‘Nope, sorry. Not taking no for an answer.’ She herded Beth into the sitting room. ‘You’ve been working so hard at the cafe and that house of yours and you never take a minute to chill. C’mon, get your butt on that couch.’
Beth did as she was told, because the couchdidlook inviting and her aching muscles were crying out for a glass of that shiraz. Perhaps taking a few moments to relax and fill her belly, which rumbled right on cue, might give her the strength she needed to make it up to her room.
She eased her body onto one of the sofas and the relief was instant. Sinking into the feather-filled cushions, she was unable to keep a satisfied groan from escaping.
‘See?’ Ellie said as she placed the plate of goodies on the coffee table. ‘I told you this was just what you needed.’
‘You did,’ Beth acknowledged. ‘Thanks for that.’ She had a habit of pushing herself to the point of exhaustion. Maybe if Ellie had been at the house this afternoon, reminding her to take breaks and pace herself, she wouldn’t be in this much pain right now.
Ellie flicked her blonde ponytail over her shoulder and poured the wine. ‘So, how’s the house coming along? You look wrecked—’ Her eyes grew round as soon as the words left her mouth. ‘Oh! Crap, I didn’t mean—Not that you look terrible. It’s just that with …’ She gestured helplessly at Beth’s grubby knees and gardening clothes.
Beth couldn’t help smiling. It was nice to not be the one putting her foot in her mouth for once. Not without difficulty, she sat up and accepted the glass of wine Ellie handed her.
‘Don’t worry about it. And it’s going well enough. I’m just not sure when I’ll be able to move in there and get out of your hair.’
‘Don’t be silly. Stay as long as you want. Besides, we’re only just sitting down to share our first bottle of wine and I’m determined to keep you until we’ve shared at least five.’ She re-capped the bottle and lifted her glass in a salute. ‘Like it or not, Beth, we’re gonna be the best of friends.’
Unable to read between the lines, Beth studied Ellie’s expression, but she couldn’t tell whether her host was poking fun at her. ‘Are … are you being facetious?’
Ellie’s eyes widened and she rushed to smooth things over. ‘No! At least, I don’t think I am.’ Her cheeks grew pink. ‘Honestly, I don’t really know what that word means, but Iwasjoking. Sort of. What I meant to say is that I really would love for us to be friends, but I promise I won’t force you into staying. You’re welcome to, though. Oh, god, I’ll just be quiet now.’ She took an enormous gulp from her wine glass.
Sagging against the cushions, Beth sighed. No wonder she had no friends. Conversations like this were so hard to navigate and she always ended up making things awkward.
‘I’m sorry,’ she blurted. ‘I get offended easily. It’s not the first time I assumed someone was making fun of me when they weren’t.’
Ellie waved away the apology. ‘No need to be sorry. I get it. I mean, we don’t know each other, not really. But honestly, we should be friends. There aren’t many women our age in town, so I’m super excited that you’ll be around for a while. The guys I hang out with all smell like cow.’
Caught unawares by the comment, Beth barked out a laugh but bit it off almost immediately. And now she could feel her cheeks growing red. Great. She put her wine glass to her lips, hoping to cover her embarrassment.
Ellie didn’t seem to notice her mortification, thank goodness. If anything, she seemed pleased that Beth had enjoyed the joke.
Smiling, she grabbed a slice of apple. ‘So, tell me, what do you think of Karlup so far?’
Following Ellie’s lead, and perhaps stalling for time, Beth reached for a cracker and slice of cheese. ‘It’s cute, though I haven’t seen much of it. I’ve been kind of busy.’
Pfft. Liar.Work was just an excuse. If she didn’t have her job and fixing up the house to keep her busy, she’d be holed up in her room, doing her best to avoid anyone and everyone.
‘Well,’ Ellie said, her tone conversational, ‘in the interest of solidifying our friendship and showing you more of the town, I’m inviting you out on Saturday night. Barefoot bowls is on. You should come.’
Beth cringed. ‘Um, sport and I really don’t mix.’
‘Oh, don’t worry about that. It’s just for a bit of fun, a chance to let loose and have a drink with mates.’
Beth chewed the corner of her mouth. How did she explain to someone as bubbly and outgoing as Ellie that a situation like the one she’d just described was her version of hell? It would absolutely not encourage her to let loose. In fact, she’d be so highly strung that if she were a guitar she’d be making sickening twanging sounds for the duration of the evening.
‘I, uh, I don’t think so. I mean, given how sore I am right now, it’ll take me over a week to recover.’Lame excuse, Beth.‘I-I don’t even know how I’m going to get up the stairs to my room.’
‘Hmm.’ Ellie narrowed her eyes but couldn’t quite hide her amusement. ‘You play a hard bargain, friend. But don’t say no right now. Just sit on it, and if Saturday rolls around and you feel up to it, then great, come with me. If not—’ she shrugged, ‘—that’s fine, too.’
Beth sagged against the couch, relieved that she didn’t have to come up with another excuse.
‘And as for getting upstairs, my cousin’s kids tell me I give great piggy-back rides.’ Ellie popped a grape in her mouth and winked.
That threw Beth for a loop. ‘Your cousin? Noah, right? He has kids?’
‘Oh, no, his brother Ethan does. Yep, little Charlotte and Oliverloveme.’
‘Well, I don’t think either of us would survive you giving me a piggy-back ride up the stairs.’
