There was a slight lull in the conversation as his brothers waited for Maverick to greet her, as well. Thanks to a tight chest and constricted throat, the most he could manage was a brief nod as he croaked, “Ella.”
“Hi, Maverick.” Her voice was just as he remembered, melodic and sweet. Though right now, it sounded a bit thin, as she was obviously nervous.
“What brings you back to Gracemont?” Everett asked, when neither Maverick nor Ella bothered to make any attempt at catching up with each other.
Maverick tried to take a deep breath…because as the shock began to wear off, the first emotion to surface was anger.
And because that was an easier one to deal with than pain, he nurtured it and let it take root.
“Edith found her online,” Gretchen explained. “We’ve been reading Ella’s romance novels the past couple of months because they areincredible!”
Ella blushed at the compliment.
“And Edith being Edith,” Gretchen continued, “she pulled out her cellphone and googled Ella’s pen name, mainly because we were trying to decide which of her books to read next.”
“The Google search led her to Ella’s website,” Theo said, taking up the story. “And Edith recognized her from her author photo.”
Ella decided to hop in. “I was shocked when Edith emailed me out of the blue.”
“I’m surprised she remembered you so well. That was, what? Fifteen years ago?” Jace observed.
“My family rented a house from her just off Main Street when we lived here. She welcomed us to town the day after we movedin, armed with a huge loaf of homemade sourdough bread and an apple pie.”
Theo hummed. “Edith makes the world’s greatest apple pie.”
Ella nodded in agreement. “She was very nice to us. Always stopping by to make sure we had what we needed, bringing treats. She even sent my sister, Martha, and I birthday cards with a little bit of money in them when we lived here.”
“That’s just like Edith. Always so kind.” Gretchen was probably Edith Millholland’s number one fan in Gracemont, which was saying something, considering everyone in town loved the old woman. Edith had taken Gretchen in following her escape from an abusive relationship. Gretchen had called Edith—and Theo—her saviors on countless occasions since last autumn.
Ella toyed with the napkin-wrapped silverware. “After that initial email, we corresponded for a month or so, then she asked me to come to Gracemont for a visit and to attend one of her romance book club meetings.”
“We’re so excited to be able to discuss the book with the actual author,” Gretchen gushed. “How cool is that?”
“You’re a romance writer?” Maverick asked, doing a shitty job masking the anger in his tone. Because what the hell didsheknow about romance?
His question had come out hostile enough that Theo glanced in his direction, frowning.
Ella nodded, seemingly less disturbed by his scowl and crossed arms than his confused brothers. No doubt she expected animosity from him.
She’d broken his heart with a letter—not even having the dignity to dump him in person—then she and her family moved away.
No phone calls. No attempted contact. No explanation that made a damn bit of sense to him.
Just deafening silence.
“I didn’t start out that way,” she said softly. “I majored in journalism in college, but I’ve become somewhat disillusioned by the world of media these days. I had the misfortune to work for a local news station where the headlines were driven by the sponsors more than the facts, bias the name of the game. I figured if I was going to write fiction for a living, it might as well be in a genre that I enjoyed. Started my first book in the evenings after putting in my hours at the evil day job. Once that first book was finished, I did a little research—hired a cover artist and an editor—then self-published it. After that, I started the next, and the next, and the next. Before I knew it, I’d built a career out of writing. I quit working at the station a few years ago.”
While she’d been answering Maverick’s question, she hadn’t looked at him once as she spoke, telling the story to everyone else at the table instead.
“I’m glad the journalism didn’t pan out,” Gretchen said, fanning herself playfully. “Because you were meant to write romance novels.”
Jace chuckled. “Am I to assume these are spicy books?”
Gretchen blushed again as Theo grasped Jace’s shoulder, giving it a friendly squeeze. “Let’s just put it this way, bro. When I see Gretchen reading a Grace Decker book, I know to grab a shower before bed because chances are good, I’m getting lucky.”
Gretchen slapped Theo on the arm, giggling. “Theo!”
Everyone—with the exception of Maverick and Ella—laughed. Ella smiled slightly, but when her gaze darted in his direction, he could see that he was making her uncomfortable.