my family had always given me. Hearing Mel argue with herself over leaving me made my decision to return home and find my way with my family close by all the more poignant.
Who needed a man or endless travel to sustain them, with that kind of support and generosity in their lives? Not me.
With the hot tub heating nicely, I gave in to my stomach’s indignation and wandered back inside to make something for lunch. With my earbuds in and my eyes on the ground, I turned from shutting the sliding door and jumped out of my ever-loving skin.
“Shit, Jared! Give a girl some warning.” My hand pressed to my pounding chest while my gaze fixed on the steaming mug in his hand.
His lips quirked in a semi-smile and I remembered just how intimate I’d gotten with them last night. Heat burned my neck as I stepped back, fully intending to dodge around him. His face shut down, and he thrust the mug out to me. I stared at it, confusion chasing away the ghosts of our kiss.
“Thought you’d need it after being out there.”
My brows tried to clip into my hairline, but I accepted it. “Thanks.”
“I found some chai tea in the pantry.” He dragged his hand through his hair. “I think you loved the stuff at some point, so I just figured…” He shrugged before turning his back on me like he hadn’t just blown his indifference mask to pieces.
I took a tentative sip, and my eyes fluttered shut as the deliciously spicy heat crossed my tastebuds.
“Thank you,” I said again, the sound of my voice just as conflicted as I felt.
“There’s a sandwich on the island for you too.”
With that, he vanished down the steps without a second look. I approached the island to find a banana sandwich.
Other than him, only my family knew that my grandmother used to make banana and butter sandwiches for us. Only my sister knew I went through odd phases of craving them.
The faster we got out of the lodge the better.
Despite walking through the upper level at a brisk, focused pace, I couldn’t help searching for Jared. Call it an ingrained protection mechanism. I’d gotten so used to expecting an argument, figuring out where he was and going in the opposite direction. Couldn’t do that locked in a lodge.
I don’t know how I’d expected to find him, but sprawled out on the sofa with the book I’d attempted to hand him last night would not have been on the list. Especially not when he’d made himself scarce after making me tea and lunch without a snide comment. Biting my lip as surprise rippled through me, I refocused on the door and my goal: relaxation.
“What are you doing?” Jared asked.
I stopped at the sliding doors to the deck, a towel wrapped tight around me. Considering the frigid air outside, I welcomed the delay. When I’d raced out to turn the hot tub on, half an hour ago, I’d spent a good ten minutes shivering. How he’d managed thirty minutes without extra winter gear, I had no clue. I’d had to bury myself under a pile of blankets to warm up.
“Finally making use of the hot tub on the deck.”
His eyes widened and he dropped the book in his hands. It slid to the sofa cushion, forgotten while his focus dipped to the towel wrapped around me.
“It’s freezing out there.” His brows knitted together.
I shrugged and turned back to the door.
With my entire body braced for the blast of cold air, I threw the door open and raced out, skipping across the deck. My feet slapped against the wood, not fast enough to avoid the sting of cold. The towel hit the waiting chair I’d placed nearby and I scrambled over the side of the tub before my entire bikini-clad body turned to ice. A sigh escaped me as I sank beneath the warm water.
Definitely worth the momentary discomfort.
