Never Close Enough (11 page)

   Megan sniffled a little. “Yes.  I love him more than anything,” she said as she looked back up at Ella.

   “I know Patrick feels the same way about you.  He is head over heels in love with you.  Just make sure he always knows you feel the same way about him.  Don’t let life get in the way of making him your first priority.”

   Ella felt an ache in her chest for her sister and didn’t want to see her worried about her own relationship just because she and Kyle couldn’t keep theirs together. 
She hadn’t even considered the possibility that her sister would be so affected by her failed relationship.  It hurt her heart tremendously.  She continued to hug her sister until she had calmed down, and seemed to be feeling a little less distressed.  It was obvious they were both in need of some serious sister time.  For the next twenty-four hours she would make sure her sister was having a good time and not worrying herself sick over love.

   “Come on, Megs.  Let’s get out of here.  It’s a predictably ch
illy day at the beach.  Let’s go get some lunch and then we can go walk around the shops at the waterfront.”  Megan wiped the residual wetness from below her eyes and smiled up at Ella.

   “That sounds awesome.  I will go freshen up a little.”

   “Ok.  You can have the room at the top of the stairs to the left.”  She watched Megan go up the stairs and then she exhaled loudly.  She hadn’t expected her sister to have a mild breakdown and it was emotionally taxing to watch her go through it.

   She decided tha
t while she had a few minutes she would call her store, just to check in and make sure everything was going well.  She dialed the number and someone answered on the first ring.

   “Thanks for calling Poppy.  How can I help you?”

   “Hey, Brittany.  It’s Ella.”

   “Oh, hi Ella.  How’s the beach trip?”

   “It’s going well.  How is the store holding up?”

   “We’re doing great here, no issues.  It’s been pretty steady but nothing Sarah and I can’t handle.”  Ella released a small breath she wasn’t aware she was
holding.  She knew her staff was capable but she likened it to leaving your child with someone for an extended period of time.  She just needed to check in to make sure the place hadn’t burned to the ground.

   “Great.  Just remember that tomorrow the frei
ght will come in, so make sure you – “

   “Sort it, tag it and stock it.  Yes, Ella, we’ve got it.  I don’t want you to worry about the store.  Enjoy your vacation.  If anything comes up and we need you, we will call,” she said sweetly.  Ella was a little
surprised about how Brittany had put her in her place.  Maybe the girls deserved a raise.  It was something she’d look at next week when she got back to the store.

   “You’re right, Brittany.  Thank you so much for being there for the store while I’m away.
  Thank Sarah for me too.  Don’t work too hard.”

   “No problem, Ella.  See you next week!”  As Brittany disconnected the call Megan came down the stairs.

   “Ready to go?”  Megan looked fresh and not anything like the teary girl who had been on the couch not ten minutes ago.

   “I’m ready if you are,” Ella answered.

   “Sweet, let’s get out of here.”

   It was a beautiful afternoon on the Oregon coast.  The sun was trying to poke out from behind the clouds, but the wind was blowing making it chilly still.  It was almost like a mandatory uniform on the beach for people to wear hoodies or sweatshirts displaying their favorite beach town.  Everywhere you looked someone’s shirt said ‘Seaside’, ‘Newport’, or ‘Lincoln City’.  No matter how cold it was, if the sun was out people were on the beach.  A few hardy souls braved the water, which was never warmer than frigid even at the height of summer.  Children could be seen digging in the sand, building sand castles, erecting tunnels, or burying each other to their necks.  Kites were everywhere.  You could see anything from a small child flying a Mickey Mouse kite, to a troop of professional trick kite flyers, entertaining everyone on the beach.  Oregonians took their kites very seriously.

   Megan and Ella had enjoye
d lunch together, chatting about Megan’s wedding plans and school.  The depressing thoughts from their earlier conversation forgotten, which was typical for Megan.  She was quick to get upset over something, but could dismiss it just as quickly.  They had gone to the waterfront where there were cute little shops that lined the main road right along the harbor.  Most of the stores sold silly souvenirs, but you could always find really beautiful artwork and jewelry in the higher end stores.  And of course, there was no shortage of salt water taffy which Megan would live off of if allowed.  The candy store painted a bright pink color had been their first stop and now Ella was stuck listening to her sister chew the taffy.

   “Megan, please.  You sound like a cow
.  Close your mouth.”

   “Sorry,” Megan giggled.  They had left a little shop and were walking down the sidewalk when Ella saw a very familiar set of broad shoulders walking towards her.  Porter noticed her just a second or two after she saw him and she co
uldn’t miss the heart dropping, stomach churning smile that graced his face.

   “Ella, hi,” Porter said smoothly.  “I wasn’t expecting to see you around today.”  Ella blushed a little, mainly because she couldn’t look at him without thinking about him nake
d.

