***
Ella spent the next few days walking along the beach, collecting sea shells and visiting museums in the small shoreline town. Most of her high school friends had moved away and so she spent the bulk of her time by herself, reading, doing yoga and watching old movies with her parents.
The plans for Hannah’s shower were all tied up and she felt pretty confident that it would be a success. She tried not to think that this was not only a big event for her best friend, but also the launch of her new career. Corinne had checked in to let Ella know that her dress was finished and the bridesmaids’ dresses were being delivered imminently. It appeared that everything was moving along nicely and Ella had little to worry about. Corinne and Hannah both were glad to hear that Ella was finally taking some time to unwind and clear her head.
After visiting Newport for the day with her parents, Ella fell quickly into a deep, undisturbed sleep. She awoke the next morning to the sound of the gulls on the water. Hopping out of bed, she wrapped herself in a fluffy robe and made her way down the old stairs to the kitchen.
“Good morning,” her dad said as he slid a fresh cup of coffee over to her. “It might not be espresso, but it’s the best on the beach.”
“Good morning, Dad,” she said, wiping the sleep out of her eyes. “Thanks,” she said, wrapping her hands around the warm cup.
The temperature had dropped to the fifties and Ella felt a chill run up her spine. She walked over to her father, planted a big kiss on his cheek and walked out the front door to enjoy her morning coffee.
Sipping on the fresh brew, Ella let the drink warm her from the inside out. She wrapped the robe around her more tightly to protect her from the crisp sea air. Lines of gulls flew effortlessly just feet above the ocean and the water reflected the sun like freshly polished glass.
This was just what she needed. Ella had felt herself ratchet down several notches in the short time she had been away from the city. She was enjoying spending time with her family. But also was enjoying spending time alone, getting back to her roots. She took another sip of coffee and then placed the large ceramic mug on the wicker table, moving the paper aside.
Her eyes came to rest on a headline above a grainy photo— “Two Influential Families to Become One.” Ella leaned in closer and saw the phony smile of one Nadia Al Jalal and a straight-faced Karim.
Ella gasped, sucking in the cool morning air as her hand rose to her mouth. She felt her lip tremble and within seconds, fresh tears warmed the corners of her eyes. She grabbed the paper and jumped to her feet, nearly knocking her father over as she ran past him into the house and up the stairs.
“Was it something I said?” her father joked, shaking his head as he turned and walked outside.
Ella fell onto her bed and flipped open the paper to read the article in its entirety. The photo was the same one that had been taken weeks before, the day that Nadia had treated Ella like a servant. It was the same day Karim and Ella had gone to the Plaza, and then… later at his apartment…
She didn’t want to think about it but still the memories came flooding back. Ella began crying as she thought of him holding her close in the Grand Ballroom. She felt his strong embrace and wrapped her own arms around her sadness, shaking with each sob.
Her mind filled with memories of Karim’s scent, their trip to Eleuthera, his laugh and then the kiss in his apartment. She buried her face into the pillows and let the tears flow. Ella had tried to ignore her feelings and play them down, but there was no denying it; she was desperately, hopelessly in love with a man who—according to the paper—was getting married in exactly one week.
“Can I come in, honey?” Maggie called from outside the door. “El?”
Ella mumbled something through the pillow and her mother opened the door slowly and slipped inside. She walked over and sat down on the bed next to her daughter, slowly running her hand across her back like she had when Ella was a little girl. Maggie didn’t say anything, but glanced at the paper on the bed and thought she had a pretty good idea what had happened.
After several minutes, Ella rolled over, her face sticky with tears and her hair matted to her cheeks. She sniffled loudly as she looked at her mother, speaking the sadness of her heart without saying a word.
“I know,” Maggie said, brushing the wet hair off Ella’s face. “It hurts.”
Ella nodded as fresh tears welled up in her eyes.
“So,” Maggie said, knowing better than to tell Ella that the feeling would pass. She never liked hearing that when she was hurting and she that it wouldn’t make Ella feel any better either.
Her daughter was independent. She was smart, self-sufficient, and accomplished. She knew she had to deal with this and she would figure out how. Maggie knew that Ella had run away to hide from her problems, but now she had to face them.
“What are you going to do?” she asked gently, looking out the window, allowing Ella the dignity of her tears.
Ella let out a long, scratchy breath. “I have to go back,” she said in a whisper.
Maggie nodded and reached over and grabbed her daughter’s hand, squeezing it as she spoke. “Yes, you do.” She smiled slightly, leaned in and kissed her daughter’s wet cheek.
Ella pressed her lips together as she felt her mother’s skin on hers. She smiled and squeezed her mother’s hand back and then let it go. Maggie turned and left the room without another word. For the next hour, Ella sat quietly, thinking about her future, her past and what lay ahead for her, back in New York.
EIGHTEEN
Ella smiled broadly when Princess jumped into her arms, the moment she arrived home. Hannah had stopped by earlier that morning and dropped the cat off to save Ella making the trip to her place.
“Hello, Princess,” Ella said, glad to see that someone had missed her. “Yes, I missed you, too.” She pet the cat furiously and rubbed noses with her. Princess jumped down a moment later and ran to her favorite spot to bask in the sun under the wall of windows.
“Tough life,” Ella said sarcastically. She rolled her luggage into her bedroom and returned carrying her laptop. She set it on her desk, plugged it in and turned it on. While she was waiting for it to start up, she went to the kitchen and fixed a plate of fruit salad that she had brought back from the farmer’s market in Rhode Island.
“Mmm,” she said, popping a forkful of juicy strawberries and pineapple into her mouth. The laptop whizzed as it started up and Ella munched on the ripe fruit as her programs opened. First her email popped up, followed by her spreadsheet with all of the vendors' and venues' names and addresses. Finally, her electronic calendar opened. Ella preferred using her old-fashioned paper planner, but she was trying to convert everything over to her electronic calendar so that she could operate from her smart phone more efficiently.
“Well, what have we got here…” she said slowly as she chewed on a large piece of papaya. Several small pop-up boxes appeared on her computer screen, each reminding her of upcoming appointments. She had one for the final fitting of Corinne’s bridesmaids’ dresses. There was another to confirm the music selection for the wedding, an appointment to confirm Hannah’s cake, and a reminder for an upcoming vet appointment for Princess. Ella looked over at her cat and frowned.