Bachelor Untamed - Brenda Jackson [64]
She had just taken the milk out of the refrigerator for her cereal when the house phone rang. She lifted a brow, wondering who would be calling this early on a Monday morning. Most people she knew called her on her cell phone, which meant the caller was probably one of those telemarketers. She decided not to pick it up, but changed her mind, thinking it could possibly be her parents.
“Hello?”
“Is Mable Weston there?”
Ellie frowned. Most people who knew her aunt were aware she’d passed away. “May I ask who’s calling?”
“Yes, this is Lauren Poole.”
It didn’t take long for Ellie to recall the name, and she leaned back against the refrigerator in surprise, quickly remembering that the last time her back had been against the refrigerator Uriel had pinned her there.
“Hello. Are you there?”
The woman’s voice pulled her thoughts back to the conversation and the realization of just who Lauren Poole was. “Yes, I’m here.”
“May I speak with Mable please?”
Ellie gnawed nervously on her bottom lip before saying, “Sorry, she’s resting.” She breathed in deeply, while thinking that it wasn’t really a complete lie. “This is her niece, Ellie Weston. Is there something I can help you with?”
“Oh, yes, her niece. Mable speaks of you often. She simply adores you.”
“Thanks. And I adore her as well. Is there a message you’d like to leave? I’ll be happy to make sure she gets it.” Now that, Ellie thought, was a lie.
“I just wanted to let her know that the Vandellas Publishing Company was sold to another company, but the buyout changes nothing, as it relates to her contract. She still has until the end of the year to turn in the manuscript, and the release date for the book is still July of next year.”
Ellie nodded her head, thinking that was good to hear. “I appreciate you calling and will make sure she gets your message.”
“Thank you. I’m looking forward to receiving the finished manuscript, and so is her editor at Vandellas. We all thought it was a beautiful romance, and we’re eager to get more stories by Flame Elbam.”
Ellie drew in a deep breath. Now was the perfect time to tell Lauren Poole that her aunt had died, and that there was no way Aunt Mable, aka Flame Elbam, would supply them with more manuscripts. “Ms. Poole.”
“Yes?”
Ellie opened her mouth to tell the woman the truth, but closed it when she recalled the words her aunt had written in the letter Mr. Altman had given to her. Although the publishing company and Ms. Poole probably wouldn’t think so, Ellie believed she was doing the right thing by completing her aunt’s novel.
“Yes, Miss Weston?”
“Nothing. I’ll give Aunt Mable the message.”
“Thank you.”
After the phone conversation ended, Ellie drew in a deep breath and then slowly released it. She was doing what her aunt would have wanted. And she knew that, in addition to Uriel’s inspiration, her aunt was inspiring her as well. There was no way she could have gotten into the characters so deeply over the past three weeks without her aunt’s divine intervention. So she truly believed she was finishing the manuscript with her aunt’s blessing.
But what about Uriel’s?
Ellie went over to the table and sat down. He had only inspired her because she loved him. To him, this summer fling may have been about nothing but sex, but to her it had been so much more. Every time he had touched her, she fell deeper and deeper in love with him, and she knew that the day he left to return to Charlotte would be the hardest day of her life.
But she wanted him to leave knowing the truth. Although the past three weeks were nothing but an affair for him, she wanted him to know that for her it had meant something more.
Chapter 17
Uriel lay in bed and stared up at the ceiling. In four days he would be leaving