Fresh air was a welcome greeting as Rome lifted his face to the sky and took in a few whiffs of the LA street. Fresh might’ve been an exaggeration, but at least the heavy floral perfume his mother wore and his father’s pungent cologne, along with the stifling weight of the conversation he’d just left, were behind him now. Bart hurried him toward the parking garage, neither of them speaking, which Rome thought was for the best since they had no idea if any of the people they were passing on the street were his father’s associates.
And there was
Headlights shown through the window. Ella leaped up off of the sofa and ran over to the window to watch a sedan come up the lane. It wasn’t Bart’s vehicle, but then, he’d mentioned on the phone they’d switched cars. She held her breath, hoping this was Rome returned home and not trouble brewing.When she saw her husband step out of the passenger side, a flood of relief washed over her. Bart got out, too, though he didn’t step away from the open door. Ella couldn’t contain herself anymore and went out to greet him, flying past the se
Sleeping should’ve been easier since Rome had spoken to his parents and gotten a few things settled, but Ella had had a hard time of it and was up with the first rays of light pouring in through the bedroom window. A glance at her sleeping husband told her that she wouldn’t disturb him if she crept out of bed, so she did, stopping by the closet for a change of clothes on the way to the bathroom.Even the shower didn’t wake him. When she went back by a half hour later, he was still out cold. She smiled at how handsome he was, sleeping with one arm tuc
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
The first bit of information she needed had been found rather quickly, once Ella settled into a seat by a large window in the hall upstairs. She had her feet up on the matching chair, her computer open on her lap, a view of the sea out the window not enough to distract her from her search.She’d learned quickly that Rome had purchased the house from a couple with the last name of Brand. While she’d been able to find the seller’s name online, the buyer was undisclosed in most places she found and listed under Rome’s lawyer’s name elsewhere
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
Days of searching online and getting nowhere brought Ella right back to the place where the adventure had begun, the attic. Rome was on set, so she was in the house alone, save the security guards and Lenore who was in the kitchen humming as she prepared to drop a stew into the crockpot for dinner. Ella stood at the top of the ladder looking around at all of the paintings, trying to imagine F. Ward here painting. Why had she left these behind?She decided to do an inventory of the paintings here. Maybe that would give her some clues. Pulling out her cell phone, Ella m
The call came a couple of days later. It was no surprise that Ella was alone when her phone rang, the unknown number alarming her. Since Rome’s movie production had kicked into high gear, she was alone most of the time, unless she was with Lenore. She’d been spending a lot of time on the beach, just sticking her toes in the waves or sitting on the sand. That was where she was when her phone chimed in her pocket, letting her know that someone wanted to speak to her.“Hello?” Ella said, caution filling her voice. Even though the chances that it w
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.