Unspoken by Lauren Hawkeye

Author:Lauren Hawkeye [Hawkeye, Lauren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Calluna Vulgaris Books
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

The next day Ellie waited for Gabe to show up at the shop, to try to persuade her to see things his way

He did not.

She waited another day. And another one. She bought another can of paint, and finished coloring the walls of the small apartment with glossy baby blue.

The color just made her think of the son that had never gotten a chance to live. It made living in the apartment nearly unbearable.

And yet she stayed, each day finding yet another excuse to put off listing the shop.

Five days after she’d walked away from Gabe, feeling that weighted stare burning into her back, she gave in and called Billy Huggins.

“I’d like you to draw up a bill of sale.” A huff of surprise came from the other end of the line, and Ellie squeezed her eyes shut, praying that the realtor would hurry up before she lost her nerve.

Not like she had any other choice. Gabe had been right about that.

“But you haven’t even listed the property.” In Billy’s voice Ellie heard all of the small town curiosity that made her skin crawl. “How did you find a buyer?”

“Let’s just say that the opportunity fell into my lap.” He began to drone on, about commissions and property taxes and assessing value. Ellie couldn’t have cared less.

She was going to let Gabe win, let him have this small victory so that she could get on with her life and forget that this entire town even existed. Which was what she wanted.

If the thought didn’t sit as solidly as it always had, it was just because of the stress of the last week.

Abruptly, she cut Billy off. “Look, I don’t care about any of this. I just want you to give the bill to Dominic Gabriel, get his money, and give it to me.” Which she would promptly give away. She’d never be able to spend it.

“The sheriff is your buyer?” When Billy spoke, Ellie heard curiosity and a bit of caginess that told her the gossip mongers of Florence had been busy rehashing the doomed love of that wild Kendrick girl and the sheriff’s son so many years ago.

“Yes.” Thoroughly exasperated and not seeing any point in carrying the conversation on any longer, Ellie hung up the phone, wincing as she realized how abrupt she’d been.

“Who cares?” Trying to grasp hold of some tendril of elation—she was free now—Ellie padded away from the hateful blue walls and to the fridge, where she treated herself to one of the six pack of beer that she’d purchased at the liquor store up the street, the one where she’d once bartered with the barely legal cashier on the night shift-- a lackluster groping session in the back alley would net her a six pack of this very beer.

Until she’d met Gabe. She’d loved him too much to ever think of cheating on him. Loved him so much that she’d dreamt about the day they would leave Florence together.

In the end, she’d left by herself.

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