“Could you have ever dreamed we would be sitting here like this today?” Shawn asked.
“Honestly, no. I just wanted to be able to provide for myself and a family someday. This has already blown past my initial expectations.”
If the casino took off how we expected, we would be set for years, possibly decades. This was the kind of investment opportunity that we had only dreamed about when we first started, but now it was our reality.
“So, you should be out celebrating with Ella. Why don’t you fly back tonight? Surprise her. I know you want to,” Shawn teased.
“You know what? I will. It’s only three. I could make it back around the time she usually gets off. Surprise her.”
“Go get her, googly eyes.”
I laughed but didn’t stay around for long. I was up, out of my seat, and heading for the door with my suitcase.
“I’ll call the pilot. Let him know you’re on your way.”
I shut my office door behind me and drove straight to the airport. Being next to Ella tonight was exactly what I wanted. Someone to share and celebrate with. As I pulled up to the airport, my phone vibrated.
Ella: I miss you =( Call me around 7?
Me: Of course, talk to you soon.
Chapter Eleven
ELLA
When I got home from work, immediately the bath was calling my name. After a good hour, I heard some weird noises.Clank!Who was in my house? I jumped out of the bath, threw on my robe, and grabbed my small fire poker, which was the only thing around, and slowly headed to the kitchen.
“I’ve called 9-1-1. The police are on the way. You better leave!” I yelled frantically.
“You don’t want to eat first?” a man’s voice replied.
I knew that voice. I veered around the corner, and it was him, standing in my kitchen with his dress shirt sleeves rolled up while cooking me dinner. When did he get back?
“Oh my God, you scared the living daylights out of me. You could have come and told me you were here.”
“Well, I didn’t want to interrupt you. I figured that I’d just announce my presence when I heard you come out of the bathroom, but I never heard you come out,” he said sweetly, clearly feeling bad for scaring the bejesus out of me.
I couldn’t be mad at him. He was just trying to surprise me. “So, whatcha cooking?”
“Nothing special. Chicken breast and fresh green beans. Something simple,” he responded with a smile.
I stood around the kitchen watching him cook, wishing he’d put on the counter again and do dirty things to me.
I heard a knock at my door but wasn’t expecting company.
“Hey honey,” my mom said as I opened the door.Holy crap. My parents? What the hell were they doing here? I hadn’t seen them in years. I opened the door to let them in so they weren’t awkwardly standing in my doorway.
“Hi, guys. What a lovely surprise. You didn’t call.”
“Well, we didn’t know we would be stopping by. We were in town and decided to stop and see you,” my mom stated.
I had never been close with my mother. She just didn’t have any maternal instinct. Not one bone in her body. She never really showed or told me she loved me. She preferred my brother, Kevin. I was close to my dad. He was still there for me. I spoke to him at least once a week, but Alexander never came up in casual conversation.
Oh crap, he was in my kitchen. My stomach sunk. “Hey, it’s almost ready,” Alexander yelled.
“Who’s that?” my mom asked, peering over my shoulder.
“Oh, I didn’t know we were going to have company,” Alexander said, coming around the corner from the kitchen.