Full Circle (10 page)

As those words left Renee’s mouth, Ellie crumbled, falling helplessly apart. Mia’s arms wrapped around her, and Ellie was thankful for the support. The moisture that had gathered in her eyes finally spilled down her warm cheeks. Using the pads of her thumbs, Renee wiped them away.

“He hates me,” Ellie finally confessed.

“Heath?” Mia asked, continuing her strong hold around Ellie.

“Oh, honey, he doesn’t hate you,” Renee soothed. “Impossible.”

“No, it’s true.” Ellie spoke around the lump in her throat. “He’s hated me for the past thirteen years. It doesn’t matter that the reason was a lie. The damage has already been done and there’s no reversing it. His anger has festered, and I’m afraid he’ll never look at me the way he used to. She ruined everything!” She couldn’t stop the shrilling of her voice. “Ever since last night I can’t stop thinking how different my life would be right now if Katriana had never come into it, that if I never befriended her maybe Heath and I would be together right now.” Accepting Mia’s support, she gave over all control and put her weight on her friend. “Maybe he would’ve married me, had children with me.”

She hadn’t meant to go that far and reveal such a personal hope, a thought she’d had multiple times over the years, but she supposed there was no keeping anything in while in the company of friends.

“We need to back up a bit,” Mia said. “I’m not following. Let’s start with why you think Heath hates you and what all this has to do with Katriana.”

“Who is this Katriana person?” Renee asked.

“A girl we used to be friends with in high school. She no longer lives around here. She left a long time ago. Can’t say we were sad to see her go,” Mia said.

Ellie took a calming breath and fought through the burning sensation in the back of her throat. “Heath and I were a little more than friends,” she said, for Renee’s benefit. Ellie didn’t note any surprise on the woman’s face. “You don’t look surprised.”

“Like I said before, I can read people. It doesn’t take a genius to see you two have strong feelings for each other. I could detect a little bit the first time I met Heath. He tried to hide it, but I caught onto his casual questioning about you. Then at dinner my thoughts were confirmed. I don’t know all the details of what happened though.”

Heath had asked about her? That little tidbit sparked a desire she had no right feeling. Hurt and anger were the emotions she wanted to hold onto for the moment. They were safer than desire.

“They were in love,” Mia said.

“We never actually said those words.”

“You still felt them. Heath was scared and both of you were experiencing it for the first time. It doesn’t take away from what y’all had,” Mia said.

“We kept it a secret because he was twenty and I was seventeen,” Ellie informed Renee, catching her up to the present situation.

“Understandably,” Renee said. “I want to think he was a gentleman though?”

Deciding to hold off on that, Ellie ignored Renee’s question. “We were happy, and although we weren’t out in the open with our relationship, we were still committed to each other. We trusted each other completely. At least I trusted him.”

“What did my brother do? So help me God, did he cheat on you with Katriana?”

Ellie shook her head, calming Mia before she rushed into action. “As far as I know he was faithful to me. He just thought I didn’t extend the same respect toward him. Katriana showed him a pregnancy test. It was a piece of paper from a doctor’s office with my name on it. She lied and told him I was pregnant and had plans of passing it off as his, apparently because I thought he would give me a better future.”

Ellie felt Mia’s entire body give out. Ellie gripped the sides of the counter, fearful of falling face forward on the floor. “She what?” Mia gasped. “And he
believed
her? He’s my brother and I love him, but God, he can be so stupid.”

“How did she get the test?” Renee asked. “You can’t just cook something like that up unless you work in an actual doctor’s office.”

“Heath doesn’t know. He didn’t even take the time to find out. He just took her at her word and burned everything we had together to the ground.” The tears were all dried up. Now she was back to feeling betrayal and disappointment, which she supposed was better than raw and gutted. “I mean, he thought I was going to seduce him and pass the baby off as his.”

She almost revealed what Heath had done to her instead, but she decided Renee didn’t need to hear that much detail about her future stepson. Mia and Heath were just getting back to a good place. Ellie didn’t want to be the one to mess that up. She loved Mia too much.

