Drive and Determination (31 page)

*~*~*

            Elyssa hoped that the busyness of work at the house -- at Will’s house -- would provide an escape from her persistent thoughts and worry. She kept her phone with her and turned on at all times in case he called. She tried several more times herself during the day to reach him, but still reached his voice mail.
            “All right, Will, you’re paying me back for what I did to you. Please either answer my call or call me back! I don’t care why you did what you did! I only want to know you’re safe!” Elyssa paused as a tear fell down her cheek. “I love you,” she whispered.
            That was the most desperate she had sounded in the few messages she had left. She didn’t care. She knew that she loved him and didn’t know how she would ever forgive herself if something had happened to him before she could talk to him.
            When things slowed down at the house, Elyssa decided she would stop by and see Emily. She knew that Emily probably knew all along and wanted to get her perspective on this whole matter. Elyssa hoped that she might have word from Will.
            When she walked into Emily’s office, Emily waved her in. Emily could tell from the expression on Elyssa’s face that she was upset -- and she knew precisely the cause of it.
            “Hello, Elyssa. I was planning to come by today. Have a seat.”
            Elyssa sat down wearily.
            “I heard you had a visitor at the house yesterday.”
            Elyssa looked up quickly. “Word gets around. I suppose one of the workers mentioned it to you. Her outburst was heard by everyone, I’m sure.”
            “No, it wasn’t one of the workers who told me. It was my mother.”
            “Your mother?”
            “Yes. My mother is Barbara Reed.” Emily’s fingers tapped nervously on the table. “She is William Denton’s personal assistant.”
            “Ahh, so there’s the connection.”
            Emily nodded. “I’m sorry, Elyssa. If it weren’t for the fact that we think so highly of Will, we would have never done such a thing. The guy was desperate to bring you out here. I was assured that he would tell you as soon as possible.”
            “I feel like such a fool! Did
everyone
know?”
            “No. In fact, it really hasn’t even been widely known in the community here that he’s the one building the house. His name is pretty well recognized all over Chicago, but he’s been able to keep that a secret.” Emily smiled. “I think that’s one secret he is entitled to keep.”
            “So how did your mother find out about his aunt coming by yesterday?”
            “Catherine stormed into the offices. She expected to see Will, and my mother had a difficult time convincing her that Will really wasn’t there. Apparently she drove in from Kent, Ohio, and the house was on the way, so she stopped there first. She never calls ahead to let anyone know she’s coming. Everyone tries to run the other way when they hear she’s here.”
            “So she told your mother she had been at the house?”
            “Yes. My mom knew Richard was going to be returning shortly and kept her there until he came. She knew Richard would be able to find out exactly what happened when she encountered you at the house. My mom was very concerned for you -- not so much because of what Will did, but because his aunt can say such unkind things.”
            “So your mother wasn’t worried how I would take Will’s deception?”
            “She knew that at first you’d question why he did it, but then my mother idolizes the man and doesn’t know how anyone can
not
like him. If I were ten years younger, I would have set my sights on him. Goodness knows, the man is so oblivious to how handsome he is, and money means nothing to him.”
            Emily folded her hands and leaned toward Elyssa. “The poor guy has not been himself since coming home from Guatemala. If you blame him for anything, blame him for being deeply in love with you. Perhaps I shouldn’t be saying this, but…” Emily took in a deep breath. “We often wondered whether any young lady would ever capture his heart and we were all very pleased when it seemed he was smitten.” Emily chuckled and her eyes lit up. “My mother can easily detect any change in that man and she was quite amused when she noticed things about him whenever the subject of Elyssa Barnett came up.”
            Elyssa blushed and looked down. “I guess I’ve been pretty hard on him.”
            Emily waved her hand through the air. “Oh, it’s been good for him. Everything has always come too easily for him.”
            Elyssa’s face sobered. “Emily, he left me a message early this morning that he and two other men were heading out to a village around Lake Atitlan that suffered a lot of damage. This morning on the news there was a report of three Americans missing. I know it’s probably not him, but I haven’t been able to get through on his cell phone. Do you think you could call your mother and find out if he’s been in contact with anyone? I would feel so much better.”
            “Sure. Hold on.”
            Elyssa watched as Emily called and talked to her mom. With a smile on Emily’s face, the two talked a few moments about what they each were doing. She then told her mother that Elyssa was there with her, asking about Will. The smile quickly left her face and her voice became more concerned.
            “Really… when was that… he hasn’t… all right, I will. Love ya! Bye.”
            As she hung up the phone, it was a moment before she turned and looked at Elyssa. “It’s probably nothing, but no one has been able to reach any of the guys. Now it’s probably because communication is down and they’re so far out in the middle of nowhere. Heavens, it could be that there’s no way they can recharge their phones.”
            Elyssa’s hand slowly went up and covered her mouth. “Are they doing anything to try and find them?”
            “They’re doing all they can. My mom said she’ll call as soon as they know something.”
            Elyssa fought back tears as she said, “Please let me know immediately when someone hears something. Please!”
            “I will, Elyssa. I will.”

