AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His face reddened. “It was nothing.”
“This isn’t nothing, David.”
“I’m sure he misses puttering around since he moved into his rental house,” Allison said. “He tried to make up for it with all those pots, but it’s not the same.”
I turned toward her, unable to stop myself.
“We had just started dating when I mentioned I wanted to landscape my yard,” she went on. “He was eager to help. I teased him that he should have been a landscaper.” She cocked her head with a pensive look. “He got so much more accomplished after he moved in with me.”
My stomach dropped. He hadn’t told me that he and Allison had lived together.
David’s hand tightened around mine. “That was a long time ago.”
“It was only last summer,” Allison said in a smug tone.
“David!” called out one of the men on the patio. “Get over here and tell us how it’s going out in Manteo.”
David pulled me away from Allison and leaned down into my ear. “I had no idea she’d act this way. We can leave if you like.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I want to meet your other friends.”
The group of people turned to face us as we approached, and their genuine smiles helped soften the tension that was building in my shoulders.
A man in his thirties reached out his hand to David and pulled him into a hearty handshake. “Congrats on the Roanoke assignment.”
“Thanks,” David beamed.
“And who have you brought back with you?” the woman next to him asked.
David smiled down at me, then glanced back at her. “Cheryl, this is Ellie Lancaster. Ellie, Cheryl Dalton. Her husband, Noah, works in the English Department.” He gestured toward the man who had just greeted him.
“Hi, nice to meet you,” I said.
Cheryl grinned. “Noah might be asking about the colony, but what we really want to know is how you met Ellie. We hear it’s quite serious.”
The group of six people around us turned their attention to David.
“And who tells you that?” David asked, brushing off her question.
“Please.” She waved a hand. “Noah knows Charles Ditmore at Duke, who knows Steven Godfrey. When Steven came back from Roanoke Island, he told Charles that you found the lost colonyandthe love of your life.”
I shifted uncomfortably, but David wrapped an arm around my back and held me close. “I found a lot of surprises in Manteo.” He grinned down at me, setting me at ease. “But I’m sure everyone would love to hear more about the colony. Especially what’s been found in the Dare house.”
Someone brought two chairs and we sat while David and his friends spent the next ten minutes talking about the colony and the things that David had seen before Allison walked over with a bottle of beer and a plastic cup. “Where are my manners? You two don’t have drinks yet.” She handed the bottle to David and the cup to me. I took it hesitantly, wondering if she’d done something to it.
She smiled, but I could see the bitterness in her gaze. “I made sure to have your favorite beer on hand, David. I wasn’t sure if Ellie was legal to drink, so I brought her lemonade.”
David stiffened next to me and started to say something, but I patted his arm. “Allison, how thoughtful of you. Thank you.”
Confusion flickered in her eyes and her mouth parted as if she wasn’t sure how to react. The group around us hushed, their expressions shocked.
After a couple of seconds, Allison’s smile returned. “David, the grill’s ready.” She pulled a tissue out of her pocket and wiped her nose. “I really need you to help out. I shouldn’t come into contact with raw meat with this runny nose.”
David glanced over at me, then back at Allison. “Ellie, why don’t you come over with me and I’ll teach you the fine art of grilling, something I’ve picked up since moving to North Carolina.”
Allison shot me a challenging look that said she firmly believed I couldn’t handle her on my own. I’d dealt with her kind before back in high school. For some reason, I’d expected better manners from a college professor. Well, I wasn’t about to back down. I could take on demonic badgers. This bitch was nothing.
I leaned back in my chair and took a sip of my drink. “No, I think I’ll stay here and chat with the girls.”
