With a nod, Beverly turns on her heel.
Irritation mixed with curiosity has me straightening in my chair. I don’t like surprises, and I don’t like when outsiders come to Malus unannounced. We’ve got too many secrets here that could cause a lot of problems if they were ever uncovered. Whoever she is can march her ass right back out of Malus.
Beverly appears back in the doorway and gestures for the woman to enter. The first look I get of her leaves me speechless. Not because of her stunning beauty, although she is quite beautiful, but because she has a face I haven’t seen in nearly twelve years. A face I never thought to see again, except in the rare dreams I have of her. One I knew like the back of my hand at one point in my past.
“Hello, Judge,” Ellie Carter says, coming to stand directly in front of my desk.
I clear my head of the memories trying to force their way to the surface and come to my feet.
“Ellie. It’s been a long time.”
She nods. The impassive expression she came in with morphs into one of displeasure. “It has.”
“How are you?” I ask, stepping around my desk and stopping several feet from her.
Her lips twist into a mocking smile. “Don’t pretend like that question matters. We both know you don’t care about the answer.”
She’s wrong. I do care. I cared twelve years ago, and I still care today. I’ll care until the day I die. But that’s something she can never know. It’s better that way. Better for her, not for me.
“Judge, you should—”
I cut Beverly off. “That’ll be all, Beverly.”
“But—”
I turn my head away from Ellie and look at her. “I’ll let you know if I need anything. Close the door on your way out, please.”
“Actually, I’d prefer if it were left open,” Ellie says.
I’m already looking back at her when Beverly walks off.
“Would you like a drink?” I ask courteously, already knowing the answer.
“No.”
Her tone is short. Not that I blame her. The last time we were together, I treated her like shit. She has every right to be angry with me.
I incline my head toward the couch. “Why don’t we take a seat and you tell me why you’re here.”
“I’d like to stand, if you don’t mind.”
I shrug. “If that is your wish.”
As I wait for her to tell me the reason she?
??s here, I take a moment to look over the woman who tore me into knots twelve years ago. She’s changed, but the differences are subtle. Her black hair is shorter than it used to be, reaching just past her shoulders. Her hazel eyes don’t hold the innocence they once did, but instead seem much older than I know she is. Her figure has matured and become curvier. She’s short and dainty compared to my six-foot-three frame. She was twenty-two when we were together and was in design school. She was determined and smart and was one of the only people who could make me laugh. We were together for six months before I put an end to it.
“I wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t necessary, but I had no other choice,” she says, pulling me from my thoughts.
I have no doubt she wouldn’t be here if she didn’t have to be. I’m sure her hatred toward me hasn’t lessened in the slightest.
Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I perch on the edge of my desk and regard her, my curiosity more than piqued.
“What do you need?”
For the first time since she entered my office, she looks hesitant. It’s a contrast to the Ellie I once knew. She was confident and never let anything sway her.
She pulls in a heavy breath, straightens her spine, and meets my eyes. This is the Ellie I remember.