Chapter 30

            Elyssa left Emily’s office and returned to Will’s house, feeling little inclination to do much of anything. She walked through the completed living room and checked on the finishing work being done in the kitchen. This was all she had been hired to do, but in actuality, as she had spent the last few weeks walking through the whole dwelling, she had begun to envision just what she would like to do in the other rooms -- even before she had known it belonged to Will.
            As she walked through the house, she came into his study.
Will’s
study. Suddenly she could see him seated at a large desk with built-in bookshelves stained a deep, rich brown, lining two of the walls. She looked over at a third wall and thought how nicely that antique bookcase and books would look there.
            Two men were cleaning up in the kitchen after putting down tile on the counters and backsplash. They gathered up their things as Elyssa came in and inspected it. They had done a superb job and Elyssa thanked them.
            Once the men were gone, Elyssa went around the house to make sure it was locked up as she normally did before she left. As she walked toward the front door, however, she stopped. She didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay in the house a little longer by herself.
            She walked around slowly, eyeing everything she had done and imagining what more she wanted to do. She looked over at the reclining chair and remembered coming upon Will stretched out in it. She sat down on it herself, closing her eyes. She could almost feel his presence from the other night.
            She reached for her phone and tried calling Will again. She wasn’t sure how many times she had tried and how many different ways she had pleaded, but nothing seemed to get through to him. As she listened to the ring go over to the now ever so familiar voice mail, she opened her mouth to speak, but couldn’t. A cold fear swept over her, taunting her with the words of the newscaster that morning.
A team of three Americans who set out for one of the villages early this morning are presently missing.
            “No!” Elyssa cried out and pounded her fist onto the arm of the chair. “I won’t let myself believe it was him! I won’t!”
            Taking a deep breath to stifle the tears, she knew she had to do something to ensure his safe return. She knew it was silly, but she decided that if she bought that antique bookcase and books that they had seen together, he would have to come back. He would
have
to!
            Elyssa reached into her purse and pulled out her checkbook. She looked at the deposits she had recently made from her paychecks. She had been paid extremely well and had very few expenses herself while here. She had taken her aunt and uncle out to dinner a couple of times because they refused to accept any rent from her. A nice balance had accrued, and it should be sufficient to pay for those things without putting them on her credit card.
            The thought of spending so much for something ran against her grain, but she decided he was worth it. She wasn’t going to charge it to Emily -- thus, Will -- she was going to buy this for him with her own money.
            Elyssa looked at her watch and realized the store might be closed by the time she got there. She couldn’t recall the name of it to call and ask what their weekday hours were, so she decided she would stop by there first thing in the morning.
            When she finally returned to her aunt and uncle’s, she was met with bolstering words of care and comfort, but no further news on the missing men. Having not heard from Emily or anyone from Pemberleo, she assumed no one else had heard from him either. That thought alone caused a rising dread within her.

