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“I beg your pardon?” Ellie queried, confused.She didn’t know whatthe heckhe was talking about and said so. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, Cora, reluctantly, I might add, has admitted that it was your turn to cook dinner, but you went off galivanting outside all day.”
Ellie just looked at him, stunned.
“I’m sorry?” she choked out in astonishment; her eyes wide with surprise.
“I’m afraid sorry isn’t good enough this time, Ellie.” He’d taken her words the wrong way, but she didn’t think it was deliberate. It was like he genuinely thought she was apologizing.
Gathering her scattered wits about her, Ellie attempted to defend herself.
“Look…” she didn’t get very far.
“Cora has also admitted that she found you snooping around in our private office.”
Anger boiled up in place of surprise as Ellie finally realized exactly what was going on. She was being set up to take the fallonce again.But she wasn’t having it this time.
“Now wait just a darn minute, I…”
“Is that true, Ellie? Were you in the office?” Cody demanded, searing her with a dark look.
“Well yes, but…”
“And were you looking through our private things?”
“No, I mean yes, I mean just the address book, I needed…” She was flustered now.
“Ourpersonaladdress book?”
“Look, I just had to…”
“So, you’re not denying it then,” Cody interrupted once more with a face like thunder. She looked to Syrus and Ezra for support, but the pair of them just looked away.
Cora was looking demurely at the floor, like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth, but Ellie didn’t miss the smug looks that the other two girlsthrewher way.
She realized that she was shaking with anger and had her teeth clenched hard enough to make her jaw ache.
She sucked in a breath and tried to scrape together her scattered thoughts so she could form a rational defense, but it was too late.
“Ellie, this is difficult, but it’s not like you aren’t aware there are too many of you. It was heading this way anyway, but all things considered, and with today’s behavior on top, we’ve agreed that it's you who needs to go.”
Ellie felt the blood rush out of her face like it was a physical thing. She clasped her hands together in front of her as tightly as she could to keep herself under control.
She clenched her jaw even tighter and blinked her eyes repeatedly in an attempt to hold back the tears. She felt her throat close up and stood motionless, willing herself not to fall to pieces.
Her neck felt hot and prickly and the sensation spread out until it encompassed her whole face and rushed right down to her fingertips.
Everything felt numb. Her mind couldn't even fathom what she was supposed to do if she couldn't stay here. But as long as he carried on speaking, she held herself aloof, refusing to let the six of them see her pain.
“We agreed a weekor two, and the bus stops at Pipe Creek Road on Monday, so we’ll drop you off to meet it. I’ll make sure your expenses are covered.”
His words sounded as if they came from a distance and she barely took them in.
There was nothing fair about what was going on here and why should she expect there to be.
Cora, Carly, and Sheri had shown repeatedly that they manipulated every situation to suit themselves and always at Ellie’s expense. She’d just been too slow and too polite to react.
And the Carson brothers had fallen for it hook, line and sinker.
