Chapter 11

 

FOR the next day or so, Eli was able to avoid discussing moving out easily enough, because Alec didn’t bring it up again. He seemed preoccupied by something, so Eli had time to think. Wednesday afternoon, following two clients and one intense study session for his signing certification, he returned to a seemingly empty house. Alec had planned to go directly from the university to meet up with the Kestrels for training that evening, and from the silence that greeted him, Eli guessed Ilsa was either working late or with Casey somewhere.

He slung his messenger bag off his shoulder and onto the floor, heading for the kitchen in search of food, but paused at the stairs, hearing movement above him.

“Hello?” He heard a muffled response, but he couldn’t make it out. Eli eyed the stairs and considered the possible consequences of attempting them alone. “Fuck it.” He started climbing.

The last time he’d done this alone was to check on Alec’s injuries after a fight with skinheads outside a local club. That night he’d struggled up two flights of stairs, fearing the entire time what he’d find in Alec’s attic room. He thought this time would be easier for several reasons: his goal was only the second floor, to discover who their mystery guest was; and this time he wasn’t motivated by the terror of losing someone.

“Hello?”

“In here!” Ilsa said, stepping out of Tony and Lyle’s former room and greeting him on the second landing. She had a tape measure in one hand and a pencil behind her ear. “What the hell are you doing climbing those stairs on your own?”

He finally reached her and sighed. “Why the bloody hell are you skulking about up here?”

She smiled at him, took his arm and led him back into the room. “I was taking measurements.” She spread her arms and spun around in the center of the room. “I’m thinking about making this my bedroom. It’s so much bigger. Big enough to—” she crossed to the windows facing the front of the house, “—have a little reading area here by the windows.” He shook his head, following her movements as she dashed around. “Or maybe some tall bookshelves here.” Ilsa put her hands on her hips, scrunching her lovely face in concentration. “I’m wondering about the color,” she said, looking around. “I’m thinking something a little less neutral? Maybe a faux treatment.” She looked at Eli and smiled broadly. “What do you think?”

Her enthusiasm had infected him, and he grinned at her. “I think it will look spectacular.”

She flashed a satisfied smile at him before her eyes began to wander over the room, apparently imagining what it might look like soon.

“My momma and daddy had a really nice bedroom,” she said, her hand absently stroking the wall as she looked around. “She used to read to me and my sister there before bedtime.” Ilsa smiled wistfully at him. “I remember climbing into their bed was like trying to climb a mountain. It seemed so tall.” She laughed to herself.

Eli watched her. “You miss them, don’t you?”

Ilsa’s face clouded, and her voice became hard. “Their decision, not mine.” She ran her hand roughly through her tangle of dark brown curls.

“When did you speak to them last?”

“I talked to Sissy a couple of months ago. She’d like to visit, but she’s afraid of what Momma and Daddy will say.” Ilsa made some notations in the pad she held. “She’s become more involved with the church, and it might ‘look bad’.” She turned to stare at the windows again, waggling the eraser end of her pencil at them. “I was thinking of getting some input from Lyle. He has great taste.”

Sensing the discussion of family was over, Eli jumped on board. “What kind of reading area were you thinking of? A leather wingback, or maybe a chaise?”

Ilsa considered for a moment. “I think Casey would like a chaise. She’s on her feet so much at the hospital, she’d probably appreciate being able to stretch out, right?” She looked to Eli and seemed taken aback by his expression. “What?”

“I… I just didn’t realize you were taking Casey into account.”

She turned fully around to face him. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“I wasn’t sure where… uh, you two were…” he said, waving his hand in an unfocused gesture, “in all this.”

Ilsa stared at him for a few moments. “What do you mean, ‘in all this’?”

“I’ve been wondering how serious you two were getting, that’s all.”

Ilsa flinched and began furiously scribbling on her notepad. She focused intently on it, writing measurements and ideas for the room. “I… I’m not sure.” She didn’t look at Eli as she spoke. She only shrugged and made more notations. “I just thought of her… thought maybe she’d appreciate a chaise by the window.” He stared at her, smiling, but she wouldn’t look at him again. “Doesn’t mean anything,” she mumbled, dropping the pad, turning her back to him, and pulling out her tape measure for the largest wall.

“It’s okay if you’re falling for her, Ilsa,” he said very softly, and suddenly he felt the urge to hug her, comfort her.

She turned suddenly to face him. Her expression was unreadable, but before she could speak, the phone rang.

“I’ll get it,” she said, rushing past him and down the stairs. He sighed and walked over to pick up the notepad she’d dropped. He read the list of colors she was considering, all of them rich, deep, and luxurious. He looked up, trying to imagine those colors and treatments on the walls surrounding him. He could hear Ilsa speaking with someone, and he smiled. She apparently had hopes for an opulent love den for her—and Casey.

He continued to explore the notepad as he waited for Ilsa to return. He found magazine clippings secreted away within its pages. There were stunning examples of bedrooms with rich, dark wood furniture, modern artwork, and lush bedding and linens. He heard her say goodbye.

“You know what you need, Ilsa?” he asked, expecting her to return soon. He held up one of the clippings to compare the burgundy comforter on the bed in the picture to the current wall color. “You need some fabric pieces… uh… swatches?” He turned to see her standing in the doorway. “Wait… those are watches, right?” Eli’s expression puckered as he tried to make his brain work. “I’m getting something wrong, aren’t I? Anyway, you need something more than pages ripped from—” He stopped when he saw her face. “What’s the matter?” Ilsa didn’t say anything, but he saw a small piece of paper in her hand. “What’s that?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Huh? Tell you wh—”

“That you and Alec were planning to move out?”

He blinked at her, unable to speak, and the devastated look on her face wasn’t making it any easier to collect his thoughts.

“Ilsa… I… we’re not plan—”

She held up the paper in her hand and crossed the room to him, holding it under his nose. “This is a message about apartments in Tony and Lyle’s building,” she accused. “It’s from Chase Mackens, some Realtor.” Eli couldn’t read the note with it held so close to his face, so he took it from her. “He said the units are coming ready sooner than expected,” she continued, “and he’s urging interested buyers to act now.” He stared at it for a couple of moments. That’s what it says, all right. He looked at her, saw the hurt in her eyes.

“Ilsa….”

“You can’t tell me Alec would do this without running it by you first.”

“He mentioned something about it Monday morning, but we haven’t discussed anything.”

She took a deep, slightly shuddering breath and smiled weakly. “Well, whatever you want to do,” she said lightly, whirling around and heading for the stairs. “I’m going to get dinner going.”

Eli stood there, holding the note tightly. He was torn between being furious with Alec and thinking of a way to put Ilsa’s mind at ease. He turned off the light as he left the room without once considering what it was he wanted.