*~*~*

            The next morning came too soon for Elyssa. Thoughts of Will -- and where he might be -- troubled her and she hadn’t been able to sleep. She remembered looking at the clock at three in the morning and it seemed the next thing she knew, her alarm was sounding at seven. Reaching over and turning it off, she couldn’t bring herself to get up just yet.
            Elyssa stayed in bed an hour longer, and when she came out, Edward had already left for work. She asked Maddy if there had been any update on the missing Americans and she was told there wasn’t.
            She called Emily and told her she would be out most of the day. Elyssa wasn’t expecting any workers today, but if someone did need to stop by, she asked Emily if she could let them in. With a brief inquiry as to whether Emily knew if there had been any word from Will yet, she was told there hadn’t been and she ended the call with increasing concern.
            Elyssa moved slowly that morning and drank several cups of coffee to help awaken her. With each sip of Pemberleo’s morning blend, she thought of Will in some small village in Guatemala trying to help out -- or trying to get out. She wondered why he had felt so strongly that he needed to be there. Was it because he was only interested in his precious coffee beans or was he truly concerned about the people? Whatever the reason, no one seemed to know where he was.
            Elyssa finally left for the city a little before noon. The leaves on some of the trees had begun to turn varying shades of red with the autumn days growing shorter and cooler. Elyssa easily made her way to the antique store, amazed at how beautiful everything was when she felt so wretched inside. She suddenly wished that Will could be there with her so she could fully appreciate the beauty.
            Elyssa took in a deep breath filling her lungs with the cool air. Hugging her sweater tightly around her, she marched with determination to the store. She felt all the tenseness of the past day ease slightly as she set her mind to this task as if it would ensure Will’s safe return.
            While in the store, she looked around more thoroughly and purchased not only the bookcase and books, but an antique area rug, desk lamp, and a frame. She thought a picture of Lake Atitlan would look nice in it. Handing over her credit card, she knew her bank would probably wonder what had gotten into her, but she didn’t care. The items she purchased had exceeded the amount in her checking account, but she was resolute about doing this.
            She arranged to have everything delivered the next morning at nine o’clock. From there she proceeded to Janelle’s store. It had been over a week since her last visit and Elyssa wanted to see if they had anything new.
            Elyssa was grateful that no one else was in the store when she arrived. Janelle was pleased to see her and she poured Elyssa a cup of coffee and the two sat down to catch up. Their conversation centered on some of the new things Janelle had recently picked up for the store and other things she had seen at a trade show.
            Elyssa then told her about William Denton owning the house she was decorating.
            “Why, Elyssa! You sly one! You never told me you knew him!”
            “I guess that’s because as far as I knew, we were just passing acquaintances.” A slight shrug told Janelle there was more to this than Elyssa was telling.
            “So you’ve been decorating his house, but didn’t know it was his?” Janelle shook her head in amazement. “He hired you because he wanted you here!”
            Elyssa shrugged her shoulders. “Hard to believe, isn’t it?”
            Janelle clapped her hands together and leaned back in laughter. “Why that has to be the most romantic thing I have ever heard!”
            “Romantic?” Elyssa exclaimed. “He didn’t even have the decency to tell me! We were together the whole evening the other night and… and… it just happened to slip his mind?”
            “Oh, but Elyssa, if you only knew how many ladies in this town would love to be in your shoes!”
            “Well, even though I was very distraught and confused when I first found out, I guess I have come to see things in a little different light.” Elyssa paused and skewed her face in a wince. “Janelle, he’s gone to Guatemala because of the flooding there and no one has heard from him since early yesterday morning.”
            “I heard about the flooding,” Janelle said sympathetically. “He’s there?”
            Elyssa slowly nodded her head. “We’ve heard there are some Americans missing. I just hope he’s not one of them.”
            Janelle reached out and took Elyssa’s hand. “I’m sure he’s not, honey. We’ll just have to have faith that he’s not.”
            After they finished their coffee, Janelle showed Elyssa some of the new pieces she had acquired. Elyssa left shortly thereafter with the promise that she would let her know when she received word that Will was safe.

*~*~*

            Elyssa sat in the train staring out the window as it made its way out of Chicago and back into the suburbs. She had been doing a lot of thinking the past two days; thinking about herself and thinking about Will. She pondered why she acted the way she did around him. Why was she always ready to question his motives? Why did she always have to attack his character? This morning she had even wondered of his motive for going to Guatemala!
            Everyone she had talked to that knew him well -- from Gina to Emily to Mrs. Reed -- all thought him above reproach. Elyssa let out a groan as she considered how many times she lashed out at him in Guatemala and yet he never held it against her. Now, because she thought him manipulative in bringing her here under false pretenses, when in fact he loved her, had she gone too far and lost him forever?
            When the train stopped at Elyssa’s station, she trudged off, the weight of her conviction and anguish bearing down upon her. She walked mechanically to her car and got in, not really knowing where she wanted to go. In a way she wanted to go back to his house and immerse herself in what was his. On the other hand, she also felt she needed the compassion and reassurances that only her aunt and uncle could give. A nice quiet evening with them and their children would help take her mind off her anxiety.
            The evening with the Garners did boost her spirits and she was often encouraged by her aunt’s smile or her uncle’s occasional hug.
            There was still no further word on the missing Americans. More details had come in that a car with three Americans had stopped to inquire about directions to a particular village. The road to the village had been washed out and no one knew the identity of the Americans, where they were, whether they made it to the village or whether they had just turned around and left. Due to the damage in the area, very little information was coming out. Elyssa knew in her head that the odds of it being him were slim, but in her heart she couldn’t help but agonize over the possibility.
            For the third night in a row, Elyssa was afforded very little sleep.

