Moving On
Breakfast was delicious, as it always was when Lenore made it. Ella ate way too many blueberry pancakes, paired with the crispiest bacon she’d ever devoured, washing it down with fresh squeezed orange juice. By the time she dropped her fork, there was no way one more bite could’ve slipped past her lips. She leaned back in her chair, one hand on her stomach, watching Rome finish off the last few bites, the look on his face telling her he was just as stuffed as she was.
“Man, now that was a good breakfast,” her husband declared, placing his fork on his plate definitively.
Lenore, who was at the sink, chuckled. “I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I’ll be over to clear the table just as soon as I finish scrubbing this griddle.”
Ella was thankful they had found such kind help. Lenore was wonderful, and for the first time in a long time, she almost felt like she had a mother.
“Well, beautiful, what would you like to do today?” Rome asked her, wiping his hands on his cloth napkin and setting it next to his plate.
“Actually,” Ella began, thinking of her secret in the attic, “there’s something I’d love to show you.”
“Great. What is it?”
Ella opened her mouth to tell him, but his cell phone rang. He held up his finger and pulled the device out of his pocket. Normally, he wouldn’t be so rude, but she knew he was waiting for a call from the director of the movie he was doing with Wynnie, so she stopped talking and let him answer.
“Oh, hey Jackson,” he said with a nod. She smiled at him, and Rome stood, still talking to the director as he headed outside to take the call on the patio where he’d have more privacy, not that he cared if Ella knew his plans. He’d fill her in later.
Sighing despite her understanding, Ella stood, picking up her empty plate and Rome’s, and carrying them to the sink.
“Dear, you don’t have to do that. I’ve got it.” Lenore smiled at her, taking the plates and setting them in the sink. A sympathetic smile brightened her plump face, her cheeks the same rosy shade they always were despite her otherwise pale complexion.
“I know,” Ella said, leaning back against the counter. Her eyes went to Rome on the patio. He was laughing, the grin on his face brighter than she’d seen it in many months.
“And what about you?” Lenore asked, finishing with the griddle and moving on to rinse the breakfast plates before putting them in the dishwasher. “Mr. Verona is going to be making many movies. What are you going to be doing, Mrs. Verona?”
Lenore was one of the only people in the world who knew her true identity. Even most of the security people didn’t know who she was, only that Rome wanted her kept safe and not to ask any questions. They were used to being impersonal, but someone who would be living in their home and caring for them on the level that Lenore was needed to know the truth. Ella trusted her completely.
“Well, I don’t know. My options are sort of limited. I’d considered trying to get another job in marketing. My graphics continue to sell movies even after my death.” Lenore snickered at her phrasing. “But I can’t use my past experience or any of my current portfolio to do it.”
“Could you create some new pieces?” Lenore asked, starting the dishwasher. She took a clean washcloth from the drawer, wet it, and squeeze the extra water out before moving over to the table to wipe it down.
“I guess I could,” Ella said, the thought having crossed her mind before. “It’s just difficult without an assignment. And any identity I give them will be completely made up. If they fact checked my background, they’d see I was lying.”
Lenore made a sound in the back of her throat which showed she disapproved of that. She brought the cloth back over to the sink, dropping in a few collected crumbs, and then rinsed it out, washing the crumbs down the sink. Wringing it out again, she hung it over the faucet and then washed her hands, drying them on the apron she wore around her waist.
Ella watched the whole process, waiting to see if she had any other suggestions. “Well, I’m sure you’ll find something to do, dear,” she finally said. Ella held back another sigh of disappointment. She’d hoped Lenore would have a better idea, something she hadn’t thought of before. Instead, she just had the same message everyone else who knew she was alive seemed to have--you’ll figure it out.
What if she didn’t?
Ella smiled at her anyway as the housekeeper went on about her business. Her eyes flickered to Rome. He was headed back inside, the phone still in his hand, but as he opened the sliding glass door to come into the kitchen, he hung up, still smiling. “Good news?” she asked him.
“Great news. They want to start filming tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Really? You’ve only had the new script for a couple of days.”
“I know. So… I’ve got a lot of work to do. I’m sorry, baby. I know you had something you wanted to show me. Can I take a raincheck?” He was standing in front of her now, his hands on her waist.
“Sure,” she replied. What else could she say? Images of her trying to drag him to the attic against his will came to mind and might’ve made her laugh if she wasn’t slightly upset that she still had nothing to do, and his life was going on as normal--maybe better than normal.
“Thank you, sweetheart.” He kissed the top of her head and then bounded off toward the bedroom where his script lay on his nightstand.
Ella took a few deep breaths. She knew what she was getting into when she’d agreed to all of this, and she truly was happy for Rome. It was just hard not to be slightly jealous that he was moving on with his life, and she was standing still. He’d be busy for the rest of the day, memorizing his lines for the next day, and as long as he was filming, he’d be swamped. She might not even see him most days as he went in early and got home late, especially since they lived so far out of town, where he’d be filming.
Resolved not to let it bother her, Ella decided there was something she could do. Hoping to find some answers to her questions about F. Ward, she headed in to get her laptop and do some work of her own.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
