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“The box didn’t just have letters from me to Nana Bee in it. There are a ton of letters from you. I think you’ll want to have them,” he told her.
There again was a long pause. He knew she was wondering if he’d read the letters. He wasn’t going to admit to it if she didn’t ask. If she did he wouldn’t lie though. It was a strict rule of his that he wouldn’t lie to someone he cared about.
He realized in that moment that he did care about Ella. He wasn’t sure what that meant, but after reading her letters he was sure he knew this woman much better. He knew the kid, and he was getting to know the adult, but through her words as a young lady, he knew her more than he’d ever thought he’d know her.
“I would like to see those. I can wait till morning though,” she said, sounding a little sad.
“I’m wide awake. I won’t sleep for hours. I really don’t mind bringing them to you.”
There was another hesitation. “I don’t want you to see where I live,” she finally said with a sigh. He was instantly offended.
“Do you think I’m a monster who will stalk you?” he asked.
She laughed, but without an ounce of humor.
“No, it’s not that at all. It’s just that it’s kind of crappy,” she said, her voice deflated.
He decided to sweeten the pot. “There are a couple of letters from Nana Bee in the box that are addressed to you that are still sealed.”
“What? Why wouldn’t you tell me that right away?” she asked, true joy suddenly infusing her voice. She immediately gave him her address without any further fight.
He smiled as he hung up the phone. Yep, next time he’d lead with the news most likely to get him the positive response he was hoping for. He had a skip in his step as he stood. He picked up the phone for room service and ordered their finest bottle of wine and chocolate covered strawberries to be sent to him ASAP. He couldn’t show up at her door empty-handed. He was hoping for more than dropping off letters. He was hoping she’d let him in the door . . . he was hoping maybe she wouldn’t push him back out the door until the sun was rising in the sky.
Chapter Ten
Ella
Ella paced back and forth in her small apartment as she waited for Bass to arrive. What in the world was she thinking? When he saw her place, he was going to think she was in this for the money. It truly looked like she had nothing.
In her defense she didn’t have a lot, but that was because she’d been paying Nana Bee back for years. It hadn’t come close to the amount her father had embezzled, but it did make her feel as if she was doing something to right the wrongs of her evil dad.
Nana Bee had fought her at first, telling her she didn’t need the money and that Ella needed to save for her own future. When Ella had insisted she had to do this, Nana Bee had held her as she’d cried in her arms and told her she’d put her over her knee if she ever went without to pay this debt. They’d come to an agreement that she had to take care of her needs first and then she could makesmallpayments.
Ella didn’t go out to eat, and didn’t indulge in expensive hobbies so she never went without, but she also didn’t have to live on macaroni and cheese. She allowed herself a good steak once in a while and even splurged on a good bottle of wine now and then. She knew Nana Bee didn’tneedher money, but it was a pride thing. She wondered if her father had any guilt over what he’d done. She really didn’t think so.
A man like her father believed he was owed the money because he worked for the company and they took and took in his opinion. Even though the Palazzo Corporation paid its employees very well and went above and beyond in bonuses, it still wasn’t enough for her father. That was too bad for him. Some people were just bitter and nothing was going to change their minds.
A knock at her door had Ella about to jump out of her skin. She normally didn’t stay up so late, but it was the weekend and she had a lot on her mind with cleaning out Nana Bee’s place. It was harder than she’d thought it would be. But it was a good way to say goodbye, giving her more closure than anything else would. She knew when this was over she’d be less sad. There would always be an ache inside her, wanting to sit and talk with Nana Bee, but she’d appreciate how much time she’d had with her instead of crying over the time she didn’t get.
She went to her door and opened it. Bass filled the open space in front of her, and the smile resting on his lips was enough to make her knees weak. The more time she spent with him, the more dangerous it was. She’d have to control herself or she might end up doing something foolish.
“You look great,” Bass said. He was holding two bags.
“There are that many letters?” she asked. She hadn’t moved or invited him in. Maybe he’d just want to drop off the letters and be on his way.
“One bag has the letters. One is for us to enjoy while you look through them,” he said. He reached into the second bag and pulled out a very nice bottle of wine that made her mouth water. It was a Chateau Cheval Blanc. She wouldn’t send him packing if he was offering a treat she’d never otherwise get to have. She opened her door wide and drooled as she gazed at the bottle.
“If I could get you to look at me how you’re looking at this bottle, I’d die a happy man,” he said with a laugh as she shut the door after she tore her gaze away.
“What?” She was in a trance and had barely heard his words. He laughed again.
“Do you have wine glasses?”
“I do.” She moved into her small kitchen and reached into the cupboard. She had cheap wine glasses that she felt bad using with the exquisite wine, but she’d drink it out of a solo cup if that was all she had.
Bass opened the bottle of wine and poured them each a nice amount. She smelled it as she twirled it in her glass. She certainly wasn’t a wine connoisseur, but she knew enough to let it sit in her glass for a minute or two before sipping. She walked with her glass to the living room. She didn’t have a table in her apartment.
Bass joined her and she looked at the bag he still held.
