Fallen for Her (2 page)

Ella took the phone and scrutinized the photo. He
was
kind of cute, although she didn’t want to admit it. She liked his dark hair and his Italian features. There was something about him. He had intriguing eyes.  And, a little bit of scruff.  He was manly, but very soft spoken on the phone. She handed the phone back to Cassie but couldn’t keep her thoughts to herself, “I wonder how old he is or if he’s married.”

Cassie scrolled through the website, “Ah, here’s his bio. He’s 32 and a native New Yorker.  Graduated from NYU.  He’s the
new
guy in the firm and the youngest.  An associate attorney, that’s the bottom of the ladder.  Probably no one else wanted to come to Maine, the outback, the wilderness, the edge of civilization, so they got this guy to do it.  He probably drew the short straw.”

Ella laughed. Cassie was probably right. She doubted anyone would want to travel to Maine to talk about her father’s trust. There had to be more exciting things to do in New York City.

Breakfast was eaten and Cassie moved on to other subjects, entertaining Ella.  She even made her laugh a couple of times.  But the photograph of Ray Adriano stayed in Ella’s mind.  She figured he was probably married with young children.  He looked like the type.  Then Ella dismissed any thoughts regarding Ray Adriano’s personal life.  Even if he was single, it wouldn’t matter, because she wasn’t, technically.  She was living with Bob. 

Her father set her up with Bob nearly two years ago.  A graduate of Harvard Business School, John Wakefield played golf with Bob at the country club and arranged for Ella to meet him.  Not wanting to disappoint her father, Ella went to dinner with Bob.  Tanned and ruggedly handsome with blue eyes and blonde hair, Bob was the perfect gentleman on the first date.  But by the second and third date he was kissing Ella and taking up inordinate amounts of her time with constant phone calls and invitations to dinners, movies, and even an overnight visit to an exclusive resort on the coast of Maine.  That was when he stopped being a gentleman. 

She didn’t want to think about Bob at this moment.  Her time was taken up sorting through her father’s personal belongings.  Last night she finally got up the nerve to go through his jewelry and clothing.  She ended up sobbing in her bedroom, unable to continue.  She wished Bob had been there to comfort her, but he wasn’t.  That was the cold hard fact.

~ Ray ~

Some of the guys at the law firm got a big kick out of his upcoming adventure to the Maine wilderness. Let them laugh, Ray smiled. They’re the suckers who have to fight the weekend traffic in the city and do boring things like errands and laundry. He was leaving the office early on a Friday to hop on a train heading North to some quiet and solitude. He packed an overnight bag and tossed in his shaving cream and razor thinking he
might
use them when he got there. He hurried because he was on the cab’s clock sitting in front of his apartment.  But the firm was paying, so what the hell.  He found a bottle of Bottega Veneta and tossed it into his bag.  The salesgirl who sold it to him at Nordstrom’s said it would drive women wild.  He hadn’t experienced that so far.

The train was departing late afternoon. He added a few snacks to his bag and ran down the stairs.  He asked the driver to drop him at Penn station.  While in the car, out of curiosity, he Googled the name Ella Wakefield, and sure enough she had a Facebook page.
She looked nothing like what he had imagined
. She was an attractive brunette, 28 years of age, and definitely either married or taken. Her boyfriend or husband was in almost every photo on her page. There were no pictures of children, so he assumed she had none. There was one photo of Ella alone and he examined it. She had dark hair, beautiful hazel eyes and full lips. He smiled to himself as he became slightly attracted to a Facebook photo. Then he clicked the friend request at the top and within a minute she responded.

He popped up the chat window and asked her if she was all set for the meeting tomorrow morning. His heart pounded as he waited for her to answer him. In a few minutes the chat window shot back an answer.
Yes, can’t wait to meet you.
He wondered if she really meant that. He messaged her back giving her the information about the bed and breakfast. She came back with a response,
I’ll pick you up and drive you to breakfast.
He didn’t expect that. So, awkwardly, he wrote back to her saying,
Thank you, I’ll look for you at 9:00
.