*~*~*

            Well before the sun began spreading its rays over the horizon, Elyssa slipped out of bed. When she finished showering and had dressed, the sunlight was just beginning to lighten the skies.
            She peered out the window to see a cloudless sky and the bright glowing orb coming into view. To her native Californian eye, it would seem to promise a pleasant day. She was in Chicago, however, and this fall day was to be close to freezing. She shuddered in the warmth of the house as she thought how much colder it would be if she received any distressing news.
            When she came out to the living room, Edward was already up, reading the newspaper and watching television.
            “Any news?” Elyssa asked.
            “Lots, honey, but not the kind you’re anxious about.”
            The sound and smell of coffee percolating seemed to soothe Elyssa’s nerves. She walked into the kitchen and waited for it to finish, and then poured herself and her uncle a cup. She brought them both into the living room and they drank and watched the news in silence.
            Shortly after, her aunt came out and Elyssa announced she was leaving to go to the house.
            “Isn’t it awfully early, Elyssa?” her aunt asked.
            “I’m expecting a delivery this morning and I want to make sure everything is ready for it.” Elyssa gave her aunt a meager smile in hopes it would convince her she was all right.
            “You know, it might be a good idea for you to take a little break. Why don’t you think about it? You’ve been under a lot of stress lately.”
            “Thanks. Maybe this afternoon. Goodbye!” She kissed her aunt and waved to her uncle. “See you later!”
            As she closed the door, Maddy looked at Edward. “If Elyssa doesn’t hear from Will soon, I’m not sure she will be able to take much more.”

*~*~*

            There really wasn’t that much to do to get ready for the delivery of her purchases. She just wanted to come back to the house and be alone for awhile.
            She walked through the living room and into the kitchen. A large bay window faced the wooded part of the property behind and the sky -- ablaze with colors -- could be seen through the trees, which also filtered the brightness of the sun.
           