“I’m going to kick his ass.” Mia jumped off the counter and started pacing around the shop. “I can’t believe he would do something like that to you.” She whipped her head to face Ellie. “That’s why he left, isn’t it? That’s why he walked away from Seaside, from me and dad?”

Now tears were slowly streaming down Mia’s face. Renee went to Mia, wrapping her arms around her. Ellie made her way to them and it soon became a big ole bear hug. They all stayed like that for a few minutes, and although the circumstances were less than happy, she knew the moment would stick with all of them.

When they finally broke apart, Ellie brushed Mia’s hair out of her face. “Heath loves you, Mia. He didn’t leave because of anything you did. He bailed because he thought I had hurt him. It’s all on me.”

“No, it isn’t. You loved him and he knew it. Lord knows what he was thinking—or feeling. He blew it, Ellie.”

Ellie shrugged. “I guess it was screw or be screwed.”

“Heath confronted you about all this last night?” Renee asked.

“Yes. You should’ve seen him. I’ve never seen him so cold and sure of something. Even after I told him it wasn’t true, it seemed he still didn’t want to believe me. He’s been hanging onto the thought of betrayal for so long I’m sure he can’t shake it.”

Renee dug through her crossover purse and pulled out a few tissues. She handed one to Mia and another to Ellie. “I say it came across as a major shock. This one lie changed so many lives. It tore you two apart,” she said to Ellie. “And you, poor Mia, it took your brother away and caused so much pain for you and Roy, although those two have their issues. Then it also broke Heath. In one conversation his whole world changed. He lost so many great years. My heart breaks for all of you.”

Now that she’d taken a breath, Ellie could see Renee’s point. “We all lost.”

“I take it Melissa could sense the connection between you and Heath too?” Renee asked, but looked as if she already knew the answer.

“She came in here to let me know Heath was hers. She was putting her claim on him. I have no intention of breaking up a relationship. Whatever was between me and Heath, it was a long time ago. If he wants to marry Melissa, I guess I have to be okay with that. I need to let it go. Maybe Melissa was right about me sitting around here pining away for him.” The thought that Melissa was right about anything just pissed her off even more.

“Now you’ve moved past anger and just throwing yourself a pity party,” Mia said. “You haven’t been pining for anybody.”

“I don’t date,” Ellie said.

“You’ve dated a couple guys,” Mia said.

“Like two in the past thirteen years. That’s just sad.” She’d dated one serious enough for her to lose her virginity to him. Things had fizzled not long after, much like the sex had. The other was nothing more than a few Saturday night dates. No man seemed to measure up to Heath.

Mia shrugged, as if it was no big deal at all. “So you’ll start dating more. You’re in luck because all of the tourists will start rolling in soon.”

A chuckle bubbled inside of Ellie as she thought of her spat with Melissa, and her intention of sleeping with a tourist because she damn well could. She kept it hidden, for fear of what Renee might think of her—not that Ellie had ever thought of having a summer fling. She was more about the everlasting love, which was probably why she was still alone.

“I also might’ve led Melissa to believe Heath stayed over at my place last night. I didn’t come right out and say we slept together, but I hinted at it, and I’m sure she picked up on it. Heath is going to be pissed if she says anything. Since they’re most likely together right now, I’m sure she’s telling him all the details.” Probably some different lies too.

Mia waved it off. “Who cares? Let him be ticked.”

“Please don’t let this come between you two,” Ellie begged Mia. “I would feel beyond terrible if I knew I was the cause of y’all falling apart again.”

“Unlike him, I don’t walk away during the tough stuff.” Mia held up her pointer finger. “But we will be having a conversation. I’m going to teach him how a family is supposed to work. It’s called communication.”

Ellie could accept that.

“So what comes next?” Renee asked her. “Are you going to talk to Heath again?”

“I honestly don’t know. I’m at a point where I feel everything was said last night, but at the same time I know nothing was resolved. I’m tired of having this hanging over my head. Maybe when things cool down we’ll be able to pretend and be civil for the short time he’s here. Especially, at the wedding. I don’t really expect much more.”

