ball back towards me, and I strike it hard.
“The purpose of bringing her into your life was so she could make you feel less grumpy, right? But you’re even more broody now than you were before she started working with you.”
I glare at Jay, letting the ball fly right past me when he smacks it at me.
“For the first time in my life, I feel like I might actually have a shot at finding out what really happened to my parents and the rest of my family. She is helping me do this. I don’t want to ruin it.”
Jay nods, but I know he’s not satisfied with my answer.
“Well, man, I hope you get what you want and what you need. I hope those two things are the same for you.”
“Can we drop the philosophy and just play?” I snap, and I mean it. Things are pretty complicated in my life as is. I don’t need Jay to remind me of that.
It’s been exactly two days since I last saw Ella, when we kissed and I missed another opportunity to have her. I could give up now and just write it off as a sexual pursuit gone wrong, but there is something about her that keeps drawing me in.
I am patient with her. I’m trying to give her time. I know she can feel the magnetism between us, just like I do. Very soon, she’s going to come to me herself. She won’t be able to stay away too long.
I’ve tried to stay out of the house during the hours I know she will be home. So I’ve been leaving early and returning home late. Today I spent a whole lot of time in the gym, and I figured it was safe for me to come home, but I see Ella’s car in my driveway.
I call out for Tom when I enter the house and then remember that he emailed me earlier saying he was going to be at the office if I needed him for anything.
I can’t see Missy anywhere either, but I know Ella is working in her office. I decide to make a smoothie in the kitchen. I don’t want to pounce on her the first opportunity we get to be alone together. When the blender goes on, she hears it and comes into the kitchen.
Maybe she expected Missy to be here, but she doesn’t look disappointed.
Ella is dressed casually today. Baggy stressed jeans and a loose t-shirt with an edge she’s tied in a knot. She has her hair down, just some pinkish lip gloss.
“Hi! I wasn’t sure when I’d get to see you again,” she says.
“Smoothie?” I offer, and she shrugs. So I pour some into a small glass for her to try it.
“I will totally understand if you tell me you’ve been avoiding me after everything that happened.”
I take a large gulp of my smoothie and look up at Ella’s beautifully shining face. She’s trying to study my body language.
“Yes, you’re right. I have been avoiding you, but not because of what happened between us. I just want to give you the time you need to get your work done.”
A soft smile grazes her lips.
“Well, Reed, I’m sorry I brought it up the last time. You were right about everything. I found your dad’s death certificate.”
I drink some more of the smoothie. Do I want to hear this? I’m trying to avoid her looking directly at me.
“I also saw that his brother identified him. He was here, in Chicago, at the time, and maybe he identified your mother too.”
“My father had a brother?” I ask, a little stupefied. I’d always just assumed there was no other family.
“Yes, his name is Matthew Silvers. Do you want me to track him down? I haven’t started looking into him or his life. I wanted to ask you for permission first.”
“He’s alive? Where does he live?”
“I don’t know. I’ll start looking tomorrow if that is what you want.”
“Yeah, I want to know why that man would abandon a baby, his own nephew, and let him get sucked into the system.”
She’s staring at me with her big hazel eyes. I can see she’s trying to come up with an appropriate response.
“Maybe we’ll get the full picture once you actually have a chance to talk to him.”
I look away. I’m mad. Not at her, but at the world. At my dad and his family. How could they not care?
I sit down at the counter with my glass of smoothie. Ella