   “Hello, Porter.  What a nice surprise.”  Ella heard her sister clear her throat and then Megan nudged her with her elbow.  Remembering her manners, Ella turned to motion towards her sister.  “Porter, this is my sister, Megan.  Megan, this is Porter.”

   “Well, hello Porter.  Nice to meet you.” Megan looked back and forth between Ella and Porter.  Ella was fully aware of the awkwardness surrounding them but she couldn’t help the smile plastered on her face.  “How do you two know each other?”

   Ella ga
ve Porter a sly smile, “Um.  Well…”

   “I rescued Ella Friday night,” he said with uncompromised confidence. 

   “Rescued is a bit of an exaggeration, Porter,” Ella teased, shooting one of her eyebrows up at him.

   “I don’t think so.  Who knows where you
’d be right now if it weren’t for me.  Sitting on the porch of your dark house, probably.”  Porter was still looking Ella right in the eyes and she was staring right back at him.

   “Ok, well that sounds exciting.  Ella, what is he talking about?” Megan
asked, breaking Ella’s trance.

   “Oh, well, it’s kind of a long story.  My car battery died Friday night outside of his mother’s bar, and he gave me a ride to the house and then helped me get situated,” Ella blushed a little, knowing she was leaving out s
o much.  “He was just a kind stranger who helped me out.”  She was dying inside.  She could feel her cheeks turning red as she looked back at Porter who was obviously enjoying her uncomfortable explanation. 

   “Well, aren’t you just a regular gentleman,”
Megan said, smiling at him.

   “You bet,” Porter winked.

   “Well, we were just heading to the next shop.  It was nice running into you, Porter,” Ella said as she started to head down the sidewalk.

   “It was nice to meet you, Porter,” Megan said.

   “You too.  Enjoy your afternoon.”

   Ella and Megan started to walk away, but as Porter passed Ella he gently held her elbow and whispered in her ear, “You are absolutely beautiful when you blush.”  Before she even had a chance to register what he said, he
continued on his way.  She was left standing in shock on the sidewalk.  Her heart was racing.  Just a few words from him could leave her breathless.  Megan, who had made it to the door of the next shop, impatiently yelled for her to hurry up. 

   “What’s
wrong, Fella?  You look all flushed.”

   “I’m fine.  Let’s go,” Ella said, trying to shake her sister off.

   “That Porter guy is seriously one hot man.  He seems to be the reason God invented blue jeans.”

   Ella laughed at her sister’s observation.  “Yes
, he is definitely good looking.”

   “You’ve been blinded by four years of monogamy.  He’s sex on legs, Sister.”

   “What the hell, Megs! You’ve been monogamous for just as long as I have.”

   “Yes, but I’ve always been more appreciative of the male form t
han you have.”

   “Whatever, Megan.  Let’s go in this store.”  Ella couldn’t help but laugh.  Her sister had no idea just how much she had already admired Porter’s male form.  “And keep your eyes to yourself.”

Chapter Thirteen

 
Ella

   “Hurry up, Megan!  I am starving,” Ella shouted up the stairs.

 
  “Coming!” Megan yelled in response.  The sisters had spent the rest of the afternoon shopping and walking on the beach.  They had brought big beach towels out to the sand and sat together talking about everything and nothing.  Megan spent a good portion of their time together trying to convince Ella that she should tell their parents about the breakup.  Ella insisted that she wanted to tell them in person and planned to do so after she returned to Portland.  There was no need to worry them and it wasn’t an over-the-phone conversation anyway.

 
  Ella took one more look in the mirror by the front door making sure she was presentable.  She had found a dress while they were out shopping today and, even though she wouldn’t admit it, she knew she was wearing it because there was a small chance Porter would be at the bar when they went to dinner.  Looking at her reflection, she liked the way the purple and blue flowers brought out the creamy color of her skin, as well as enhanced the blue of her eyes.  She loved the halter top of the dress, but covered it with a white cardigan because she knew it would be cold outside.

 
  “Oh, yes, Fella.  That dress was made for you.  It looks amazing.  You ready?”

 
  “Thank you.  And yes, let’s go.”

 
 
 
When they walked into the restaurant Ella immediately made eye contact with Tilly behind the bar.  Tilly waved and then made her way towards the girls.  Tilly wrapped Ella in a warm hug and even though she was taken by surprise by the friendly gesture, she was also glad that Tilly seemed to like her.  It seemed to make the situation between her and Porter just a little easier.

 
  “Hi, Tilly.  I’d like you to meet my sister, Megan.”

 
  “Well, it is certainly nice to meet you, Megan.  If you’re half as sweet as your sister here, you’re ok in my book.”