That just broke Ellie’s heart all over again. Heath had once been a big part of her life. Most of that time might’ve been in turmoil, but her thoughts always seemed to circle back to him. Anger, love, they all ran together where he was concerned.

Chapter Nine

His fingers gripped the wheel so tightly his knuckles were strained and pale.
White knuckled.
Hah. It was like a scene from a movie, but it didn’t make it any less real, and if he didn’t have to drive a car again for a very long time, it would be too soon. Heath had damn near got on that flight with Melissa. It would have been so easy. There were several seats open so it wasn’t as if he’d have had to sit anywhere near her. She’d frozen him out the majority of the trip to the airport, but if he’d been beside her on a plane … It didn’t bear thinking about, because he hadn’t bought a ticket and hadn’t flown away like the craven coward that would have made him. Again.

He told himself he couldn’t do that to his little sister, or risk harming the fledgling relationship he and his old man were building, but it really came down to not running from Ellie. Again. It had become important to him, in a really big way, that she see him as the guy who followed through and who wasn’t the Grade A asshole she’d called him. At least he could make his family happy, and some of that might rub off on Ellie. He’d work in an abject apology too, not that she’d forgive him—who would?

Forcing his hands to relax their vise-like hold, he wheeled up to the house. Both Roy and Renee’s vehicles were parked out front. Shit. He’d foolishly hoped they would still be out and about. They hadn’t called him so he assumed that meant they’d read his note, but that didn’t mean he was ready to face them. He supposed he could have texted Roy.

With a sigh, he accepted he’d bought himself as much time as possible to consider how he was going to manage the next few days in Seaside, before Ellie found out he’d dumped Melissa. A man more honest with himself would have admitted he wanted the element of surprise on his side, a little extra something to drop when he tracked her down. Heath had come to the conclusion that all was fair in love and war, and he was going to fight dirty, win or lose, when it came down to having Ellie back in his life. Damned if he was going to lose. They’d both already done a lot of that.

Voices in the vicinity of the kitchen chased him toward his room where he quietly shut the door and allowed himself to fall face down on the bed. The task he had ahead of him warranted at least a few hours of sleep, and he consciously relaxed his major muscle groups, shutting off his overtaxed brain. He drifted, his mind accepting the decision he’d made as valid—and worthy. He knew he heard Mia in the hallway, and her tone wasn’t friendly, but Renee’s more mature voice soothed and murmured, and no one knocked or otherwise demanded entry.

* * * *

He most definitely wasn’t alone. Heath cautiously cracked an eye open and remembered where he was and, abruptly, what lay before him. The dark shadows, poorly held back by the illumination of the bedside lamp told him it was evening, but not the hour.

“You’re awake. I saw the change in your breathing.”

Rolling over onto his back, he blinked at his sister, who was curled up in the only chair the room boasted. Everything about her screamed
I’m pissed at you
, and he resigned himself to a tongue lashing, Mia style. He levered up on one elbow, resting his head on his palm. The sleep had done him a lot of good, although he thought his sense of wellbeing might be influenced by the excited tension in his belly.
Ellie.

“I didn’t hear you knock.”

“Of course you didn’t,” she sniped. “You were too busy sleeping and hiding.”

“I didn’t sleep last night and it’s been a long day,” he said, taking care to maintain a mild tone.

“Right.” Mia sprang up and paced to the bed, slapping her hands on her hips. When she leaned forward, eyes sparking with rage and her nose quivering, Heath only just managed not to laugh. If his little sister thought she was scary, she thought wrong.

“I know what you’re going to say.”

She straightened so quickly she nearly overbalanced. “What?”

“I screwed up with Ellie a long time ago. Majorly. I’m a horrible person and I don’t deserve her.”

Looking deflated, Mia blinked at him. “That’s pretty much it.”

“Don’t you want to tell me what to do about it?”

