Page 94 of Not So Very Sensible

Her gaze drifted, snagging on a man. She blinked. Was that—? No. She peered closer. Maybe?

“Hey, move along,” the man behind her called.

“Oh! Sorry.” She shuffled behind the friendly couple again.

“All good?” the woman asked.

“I just thought I saw somebody I knew,” she said.

She pivoted, watching as the man laughed with the exact same mannerism as she remembered.

“Lady, hurry up,” the man behind her complained.

“Oops, sorry!” Should she go over there? Speak to him? Maybe not speak to him, just let him see her, let him know that she’d seen him. That’d get an interesting reaction, she bet.

“Well, nice chatting to you,” the woman said, as they got their drinks and paid.

“You too,” she murmured.

“It’s your turn,” the concertgoer behind her said.

“Sorry.” She placed her order and found that there’d be a slight wait for the matcha. “But only a few minutes,” the server promised.

“That’s fine.”

“What name shall I give?”

“Elinor is fine.” Actually … “Make it Katie,” she said.

“Katie?”

She nodded. She’d see if that had any effect.

She retrieved her lemonade—hardly homemade, as the sign claimed, but delicious nonetheless—and held Katie’s drink in a cardboard drink tray while she waited for EJ’s matcha. Her eyes fixed on the man. What would he do if she just walked up? Was it wrong to pray for revenge?

“Katie!” the woman called. “Katie?”

The man’s head swung around, his gaze meeting Ellie’s. She took a step towards him, then remembered the drink. And seeing it was way more expensive than what she’d normally pay, she wouldn’t leave it. She retrieved it, then glanced back, but he had gone.

Of course he had. He seemed to make a habit of disappearing.

She felt a little shaken nonetheless and slowly returned to where her sisters were sitting, all the time scanning for him. She couldn’t wait to tell Emma-Jane, even if she’d need some wisdom about what she’d say to Katie.

So, he was alive and still in the area. What was his excuse?

“You took your time,” Katie said, accepting her drink. “Thanks.”

Emma-Jane frowned at her. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Well, that was because she had. “I have,” she murmured. Or at least somebody who had ghosted them.

“What’s wrong?” Emma-Jane murmured.

She shook her head. No, it was probably best not to tell Katie. She needed time just to relax without any pain from the past intruding upon today. They’d had a good morning at Emma-Jane’s church this morning, the faith-filled message coupled with a great testimony from a youth leader named Charlene had been just what they all needed. Lunch at the pretty flower-filled Grounds of Alexandria had proved a great opportunity to people watch. Then they’d visited a couple of discount brand-name stores before this concert. No way did she want any of those good vibes spoiled because of a dumb man.

The concert concluded, and they packed up their things, putting their rubbish in the nearby bin. The crowds packed the concourse, forcing them to huddle together so they wouldn’t lose one another, and Ellie wondered if they would see him again. She hoped not.

“Who are you looking for?” Emma-Jane murmured.