Swear (Landry Family 4)

“How’s yoga going, Cam?” I ask, knowing it’s only going to drive Graham even crazier. “Have you been attending classes regularly? Really working on your flexibility?”

“Yeah. I’ve been working on my Handstand Scorpion,” she offers. “Why all the interest?”

“No reason. What about you, Mal? How have your classes been going?”

“Great. Enrollment is up. It’s going well.”

Graham drops the knife with a sigh. “I can’t take this. Cut the shit. How’d it go with Ellie, Ford?”

“Oh, crap,” Camilla mumbles, leaning away from me like I might explode.

“Did you know about this?” I ask her.

“Um . . . kind of?”

“Let me ask you all, since you’re co-conspirators from what I can gather: What on the face of the Earth made you think it was a good idea to send me to see her with no warning?”

They all start to talk at once, Mal’s hands flying through the air, Camilla bouncing off her chair, Graham holding his hands out in defense. I whistle as loud as I can and they stop mid-sentence.

“Mallory? You’re up,” I say, flashing her a look.

“I put two and two together a couple of days ago.”

“How? Did she say something about me?”

“Not exactly,” she admits. “She mentioned being from here and said just enough about a guy that she never named that matched with things Graham or you have told me. I couldn’t help it, Ford. I didn’t think you’d be mad.”

Leaning back against the table, I blow out a breath. “This isn’t a blind date. Ellie and I know each other. There’s a history there and that makes it entirely more complicated than a blind date. And you,” I say, turning to Camilla. “You were in on this?”

“I wouldn’t say I was in on it,” she winces.

“Oh, you were too!” Mallory cries. “You helped me get the plan together.”

“And you went along with it.” I look at Graham. “Fuckin’ A, G. I didn’t expect this out of you. Don’t you have enough shit to do than worry about what or who I’m doing?”

“I’ll have you know I was against this at first,” he says, popping a cherry tomato in his mouth. “But when I realized it was Ellie, I thought these two were on to something for once. Maybe you needed to see her and get some closure or whatever it is you need.”

Mallory steps towards me with a look of determination on her face. “I didn’t think this was overstepping, but maybe it was. I just want you to be happy, Ford.”

“Maybe my happy doesn’t look like your happy,” I suggest.

She moseys up to Graham’s side and wraps her arms around him. “Don’t lie to me. You want what we have so bad you can taste it.”

“I can taste it all I want and not have the responsibility,” I wink.

“You—” The ringing of her phone cuts her off. She looks at the screen sitting on the counter and then at me. “It’s Ellie.”

“Answer it.”

“But—”

“Mallory . . .” I warn.

She scoops it up and holds it in the air. “Fine. But I’m talking to her in the living room.” I hear her greet Ellie, and I find myself holding my breath. Graham is watching me and so is Camilla, but I’m mentally walking into the other room with Mal.

I wonder what Ellie is saying and if she’s angry or amused or upset. I had to fight myself all day from going back to Halcyon or digging up her phone number and calling her. But why would I call? To apologize? I wouldn’t for showing up today. That was a gift I’ll thank Mallory for later after I’ve managed to screw with her some.

I don’t know what I’ll do if Mallory comes back in here and tells me Ellie is adamant I don’t show up again, if she decides she really doesn’t want to see me again after our encounter today. There’s no way in hell I can go about my life and pretend I don’t know she’s living and working in Savannah. This is something I’ve not even had the courage to hope for over the last few years and here I am—in the same city with her. Both of us unattached from what I can tell. And we both feel the connection we’ve always had. I know that to be a fact.