The smile he so identified with his little sister brightened her face. “I don’t think I need to, do I? You’re gonna fix it. All of it.”

There was something else behind Mia’s easy acceptance of his assertion, but she didn’t voice it. And he didn’t ask. Resolutely, he shoved down any misgivings.
All’s fair …
“I am.”

“Well … good. Renee thought you might.”

Heath shoved up and rolled off the bed to his feet, and Mia stepped backward to avoid getting stepped on. “Our soon-to-be step mother is a keeper.”

Mia glowed again. “She is. I love her. I mean, I loved Mom and I miss her, but—”

“I understand, munchkin. I do. I’m only beginning to grasp the concept, but you’ve always had enough love in your heart for more than one mother.”

“I didn’t care for the others,” she said. “But Renee is special.”

“Uh huh.” Heath was done with the hearts and flowers bit. Flowers. Well, maybe never done with flowers, and that was an interesting concept. What did a man buy a woman who owned a floral shop?  Jewelry, he decided, as he reached for the hem of his shirt.

“What are you doing?”

“Clear out of my room, Mia. I want a shower and food. Then I have something to do.”

When he emerged from the bedroom, comfortably attired in old jeans and a T-shirt he’d tossed into his case on a whim, Heath followed his nose to the kitchen. It was obviously the heart of this home. His dad was putting the finishing touches on a steak, and Renee tossed the salad at the counter. Mia leaned beside her, chewing on a carrot.

“I appreciate you feeding me,” he said, to break the silence.

A flurry of
no problem, happy to
and
anytime
filled the air, and he took the chair he’d sat in at breakfast.

“Melissa get away okay?” His dad put the meat on a plate as Heath realized he was being served dinner after ten o’clock at night without anybody batting an eye. He resolved not to impose like this again, although he really did appreciate it.

“She did. Got a seat on the afternoon flight.”

“Guess she has a lot of planning to do,” Renee commented as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

Okay, he’d bite. There was something going on here, and he wondered if he should have let Mia launch her diatribe after all. “Planning?” he asked around a mouthful of perfectly cooked strip loin.

“Well, we don’t know the date, but it sounded as though it was sooner than later.”

Was his future step mother being cryptic on purpose, or poking at him? Roy lounged against the counter beside Mia and put an arm around her shoulders. His sister stared holes through him, and he knew she hadn’t been pacified totally. He knew he’d gotten off easy when she’d backed off earlier.

“I have no idea what you’re referring to.” He cut another piece of meat and forked some salad onto the tines of his fork.

“Your wedding, of course.”

Heath carefully set his utensil down. “Excuse me?”

“Melissa told Ellie the two of you are engaged,” Mia said.

Well, smack him stupid. Heath’s appetite vanished like smoke and was replaced with a searing rage in his gut, spiced with worry and fear. Goddamn Melissa and save him from interfering, vindictive women. He pushed his plate away with more emphasis than necessary and Renee leaned back, her brows climbing up her forehead. “Sorry,” he muttered.

Three pairs of eyes watched him, two remarkably similar, and for whatever reason, Heath’s sense of humor, on vacation for some time, surged to the fore. He laughed, and the sound was met with tentative smiles.

“I’m not marrying Melissa. That was never in the cards.”

Irrepressible as ever, Mia spoke up, although to judge from Renee and Roy’s interested expressions, she was probably voicing their question. “Anybody else in those cards?”

“Does everyone know about what happened … back then?”

He received three sober nods.

Heath experienced something quite the opposite of humor and figured Seaside did something to a person’s equilibrium because he’d been doing the feeling thing consistently since he’d arrive.
And you’re an avoidant asshole.
“Then I don’t need to explain anything else. I have something to do, as I told Mia.” He got to his feet and tossed the napkin on top of what had been a great meal.

“I’m rooting for you, son.” Heath hoped it was his imagination that it was the light reflecting off his father’s eyes and not moisture he saw there. For sure, he wasn’t going to hug this one out.

“Thanks … Dad. I’m good.”

