No Answers
The ocean waves wet her bare toes as Ella sat on the sand, staring out at the cresting waves as they broke apart twenty feet in front of her, spilling onto the shore and gently rolling up to greet her before slowly sliding away.
Above her, seagulls called to one another, arching and swirling, their white wings offset against the vivid azure sky, fading into the puffy clouds aloft as they twisted and turned without care. Ella’s mind went back to the little bird that used to visit her window sill and how she had longed to have the sort of freedom wings could bring. Now that she was no longer a prisoner in the attic, she was bound by a different sort of chains, the kind she’d inadvertently put on herself when she’d traded the attic for the tomb.
The answers she sought were not in the ocean waves. Nor were they twirling above her with the floating clouds. Her mind went back to what Rome had mentioned earlier--starting a marketing company. She couldn’t expect him to take that on at the moment. But what if she used his name to get her foot in the door and then created her own business? Would that work?
A thought occurred to her. Perhaps she could take advantage of her own situation. Her tragic passing seemed to have benefited Rome. His social media was full of posts from people offering their condolences still, even all of these months after her passing.
Ella began to consider the possibilities, her head spinning with ideas. She wished she’d brought some paper with her to jot down her ideas, but then she realized she had her phone and could take some notes on that. She opened up her notes app and started thinking through some steps she’d need to take if she decided to go through with starting a business it when she got an alert that she had a new social media message.
She sucked in a deep breath and held it for a moment. The message was from Miranda Bowles, the woman she assumed was Fae Ward’s granddaughter. Letting a stream of hot air out through her mouth, Ella opened the message and began to read.
“Hi, Ms. Grimm. Thanks for reaching out. Yes, Fae Ward is my grandmother, but I’m sad to say there was a break in our family years ago, and I haven’t seen her since I was five or six years old. My father won’t speak of her at all. I have no idea whether or not the paintings you found belong to her, but if they did, consider them part of the property and yours to do with as you will. Our family has no need for them.”
Ella read the message over again, unable to believe what Mrs. Bowles had written. “How tragic,” Ella whispered, lowering her phone and looking up at the same sky represented in so many of Mrs. Ward’s paintings. How could someone disown their family so easily?
The question stung before she even fully formulated the sentence in her mind. Who was she to judge the circumstances of other people’s family problems? She sent a quick message back to Mrs. Bowles thanking her for her time, but she wasn’t going to give up that easily. When she got back to the house, she’d do some more searching to see if she could find Fae Ward herself. If there was no death certificate, that led her to believe the artist was still alive. Mrs. Bowles might not want the paintings, but Fae might.
Deciding she’d had enough time to let her thoughts formulate, Ella stood and dusted the sand off of her jean shorts. She had plenty of work to do if she was going to find the elusive Mrs. Ward and write a business plan for a marketing company built to conceal the fact that the owner and sole proprietor was legally dead, and still become a profitable entity. “No problem,” she muttered as she headed back to the house. “If I can return from the dead, surely I can figure this out….” Ella wasn’t completely confident it was possible, but she knew it was worth trying. A little bit of determination went a long way, and determination was the one supply she wasn’t short on.
* * *
Four hours later, the sound of Rome’s footsteps on the stairs had Ella closing her laptop and stretching her back. “Hello, beautiful,” he said, smiling at her from the end of the hall as he headed over to where she sat by the window. “Did you eat any lunch?”
Ella checked the time and realized it was 2:30. She hadn’t stopped working on her business plan for anything, certainly not to eat lunch. Now that he mentioned it, her stomach was growling. “No, I haven’t.”
“Wanna come down to the kitchen, and I’ll fix you a grilled cheese? I told Lenore we wouldn’t be needing her for the rest of the day, so she went to her sister’s house.”
“Oh, sure,” Ella replied, setting her computer aside. Her eyes could definitely use a break.
“What have you been working on?” he asked, sitting down next to her on a chair that looked exactly the same as the white plush seat she was curled up in.
“A business plan,” she said, giving him a small smile.
Rome’s eyebrows arched and he smiled back at her. “Really? For a marketing business? So… you’re going to take me up on my offer?”
Glad to see she had his approval and encouragement, Ella nodded. “I think so. I mean, I hate to use you as a crutch, but I don’t know how else to get the traction I need--what with my being dead and all.” He chuckled, and she rolled her eyes. “So, I thought maybe I could still do all of the work but just use your name to get established.”
“That sounds like a perfect plan, El.” She could tell by the way he was looking at her that he was proud of what she was doing, even if he didn’t know the details. “I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
“Thank you.” Ella leaned over and kissed him, glad to have such a wonderful man to support her not only in a particularly risky proposition but also to be there with her in all that she did. “How are the lines coming along?” she asked.
“Great. I’m all ready for tomorrow. I just wanna go over them again a few times later to make sure I have them all memorized.”
“I’m so proud of you. You really are amazing.”
“Thank you, Ella. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate having your support. I know this isn’t easy on you, but I promise you, I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you can follow your dreams, too.”
“I know you will.” Ella wrapped her arms around him, and Rome pulled her into her lap, kissing her and reminding her exactly why she’d chosen to be with this man forever.
“Ready for that grilled cheese?” Rome asked her, his stomach rumbling.
“I’m ready.” Ella hopped up, confident that the plan she’d begun was off to a good start and her company would be successful. As they walked down the hallway toward the stairs, her eyes fell on the pull to the attic. She still hadn’t told him about the secrets she’d found, but she would, as soon as she got a chance. She’d also continue her search for F. Ward. The woman had to be out there somewhere, and Ella was determined to find her.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