 
  “Tilly is Porter’s mom and she was here the night my car broke down.  She calmed me down and made Porter drive me home.”

 
  “Oh, Honey, I didn’t make him do anything.  Driving you home as the best decision he’s made in months.”  Tilly winked at Ella and she hoped Megan didn’t see it.

 
  “Well, we’d really like to have dinner here tonight. I heard the menu is awesome.”

 
  “Sure thing.  Pick a table and one of the girls will be over real soon.”

 
  Ella and Megan walked over to a booth that was tucked in the back corner of the restaurant.  They took a seat and a friendly waitress gave them menus.  They were looking over the menus and Ella could feel the air change in the room.  She looked up and saw Porter walking through the bar.  He didn’t notice her when he came in and she tried to keep the menu up, covering her face, if only to allow her to watch him unnoticed for a few minutes more.  He walked up to his mother behind the bar and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, which couldn’t have been any sweeter and only added to the ever growing list of cute things Porter did.  If he wasn’t so damn sexy he might have been irritatingly adorable.  She watched him chat with his mother for a few more moments and then he walked through the double doors behind the bar towards the back of the restaurant.

 
  Ella released the breath she’d been holding and tried to focus on the menu again.  She had narrowed her choices down when she heard her phone vibrating in her purse.  She pulled it out and saw a text message from Porter.

**Tell your sister you’ll be back and head towards the restrooms**

   Ella looked around the restaurant but didn’t see him anywhere.  She was a little confused and could feel her eyebrows furrowing.

**I’m sorry, you want me to meet you in the bathroom?**

**No, I want you to go down the hallway towards the bathroom.  What’s the matter?  You don’t trust me?**

   She smiled at the last text and decided to follow his instructions.  “I’ll be right back, Megs.  I’m going to head to the restroom real quick.”  She got out of the booth and walked towards the hallway as instructed.  Once she was about halfway down she felt an arm grab around her waist and she was being yanked to the side.  The room she found herself in was dark.  She heard the door close and then she was being pushed up against it by his strong body.  His hips were pinned against hers and his hands were framing her face.  Her breaths were shallow and fast; just his touch was making her crazy.

 
  “You can’t even begin to imagine how many times I found myself thinking about you today,” Porter said as he trailed his thumb over her lips.  “It can be very distracting, especially when I’m trying to use power tools.”  She felt a hand snake around her waist, pulling her even closer.  She ran her hands up his arms, still massively turned on by his muscular shoulders.  His finger on her lips was making it even more difficult to breath.

 
  “Porter?”

 
  “Yes, Ella?”

 
  “Did you drag me into what I can only hope is a supply closet just to talk?”  He feathered his lips across hers barely making contact, driving her crazy, and then his hands moved into her hair.

 
  “No,” he moved his face into her neck and whispered, “I just needed to be close to you.”

 
  The profound warmth she felt pulsing through her body at his words was making her dizzy.  He was making her dizzy.  She didn’t know what was going to happen tomorrow, or a week from now, but she did know that at this very moment she needed to be close to him too.  She found his lips, pouring all the longing and need she was feeling into a kiss.  How long could this possibly last?  She found her mind drifting to him all day, pondering silly things that made her feel giddy like a teenager with her first boyfriend.  Was he thinking about her?  Did he miss her?  Would he call her?  It was almost all consuming.  She enjoyed the feeling of his body pressed against hers for a moment more and then pulled away gently.

 
  “How did you even know I was here?”  She asked him, as he continued to nuzzle and trail soft kisses along her neck.

 
  “As soon as I walked in I could feel you,” he said simply, and she knew what he meant because she could feel his presence as well.  “Also, your car is parked out front.”  She giggled.

 
  “Ah.  You’re powers of deduction are impressive, sir.”  She leaned against his chest, enjoying just being with him.  “We are in a supply closet, aren’t we?”

 
  “Indeed.  The location choices for a romantic interlude are limited here.”  She could feel his fingers playing with hair and his breath feathered across her skin making every nerve in her body stand at attention.  “You should probably get back to your sister,” he said and kissed her forehead.

 
  “Do you want to join us?” she asked hopefully.

 
  “I would love nothing more than to sit and look at you all night, but I don’t want to interfere with your time with your sister.  But I call dibs on you for dinner tomorrow night.”

 
  It touched Ella that he was considerate enough to let her and her sister have dinner alone, although a very selfish part of her wished he would join them.  Obviously, it would cause nothing but confusion for Megan to have Porter eat with them.  There was no way Ella could sit across from him all night and not have Megan pick up on something going on between them.  It was better that he leave to keep their situation under wraps, but her body was already feeling his absence.

 
  “Deal.  Want to come to my place?  I could cook,” Ella offered.