Like clockwork, on Friday nights New York City experienced a mass exodus. For once, Ray wasn’t staying behind.  He was one of the escapees leaving the city for a different landscape. Anyone who could get out of the city, did so, every weekend if possible. Some had second homes in the Hamptons or upstate.  Getting into the cab at 2:30 PM to escape was a pleasant feeling.  He tipped the cab driver and stepped onto the train.  Good, he was early and could sit near the front.  He had no idea why he wanted to sit there, but had read it was the safest place to be if there was an accident. Then, stopped himself for thinking such things.

He tapped his iPad and brought up Ella’s Facebook page again. She was lit up on the sidebar, so he sent a private message to her.
I’m on the train heading north. I’ve never been to Maine, so please bear with me.
After he hit send, he thought how stupid that probably sounded. She’s going to think I’m some sort of nut. Someone who has never left my little one-room pad in New York.

But to his surprise, Ella answered him back,
I’d love to show you around. You will have all weekend, right?
She seemed so friendly. She had never met him before, yet she was offering to show him around. He messaged her back,
Thank you, I’ll take you up on that!

The rest of the six hour train ride was pleasant. Ray spent what was left of the daylight hours watching the rural scenery move by.  At times he caught a glimpse of the coastline of Massachusetts. He kept the Facebook chat for Ella open and messaged her a few times. He figured it couldn’t hurt to ask a few more general questions.
Can we tour your father’s properties tomorrow? Will you have time for that?
He waited for her answer, and it came right away.
Yes, although one property is a four-hour drive north. It’s a remote fishing cabin on a pond.
Ray answered: 
If you’d like, I will put that into the schedule for Sunday. I can stay Monday and go back on the night train. I am flexible.
  Ella responded,
Might be a good idea. Saturday will be taken up with the properties here in Portland.  Sunday would be a long day if we drive up to the cottage and return; it would be eight hours of just driving.  Suggest we stay overnight up there.
  Wait, did he read that right? --- She wanted him to stay until Monday!

Ray took great pleasure in texting his boss, Ted Stephens, to let him know he’d be an extra day in Maine.  Ha!  That would surely piss him off, but he didn’t care.  He sensed it was important to handle an estate settlement with great empathy, and that’s what he wrote in the text to Stephens.  His job was not only to explain disbursement of assets, but to comfort the grieving daughter.

It was after 9 PM when the train pulled into Portland Maine and Ray was yawning. He took a cab to the charming bed and breakfast on the edge of town. Perched on a hill with an ocean view, The Harbor House was a beautiful old Victorian painted green and purple with a gingerbread porch. The innkeeper, a pleasant white-haired man named Perkins, answered the door. He looked like he just woke from a nap, “Welcome to The Harbor House, come in Mr. Adriano.  Do you have any bags?”

“Just this one,” Ray answered.  The innkeeper had Ray sign the book on the counter and led him to his room on the second floor. “If you need anything, just text us.”

“Anyplace around here where I can get a sandwich?” Ray asked. “I missed dinner.”

“Let me get my wife to make you something. Come on down to the dining room in ten minutes or so. We’ll have something for you.” The innkeeper smiled.

He shut the door and Ray’s eyes took in the details of the room. An antique four-poster bed, bureau, and upholstered chair filled most of the space. The floors were original hardwood with a soft wool area rug in the center.  There was a built-in window seat.  He parted the silk curtains and gazed upon the view of Casco Bay and the islands beyond. It was a clear night with good visibility.  But as he looked at the moon, he was thinking of meeting Ella. What would she be like?  He hoped he wouldn’t make a fool of himself.

First things first, he had to test the bed.  Ray let himself fall upon the featherbed mattress and he felt the weight of his six-foot body sink into it. It was a delicious feeling. Instant comfort for his weary bones. Stripping off his clothing, he got into the shower and let the hot water pulse upon his aching back.  Sitting for long periods always bothered him.  He swallowed anti-inflammatory meds, got dressed and headed down to the dining room, debating on whether or not to shave.  He was too tired to contend with it for now.

