Page 105 of Not So Very Sensible

“Sure thing.”

Answering phones was just part of her role here, so that was nothing new.

She refocused on her drawing, a diagram of a Japanese bathhouse for yet another rich person’s garden. Her mind flicked back to a dream of visiting Japan to see the Studio Ghibli museum with someone who claimed equal interest in all things Ghibli. She wondered how he was. Where he was. It was weird, but apart from catching a glimpse of him at his father’s campaign launch on the TV news, there had been nothing. It was almost the same as when Jason had dropped off the face of the planet. Ethan Ferris felt similarly invisible.

At least her heart didn’t feel quite so tangled up in him. Which was just as well, considering he was engaged to another girl. Lord, bless him. Bless them.

She drew in a deep breath and refocused.

Over the next hour, she fielded various phone calls, then, just before lunch, the phone rang again.

“Hello, this is Wellings Landscaping and Associates. Ellie speaking. How may I help?”

Silence thrummed down the phone line for a long moment. Then, “Ellie?”

She startled, dropping the phone, then realised she’d accidentally ended the call.

Oh my goodness. Had she just hallucinated, or had that really been Ethan Ferris on the phone?

It couldn’t have been. She must be going mad. For a moment, she wondered if his sister had set him up for this, to somehow try to get back at Ellie for daring to set her sights on somebody so superior.

Please. She rolled her eyes at herself. As if. Francine Dashwood had likely never thought of her again beyond that day.

The phone rang again. She eyed it like she might a snake.

“Ellie?” Jackson called from across the room. “Are you gonna get that?”

She licked her bottom lip. She should be brave but suddenly didn’t want to be. What if it was him? “Um, would you mind? I need to go to the restroom. Women’s pains.”

As expected, Jackson’s nose wrinkled, as if he didn’t want a reminder of what half the population of the world experienced. He made a “hand it over” gesture, and she did just that.

Then realised she couldn’t sit here and listen, as she’d just lied about being unable to answer. The women’s pain was real. Just in her heart, not somewhere else.

“Wellings Landscaping. This is Jackson.”

She hurried from the room, then lingered just out of sight. She had to know if it was Ethan.

“Sorry, could you repeat that?”

She peeked to see Jackson was frowning.

“Ellie? I’m afraid she’s just stepped out. Can I take a message?”

No, no. She didn’t want to feel obliged to call Ethan back. What would she say to him? How could she pretend she was okay? Obviously, despite all her big talk, she wasn’t.

“Okay, I’ll pass that on.”

She peeked inside again and met Jackson’s surprised gaze. Then waved a hand across her throat in an “end it” gesture.

He shrugged and obeyed, ending the call. “You okay? Did you hear any of that? Some dude named Ethan wants to talk to you, and—”

“I’d really prefer not to talk to him.”

His eyebrows slashed together. “Why? Has he hurt you?”

“I love your protectiveness, but no. Not really. But he’s related to that Francine lady who was a bit twisted, and I asked Nicola if I could be kept away from them.”

“Fair enough. She sounded like she was a little crazy.”