Chapter Twenty-Six
Mike stood in the kitchen of his parent’s house scrubbing dishes. He watched out the window as Ellie sat with his aunts and uncles, smiling and laughing with them.
It felt good that she could get along with his family. Even his mother had warmed up after both desserts had disappeared.
“Your Ellie seems to be charming everyone,” his dad said behind him.
“She’s great, isn’t she?”
“She’s a sweet girl.” The way his dad said it let Mike know there was a but coming. “You two seem to be in two totally different places in life.”
“What do you mean?” Mike asked.
“Well, you have a business, a home, and you know what you want. Sounds to me as though she hasn’t figured out anything for herself yet.”
“And?”
“I just don’t want you to waste your time waiting on someone who might be looking at a different future than what you imagine for yourself.”
“Did mom put you up to this?” Mike asked.
“Your mother has her faults, but she doesn’t make me do anything. I am worried about you putting your life on hold to make it work with this girl and being disappointed.”
Mike grabbed a towel to dry his hands, irritated. “Like you said, I’m a grown man. I know my own mind and I want Ellie. She’s what I see when I think of the future.”
“Maybe so, son. But does she see you?”
Mike thought about what his dad said the whole was back to Ellie’s place. When he pulled into her driveway and parked, Mike didn’t say anything.
“I liked your family. I get that your mom didn’t want me to bring anything, but I think we hit it off.”
“Yeah, they all loved you,” he said.
Ellie leaned across the seat and kissed him. “Do you want to come in and enjoy some alone time? Jenny is crashing at Dalton’s tonight, so we have the whole place to ourselves.”
Mike pushed away the doubts and heavy thoughts and smiled. “Sure, sounds good.”
Ellie could tell Mie was distracted and it made her insecure about his family. Had someone told him they didn’t like her? She didn’t feel comfortable asking him specifics but…
She stopped in the middle of the walkway and turned to face him in the porch light.
“What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?’
“You’re acting funny, lie you’re upset with me.”
He shook his head. “I’m not.”
“Are you sure? You’re usually so honest with me.”
He dropped her hand and shoved his into his pockets. “Okay. I will admit, I’m a little unsure of where we are.”
“Where we are in what?”
“This relationship. Are we exclusive? Is this a fling? Are you my girlfriend? Is this just convenient?”
“I only want to date you,” she said.
“Fine, but what about the future? Do you know what you want?”
“Do we really need to talk about this now?”
“I can tell you what I want. I want a successful business. I want to get married. And I want to have kids. What about you?”
Ellie couldn’t believe this was happening now, on her doorstep. It was freaking her out.
“I don’t know what I want to do for a career yet, but I will probably get married someday. Have children if it feels right.”
“And love? What about love Ellie.”
Ellie’s throat tightened and her voice came out hoarse. “Why can’t we just have fun? Just support me while I figure things out instead of pushing me like this?”
“I’ll support you, as long as you are willing to give me what I need.”
“What is it you need, Mike? Babies? A homemaker?” Ellie laughed. “Don’t you think it’s just a little too early for all this?”
“Those are goals, Ellie, not what I need. I need someone to love me.”
“Again, it’s early to drop those three words.”
“Not for me. I love you, Ellie. I see my future and you’re the central, shining part of it.”
“I…I…” Why couldn’t she say anything?
Mike sighed. “Maybe you were right. If we don’t have the same goals for the future, we might as well call it now.”
As he turned away, she demanded, “Wait, where are you going?”
He stopped at the car door and looked at her intensely. “I think we need to take some time and imagine our futures, whether they’re together or separate. I’ll be in touch.”
Mike climbed into the car and a hollow feeling swept over Ellie. Everything she’d said to Mike had been true, but it felt as if someone had shredded her insides with razor-sharp claws. As she sank into the chair and considered his words, without Mike, the future just looked blank.
“Ellie? Come back from the land of the gnomes,” Caroline said, waving her hand in front of Ellie’s face.
Ellie blinked a few times, before smiling apologetically. “Sorry, I was just thinking.”
“About a certain hottie whose name starts with M? Seriously, why don’t you just call him and put yourselves out of this misery?”
Ellie glanced toward the counter of The Local Bean, where Gracie was working at the espresso machine and giving her the stink eye whenever she caught Ellie looking. Since her fallout with Mike, Ellie had filed a restraining order against Forrest, although he’d been pretty much MIA anyway since moving to Pocatello.
Ellie jumped as an idea shot through her and she stumbled to her feet. “Hey, I’ve got to go, okay? I’ll call you later.”
Walking away before Caroline could reply, Ellie asked Gracie, “Hey, Gracie, do you have a small tablet and pencil?”
Frowning, Gracie squatted down and seemed to be looking through drawers until she stood up with a pink notebook and a pencil. “Will this work?”
“Perfect, thanks.” Before she left, she stopped and added, “By the way, I’m going to fix it.”
Gracie paused, and then a small smile tilted her lips up at the corners. “Well, let me know when you do.”