Mrs. Perkins had kindly made him a fresh roast beef sandwich with horseradish sauce and a big half sour pickle. A tall glass of cold milk filled him up. He polished it off within ten minutes.

“Thank you, I really appreciated that.” Ray smiled at her.

“You’re most welcome, dear.” She smiled back. “Rest well.”

Ray padded up the staircase back to his room and closed the door. He flipped his iPad up and checked Ella’s Facebook page. Aha! The light on the sidebar indicated she was logged in. He sent her a message,
Can’t wait to meet you tomorrow.
  After he sent it, he thought it sounded too forward. He was, after all, there on business – not pleasure. But surprisingly, Ella messaged him back,
I can’t wait to meet you tomorrow. Have a good night.

~ Ella ~

What was she doing messaging a complete stranger on Facebook?  She really couldn’t answer that question. But she’d be meeting him in the morning and would find out all about Mr. Ray Adriano. She found more information about him on-line. He played hockey at NYU, she found photos of him in the archives on their website. His father was a marine. Ray was the oldest of three boys. Hmm, the oldest child was usually the achiever in the family.

She scrutinized the law firm photograph again. He wasn’t all
that
handsome, but he was definitely a good-looking guy.  She noticed a little hint of defiance in his dark eyes.  He had a cute smile, although it was more of a smirk.  She wondered if he was one of those cocky full-of-himself type of hockey players. God, if he was, she wouldn’t be able to stand him.  But he didn’t come off that way on the phone or in the Facebook chat.  She decided to reserve judgment.

Her phone rang and it was Bob.

“Hi honey, whatcha' doin?” he asked nonchalantly.

“I’m watching television, not doing much.” Ella responded flatly.

“Well, I called to let you know this trip is going to stretch out to a week. I’m sorry about that, honey.” Bob didn’t
sound
sorry. He was golfing with clients in San Diego. She imagined he was tanned and eating well, having plenty of fun with his co-workers.

“It’s okay…” Ella sighed, “I’m meeting with an attorney tomorrow about father’s estate.”

“Oh really?” Bob sounded interested for once. “Who’s that?”

“A guy from the law firm in New York,” Ella said.

“Well, I’m sorry I’m not there for you while you’re going through that, honey.” Bob tried to sound sincere.  If only he knew how much she hated to be called honey.

“Hey, I’ve got to go. The gang is waiting to head out.” Bob clicked off. He didn’t say goodnight or I love you or I miss you. He was gone.

Ella wondered sometimes
why
she ever moved in with him. Or was Bob wondering why he ever moved in with her?  It didn’t matter. There was distance between them, even when sitting in the same room.  He never sat next to her or held her hand.  Hell, he never even hugged her any more.  Nearly two years of living together and his constant travel had only served to make them feel more like roommates.  She knew this was the sneak preview of being Bob’s wife. 
Was this what she really wanted? 

She was foolish enough to think her father’s death might make Bob cancel his upcoming trip.  He was, after all, a good friend of her father’s.  But that thought never entered his mind.  She was getting used to being on her own when Bob was away.  Cassie kept her company and her work as a real estate broker kept her busy.  But the old saying wasn’t true: 
busy people were not necessarily happy people
. It seemed the more Ella worked the lonelier she felt.  It wasn’t the typical run-of-the-mill loneliness, but a yearning for something more.  She couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Snuggled into bed she glanced at the clock, it was 11 PM. She imagined Mr. Ray Adriano was tucked into a comfortable bed at The Harbor House.  She closed her eyes and imagined what she should wear tomorrow and decided on something black.  It was going to be difficult to talk about her father with a perfect stranger, but she knew she had to do it.  She hoped Ray Adriano would be a kind and understanding guy, not one of those lawyers who peers at you above their spectacles and makes you feel like an idiot for shedding tears.