Ellie realized that she probably sounded like a little girl going on about Morgan to her teacher, but for some reason, she felt that the teacher didn't care either way. He was kind to her but it was all just student and class related. She wanted to remain friendly as she could toward him as he held the key to her education at the moment. They had a bad time of it when she first started class, but she was hoping that now, they could get along better.
“Order up!” the cook called out.
She wished it wasn’t so busy but she was the only trained barista there for this shift. Later, she’d have a talk with Joanna about training someone else, so there could be two baristas on every shift.
At least he had offered her a way to improve her grade. Possibly because he knew about her situation with the scholarship. Ellie took the plate out to him and set it in front of him. “Enjoy,” she said and topped off his coffee.
Hillborn regarded her from behind his glasses and set his newspaper down on the stool beside him. “Thank you, Miss White.” He cut into his over easy eggs, and didn’t bother to look up at her again while he ate.
Ellie retreated to the other end of the bar where the coffee station was. The diner was just getting the early lunch rush.
She glanced at him every now and again, but only so that she could better guess when he was almost finished. He still hadn’t paid and there was a certain time that a server should take the customer his check, and this was it.
She approached him again, after she saw him put his fork down. “Can I get you anything else?”
“Yes, the check, please,” Hillborn responded.
Ellie held it up, already in her hand, and laid it on the counter after she cleared his plate. She turned to carry the plate off the dish room when Hillborn called her back.
“So, I can expect you Monday for class?”
“Yes,” she replied and nodded with a smile.
“Good,” he said. He picked up his paper and placed a twenty on the counter. “Keep the change.”
Ellie held her smile until he was away from the bar, then exhaled. She finished carrying the plate to the back before going to retrieve the money and ticket on the counter. Well, he’d left her a decent tip. Nearly ten dollars after she paid the ticket.
It would be all weekend until the class. In the meantime, she had Morgan to look forward to, so she wasn’t going to ruin it by thinking about her grade so much. She knew she could do this…she would make it. She’d come too far already. Well, maybe not all on her own, she had a lot of help from Morgan. Still, there were things she needed to do to hold her end up.
She thought about her old apartment and her dreary life before the fire happened. She knew that no matter how complicated her relationship with Morgan was, it had enriched her life in so many ways. Her cheeks heated. Yes, his body, that smile, the way he moves. Yum. Ellie still wanted him, every minute of every new day. Her smile widened as the next customer stepped up for a coffee.
Morgan was in deep thought when his best friend and General Manager overseeing the Helix Operation, Chance Givens, tapped on the door to his brand new office at Helix Corp. After he announced himself, Morgan gave him entry.
Chance was good looking and he knew it. Some women had even compared the two of them and had a hard time choosing which one to date. They were boyhood friends on into college. They had sort of a competitor relationship, but Chance had been instrumental in getting Morgan to see how he felt about Ellie and he’d been the one to drive him back to the woman he loved. Albeit he’d said, he would go get her and have her for himself. Yet, Morgan knew he had used this line to make him see some sense and go get her.
Tall and well built framed in a dark blue suit and dark hair. Chance walked through a sleek, Asian-style, cherry wood door and approached Morgan.
“Chance,” he greeted from behind his huge mahogany desk, actively pushing his earlier conversation with Ellie out of his mind for now.
“Morgan,” Chance returned in his usual amused tone. “I see that you approve of the office. I’m glad you took this job. I bet you are too. How is that little Ellie?” His eyes twinkled. “Such a sweet girl who deserves better than you.” He chuckled. “I heard you closed on that house, too. I’m impressed. I can’t wait to see her again. Gotta make sure you’re treating her right.”
Morgan eyes flashed with sudden warning.
Chance tilted his head back and laughed. “Dammit man! You’re too easy to tease these days. Especially when it comes to Miss White, I see. So, how do you like the office here?” He switched subjects rather smoothly as was his way.
Morgan scowled. “The office is great. I especially like the Asian theme. But I didn’t request to have my own office here.” He glared at Chance. “And how Miss White is doing, is really none of your business. On the other subject…You’re the man in charge here.”
Chance being the astute man he was made no further comment on Miss White as he replied, “Well, you will be overseeing me and my handling of this new acquisition. It might take more than just a few days, or weeks to truly evaluate my work. I wouldn’t want a lack of work space to affect your perception of how I’m doing here.”
Sometimes Chance was too honest, Morgan thought as he considered the brutal perception his friend had of him. Yes, he joked but often, his true thoughts were revealed in doing so. “Fair enough.” And he decided that this was more than enough reason to want to leave the office for the day. It was Friday, after all. Ellie would be waiting. Making his intention to leave known, he walked around his desk to grab his coat from the sleek dark mahogany coat rack by the door.
“You leaving?” Chance asked glancing at his gold Rolex.
“It’s four P. M. Friday. A time to get out of work and play. Why are you still here?” Morgan asked as he slipped on his suit jacket and over coat, then headed towards the door.
“Well, the way I see it, this is my opportunity to impress you. I can only do that if I am here, working.”
Glad to catch the glimmer in Chance’s eyes, Morgan shrugged and said, “Well, I’m more than happy to let you. I, on the other hand, have more important things to do. I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Actually, you won’t. I guess you haven’t read your email today. You’re due back in New York tomorrow afternoon for that charity ball that the mayor is throwing. You’re one of the guest speakers. Can’t miss that.”
Morgan paused, hating that fact that he was well aware of the event but he’d hoped that he could feign forgetfulness and send a hefty donation in lieu of his absence. However, now that Chance brought it up, he couldn’t do that without completely looking like he was whipped. “Yes, that’s right. You know, I was actually planning on making a brief appearance, dropping a load of cash, and coming straight back, so I could be here bright and early Monday morning, just for you, Chance.”
He gave Chance a mock sign-off and walk out the door. He could hear the man chuckling from behind him.
Dammit, he had to go back to New York now, which meant that he had to cram everything that he planned on doing tomorrow into the next few hours. While Ellie was on his mind, it wasn’t her that he was in a hurry to see. He had to meet the general contractor he’d just hired to make a few customizations at the house he now owned. He couldn’t wait to tell Ellie that he planned on staying in Philadelphia more from now on. He couldn’t wait to tell her why, but that would come later.