How beautiful!
 thought Elyssa.
I wonder if Will knew how perfect this room would be to greet the sunrise!
            She glanced around her at the tile on the floor and the tile design on the walls and for the first time she realized that it almost had a Guatemalan feel to it. She was shocked when she realized this. It wasn’t something that just anyone would know, but having been there and seen their designs, one could almost believe she had chosen it with that in mind.
            Elyssa shook her head. “I didn’t even know he owned this house!” she said to herself. “And yet…” She looked around and suddenly saw touches of it everywhere in the design and color. It wasn’t overt, just here and there. But it definitely was there.
            To pass the time, Elyssa began to walk through the house. She went upstairs and peered into each room, designing it in her mind’s eye. When she came to the master bedroom, she looked around her. Nothing came to her mind.
            Her eyes drifted from one wall to the next and she found it difficult to envision anything. A fear gripped her that perhaps there was a reason.
            “No! I will not allow myself to think like that! He
is
coming back!”
            She shook off her dread and decided to go back downstairs to wait for the delivery.
            Precisely at nine o’clock, there was a knock at the door. Elyssa jumped up and greeted the two delivery men.
            “Are you Elyssa Barnett?”
            “Yes,” she answered.
            “We have an antique bookcase, some antique books, a lamp, a frame, and an area rug to deliver.”
            “Yes, this is the right place. I’ll have you bring them over here into the study.”
            One of the men, holding the lamp and frame, stepped inside. “Just show me where you want these.”
            “Actually,” Elyssa said, “Why don’t you leave them out here?”
            The young man set them down and joined the other to walk back to the truck. They returned, each carrying one end of the rolled up antique area rug. It was fairly large and bulky, and when they unrolled it in the study, it extended to within about 6 inches of the wall. They then went out to bring in the bookcase.
            As they struggled with the heavy piece of furniture, Elyssa helped them navigate. They stepped into the room and Elyssa pointed to the wall she wanted it up against.
            As she was directing the men, another voice from behind her asked, “Where would you like these books?”
            Stunned by the familiarity of the voice, Elyssa spun around, expecting to see another delivery man; yet
hoping
to see someone else. She gasped as she found herself looking into Will’s weary, partially bearded, but ever so handsome face, carrying a large box.
            Elyssa’s mouth went dry and she couldn’t bring herself to move or to answer.
            “I hope you know this guy,” the one delivery man joked. “He asked us out there if he could carry in the box of books.” He walked over and took the box out of Will’s hands and placed it next to the bookcase.
            “Yes… yes, I know him,” she said slowly, unable to take her eyes off of him and wanting so much to run into his arms.
            “If you’ll just sign this, then, we’ll be on our way.”
            Elyssa willed herself to look down to the clipboard as she took the pen from the delivery man. She could barely hold it steady as she attempted to sign her name. The two men excused themselves and left as Will and Elyssa were frozen in a grip of a myriad of emotions, unsure of what the other was feeling.
            As soon as the men walked out of the house, Elyssa took a small step toward Will and then unexpectedly ran toward him, flinging her arms around his neck.
            Will hesitantly, but most willingly, drew his arms around Elyssa and locked them behind her waist, grateful for at least this moment of tenderness between them. A short moment later, he asked, “Isn’t there something we need to talk about, Elyssa?”
            Hanging on tightly, she cried out, “Yes! We didn’t know where you were! After you went out to the village, no one could reach you and you didn’t call anyone! There were news reports of Americans missing. I worried that it might be you!”
            The expression on Will’s face, unseen by Elyssa, displayed his surprise. “We weren’t missing. At least,
we
knew where we were. I lost my phone in a river of mud. There were no cell towers around so no one was getting reception and the village had no power or telephone lines that worked. They suffered quite a bit of damage from the flood. We weren’t able to communicate with anyone, but we also didn’t realize people were worried.”
            “We were…
I
was!” Elyssa said as she held him tighter.
            “Elyssa,” Will said softly, gently removing himself from Elyssa’s embrace and taking a small step away from her. “There
are
a couple of things we really need to address.”
            “Oh,
that.”
            “How can I ever convince you how truly sorry I am?”
            “No, I understand, Will. It’s all right!”
            Will resolutely crossed his arms together in front of him and laughed. “Oh, no! I’m not going to get off that easy! You were angry with me and we need to talk about this. I would like the opportunity to explain my actions to you.”
            Elyssa took in a shaky breath. “You explained in your phone calls.”
            “But you didn’t return my calls. The only thing I could assume was that you were angry with me -- or that you never received them and I still need to explain.”
            Elyssa gave him a weak smile. “I did get your calls. I didn’t answer them because I was... well, I wasn’t so much angry with you, Will, as I was hurt.”
            Will’s face grew somber. “Hurt?”
            “Yes, I was hurt that you didn’t feel as though you could tell me the house was yours.”
            Will pursed his lips together and his nostrils flared as he drew in a deep breath. “I’m sorry I hurt you, Elyssa. I never meant for that to happen. Can you ever forgive me?”
            Elyssa took his hands in each of hers and gave them a squeeze. “I guess you have the advantage of seeing me after a couple days of mulling it all over.” Elyssa tilted her head and then added, “And worrying with absolute fright about your welfare!”
            “I called you four times that first night and never heard back from you once.”
            “I did call, Will; just not until the next morning. I left you several messages, in fact.”
            ‘Hmmm. Probably after I lost my phone.”
            He slid his hands around to encase Elyssa’s. “It seems as though
you
have the advantage over me here, because you heard
my
messages, but I didn’t hear
yours.
Be honest now. What did you say to me? I’m sure you raked me over the coals in a way that I most definitely deserved.”
            Elyssa could not help but laugh. “No, I didn’t do that at all! I was quite…” she paused and looked into his eyes. “I only wanted to hear that you were safe.”
            “Sure! I know you well enough to know you’re not afraid to tell me off quite effectively!” he laughed. “You expect me to believe that you didn’t tell me what you thought of me when you found out I hadn’t told you the truth
and
after my aunt showed up and mercilessly attacked you and your work? Unfortunately, she is a woman who cares nothing for the feelings of others and only for herself.”
            Elyssa looked down. “She was quite unmerciful, but in my messages I wanted to let you know that… well, that my feelings for you are quite the same as the feelings you professed in your message.”
            Will leaned in to her. “Which means…?”
            “Well, I believe you told me in the message you left me that you…love me.”
            A smile spread across Will’s face. “I did, indeed. And?”
            “And, well, I love you. I love you very much.”
            Will didn’t hesitate to pull her back close to him. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to hear you say that. I’ve loved you a very long time.”
            They stood still, looking into each other’s face, and then Will leaned down and kissed her fervently, neither wanting to let go or for the kiss to end.