“Of course you are.” Renee spoke quietly, but he read the sincerity on her face. He only hoped it was true.

“I’ll catch a ride with you downtown.” Mia scampered off, presumably to find whatever item she’d left someplace in the enormous house. Some things never changed.

“Only if you don’t talk my ear off.” He stared after her, smiling to himself.

“I won’t,” she said over her shoulder.

Heath met her at the front door after grabbing a light jacket and digging his keys out of his other pants. After donning a pair of boat shoes, he was ready to leave.

As they made their way out to the car under the glare of the dusk to dawn lighting, Mia asked, in a hushed tone, “Are you going to Ellie’s?”

“Where else?”

“Uh, well she’s not there.”

He grasped Mia’s arm and whirled her to face him, just knowing there was some other horrible piece of information about to be shared. Like Ellie had gone off to join the circus, or run away to find herself.
Or she was at another man’s place?
“Want to explain that?”

“Jeez, Heath.” Mia tugged free and brushed her arm as though he’d left a disease on it. “She’s working. That’s why I wanted a ride—”

“You aren’t interfering,” he said fiercely.

“What? No. While part of me wants to be there to see you get handed your ass, I couldn’t bear to see how hurt Ellie is again. I only meant I’d get a ride there and head upstairs to my apartment. While you … Heath?”

He knew he’d frozen in place and supposed he looked strange, because the idea of Ellie hurting so badly that his sister, her best friend, couldn’t stand to be there, nearly killed him. His chest literally seized as if beneath the clasp of a giant fist.

“I’m okay,” he forced out, wondering if he should even do this, before remembering what Melissa had said about Ellie going head to head with her—over him. No one had cautioned him against seeing Ellie, so she must have said something to Renee and Mia that led them to believe he should go see her. It was like freaking high school all over again, but this time he was doing it as a man. He hoped.

Mia left him to his thoughts, and all too soon they were at
Bodacious Blooms
, and of course there was a convenient parking space. All the stars were in alignment and Heath took his courage in both hands. Mia joined him on the sidewalk, and he accepted another impetuous hug.

“Rap on the door and make sure she sees you.”

Knowing Ellie might well leave him standing outside, Heath nodded, not trusting his voice. Such a girl, he chastised himself.
Thank God for girls.
A much younger voice, but still his own, piped up in his head, and he managed to smile.

“Ellie’s careful about opening the door,” Mia said, and he realized she’d mistaken his silence for impatience.

The thought that Ellie cared about her safety cheered him immensely. Maybe she’d rub off on Mia. “I’ll make sure she knows it’s me, munchkin.”

“I’ll … just hang around then. In case—”

“You’ll go upstairs right now while I watch. And you stay there. Inside. If anyone needs you they’ll call or text. Got that?”

With a pout, his sister acquiesced. “I’m going.”

He watched her bounce up the stairs and after fumbling for her keys—typical Mia—she got the door of the apartment open and went inside.
Show time.

Wiping his hand on his jeans, Heath moved close to Ellie’s door and knocked firmly, yet hopefully not in a manner that would make her think of big, scary men or anything. Despite his care, the sound resonated on the quiet street and he looked around, feeling he wasn’t alone. Movement behind the glass caught his eye and he focused on Ellie moving toward him. Even at that distance he could see the myriad of emotions that washed across her expressive features. She hesitated at the door, staring into his eyes before reaching for the lock.

When the door swung open, Ellie cut right to the chase. “Why are you here, Heath?”

There was no script, and much of what he’d rehearsed vanished into a part of his brain he couldn’t access. So he went with what he had. “I’m so sorry, Ellie. For everything.” Tension swirled around them, so thick he felt weighed down, and he pushed against it when she said nothing. “Can I come in?”

She bit her succulent lower lip, little white teeth tugging, before she nodded and backed up, motioning him into the shop. Heath stepped inside and looked around while she closed and locked the door, the little bell tinkling again. The place smelled earthy, like spring was about to burst forth and inundate the senses, and he took a deep breath. It soothed and settled him.