 
  “That sounds great.” 

   Ella smiled.
  Then she sighed as she took a small step back, trying to concoct a plan to exit the closet.

 
  “Ok, I’m going to go back out.  Wait a minute or two before you come out so no one gets suspicious.”

 
  He framed her face with his hands again and gave her a sweet and simmering kiss. 

 
  “See you later,” he whispered.  She reached behind her and pulled the door open.  She walked back to the table where Megan was waiting for her, taking deep breaths to calm herself and trying to pull the blush from her face she knew was there.  “Decided what you want yet?” She asked Megan as she sat down.

 
  “Yes, salad with the shrimp.”

 
  “Sounds good. I’ll have the same.”  The waitress came back, and as Megan was ordering she saw Porter come out of the hallway and it was all she could do to hide her smirk.  He headed back behind the bar and through the double swinging doors.  When the waitress asked her what she wanted to order, she told her she’d have the same thing.  Megan and Ella both ordered a beer, as there was nowhere else in the country with better beer than the Pacific Northwest.  After a few minutes Tilly came to their table carrying their beers.

 
  “Here you go, girls,” she said as she set down their drinks.  “Did you find the bathroom ok, Honey?”  Tilly asked with a smile that told Ella she knew about the secret supply closet rendezvous.  Ella blushed, stumbled over her words a little, and finally managed to mumble, “Yes, thank you.”

 
  “Oh no, dear,” Tilly said very seriously.  “Thank you.”  Then Tilly put an arm around Ella and gave her a sideways half hug, rubbing her hand up and down her arm.  Tilly gave a satisfied sigh and walked away.

 
  “Uh, that was a little weird,” Megan said, watching Tilly walk away.

 
  “So, what do you want to do tonight?  Watch movies?” Ella said trying desperately to change the subject.

 
  “Sure, sounds like fun, but no romances.  Let’s rent a comedy or a horror flick!  Hey,” Megan sounded confused all of a sudden and pointed towards the bar.  “Isn’t that the sexy guy from the waterfront today?  Porter?”

 
  Ella looked up just in time to see him walking towards the door.  He looked over at her as he passed by and then he gave her a wink.  Before she could even stop herself, she winked back and smiled.  She looked back at Megan, whose mouth was hanging wide open, her eyes darting back and forth from Ella to Porter.

 
  “Ella, what the hell is going on?”  Megan was looking at her waiting for a response and Ella was absolutely drawing a blank at what she was supposed to say.  How could she explain without seeming like she’d slept with the first man to show any interest?  Well, obviously she’d slept with the first man who showed any interest, but it was more than that.  How could she make Megan understand when she wasn’t sure she even full understood? 

 
  “What are you taking about?”  Ella said, shooting for mild confusion and nonchalance, but in reality delivered high-pitched nervousness. 

 
  Megan pointed at the door he had just exited from, “Porter just winked and you and then you winked back.  You both had the same look on your faces which, by the way, was completely obvious.  You both looked like you were picturing the other naked.  What the hell is going on?”

 
   Ella dropped her head into her hands realizing it was going to be useless to try and deny anything was going on between them.

 
  “Did you cheat on Kyle with him?” Megan asked completely shocked and appalled.

 
  “No!  I would never cheat on anyone, Megs.  Jesus.”

 
  “Well, something is happening.  Spill.”

 
  “Fine!”  Ella said louder than she had intended.  She took a calming breath and decided that honesty would be a welcomed addition to her life at the moment.  “Everything I’ve told you so far is true.  I stopped at Tilly’s on my way to the house Friday night.  Between my sobbing and the terrible rain, I couldn’t see anything.  When I came in for a drink, I accidentally left my lights on in my car.  My battery died and Porter drove me home.  The next day he took me back to my car and jumped it for me.”  Ella paused, thinking about how to explain how everything else had taken place without making it sound seedy or cheap.

 
  “Keep going, Ella,” Megan said irritated.

 
  “That night I met Porter here for a drink.  It was innocent.  He was really nice to me.  I didn’t think there was anything wrong with meeting a man out for drinks.  I was single at that point.  No big deal.  Well, he said he wanted to take me out for an official date.”  Ella paused again, remembering how he’d been so sweet that night asking her out.  “I can’t really explain this without sounding ridiculously girly, so I am just going to say it.  He makes me feel amazing.  He’s so sweet, and kind, and a complete gentleman.  He took me on the most romantic date.  We talked all night and I had the best time.”  She was rambling now trying to explain thoroughly how exactly she felt about him.  How should she explain to her little sister that she’d slept with a virtual stranger, and that it was the most exciting, fulfilling and satisfying sex she’d ever had?  That what she was starting to feel for him made her question things she’d never thought about before?