Surprise Friendship

Getting Rome to agree to let her take the car the next day was no easy feat, especially when Ella hadn’t been exactly honest with him when he’d asked where she was going and why. “I just need to go see someone about a business proposition,” she’d explained. He’d arched an eyebrow and stared at her. “I don’t want to tell you all of the details at the moment because it’s nothing solid yet.” She’d shrugged like it didn’t matter, and he’d eventually agreed, even though he wasn’t thrilled about it.
After he left for work via rideshare, Ella had some time to take better pictures of the artwork for Fae. She wanted to leave a little early since she wasn’t familiar with where she was going, and she had no idea how long it might take for the cafe to fix their food. It would’ve been great if she could order ahead and pick it up on the way, but she didn’t see that option online and didn’t want to take a chance with them getting the order wrong if she called.
So about an hour before she was supposed to meet with Fae, Ella grabbed her bag, making sure she had her phone with her, and headed out to Rome’s car, plucking the keys off of the hook by the door as she went.
She’d never driven a sports car before and was a little nervous about how hard it might be to keep from going super fast. Her mind was on that, and how nice it was that Bart had taken care of the car while they were gone and brought it to Rome when they’d moved in, so that she didn’t notice there were footsteps behind her until she was almost to the car.
Realizing she was being followed, Ella whirled around, relieved to see that it was just Charles, one of the many bodyguards Rome had employed to make sure she was always safe. “Oh, God. You scared me,” she said, clutching her chest.
“Sorry about that, Mrs. Verona,” he said, the morning sun gleaming off his polished bald head. She had no idea if Charles knew her true identity or just knew she was the misses. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to meet someone about a business opportunity.” She already had the driver’s door open, but he didn’t look amused or convinced. “Rome knows.”
“Mrs. Verona, I have direct instructions not to let you out of my sight. At all. Ever.”
“What about when I have to go to the bathroom?”
He rolled his eyes. “Let me rephrase. I have direct instructions not to let you leave this house without having you in my sights at all times.”
“What about when I go to the beach?”
“There’s always someone watching you when you’re down there,” he said with a shrug, as if that didn’t violate her privacy.
Ella’s eyebrows arched as she considered what that might mean. “Really?”
“Listen, if you and Mr. Verona have already discussed this, I’m not going to try to stop you from going to meet your friend. But I’m either going with you or following you. Which would you prefer?”
She stared at him with her mouth open for a long while, debating her options. Finally, she realized she was going to be late if she didn’t make up her mind. It was clear Charles wasn’t going to budge. “Well… you see… I haven’t exactly told Rome the God’s honest truth about where I am going. He thinks I’m going to meet someone about a potential business opportunity… but I’m not. Not really.”
Charles twerked an eyebrow at her but didn’t speak.
“I’m really going to meet with a woman who used to live here. I found several of her paintings in the attic. She seems like a lovely woman. I guess… I just wanted to talk to her.” Ella realized then exactly why she was so keen on going to meet Mrs. Ward. “I just wanted someone to talk to.”
Charles nodded. “It’s not my job to judge you, Mrs. V. Nor is it my job to get into your business with your husband. It’s my job to keep you safe. That’s what I intend to do. Now, would you like for me to drive, or would you like to?”
Relieved that Charles wasn’t about to pick up the phone and call Rome, ratting her out before she even had a chance to explain herself, Ella handed over the keys. “You can drive.”
Charles grinned at her and took the keys, but rather than getting in the car, he went around and opened the door for her first. She slid inside, a bit relieved that she wouldn’t have to drive into town by herself. She didn’t know Charles well, but since he seemed to have an idea of who she really was and hadn’t said anything to anyone, she thought she could trust him. Besides, Bart had vetted all of these people quite well, and she was certain she could trust Bart.
He circled around and headed down the driveway, Ella giving him directions to the cafe. “So… do you have a family, Charles?” Ella asked, realizing she might have an opportunity to make a friend before she even arrived at the nursing home.
“I do. My wife, Valerie, and I have been married for twenty-two years. We have a fifteen-year-old daughter, Kaylee, and a thirteen-year-old son, Calvin.”
“That’s great,” Ella said, smiling. He didn’t volunteer any more information, so she started asking him questions, realizing just how starved for conversation she truly was. Not that Rome wasn’t wonderful to talk to. But he’d been so busy, working long hours, always rehearsing his lines. It seemed like she really didn’t get much of a chance to talk to him lately. Lenore was always nice to talk to, but she was busy, and Ella didn’t like to interrupt her work by asking her more than a few questions at a time.
When they reached the cafe, Ella had already learned quite a bit about the bodyguard, including the fact that he used to play defensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins. He stayed in the car while she ran inside to get them all some lunch, including him. Ella had a smile on her face for the first time in a while and wasn’t even concerned about anyone recognizing her, though she thought perhaps she should be, once she walked inside and dozens of eyes were on her.
If anyone thought she looked familiar, there was no obvious sign. Her hair still looked different, she was wearing colored contacts, and her skin was still quite tan. She went to the counter and ordered Fae’s favorite, as well as something for herself and Charles, even though he wouldn’t tell her what he liked because he didn’t want her to bother with getting him anything. It took about fifteen minutes, but when Ella had her order, she felt that she had plenty of time to get to Fae’s before the scheduled meeting.
Back in the car, Ella punched the address of the facility into the nav on her phone, and Charles headed out, noting, “I see three lunches.”
Ella smiled at him. “Well, I couldn’t let you starve. I hope you like hot ham and cheese. And freshly made potato chips. And pasta salad.”
Charles smiled, though his eyes didn’t stray from the road. “You didn’t have to do that, Mrs. Verona.”
“I wanted to.” She patted him on the arm. “It was the least I could do. It can’t be easy for you, being away from your family so much while Rome is working.”
“There are a lot of security guards on our team. We have shifts. It’s not so bad.” He shrugged as he pulled back onto the highway, like it was no big deal.
“Still… I know how much each of you does. Even if I don’t always see you sneaking up behind me.” He chuckled. “And I appreciate it.” Ella realized she was starved for people to talk to, but only because she hadn’t made an effort to get to know the people at her own house. Perhaps part of it was because she was used to being treated poorly by the help. Her parents’ servants had treated her as if she were beneath them, after all. But this was different, and she needed to remember that.
“You know, you’re a nice lady, Mrs. V. I’m glad I got a chance to talk to you.”
Charles seemed surprised. Ella knew that her timidity could sometimes come across as being too full of herself. “Thanks,” she said, patting his arm again. “I’m glad you came along.”
With a grin, Charles continued down the road, and Ella turned on the radio, thankful that she’d made at least one new friend that day. Maybe she’d end up making another one in Mrs. Ward. She hoped so. Something told her that the artist was wise beyond her years, and Ella could use a little wisdom about now.