Charmed (4 page)

Ella was frequently alone in the apartment when Kaiyla spent the night with Steve, the love of her life. Filling the void was a struggle, but Ella found that working on her novel helped. The romance was filled with the ups and downs of the relationship between her characters, and brimming with heartache. Writing someone else’s story was therapeutic.

As the novel progressed, weeks dragged by, with still no definite date as to when Adam would return, leaving her adrift and overcome with sadness. Ella still had no real connection with her sister, Julianna, away at San Diego State working on her art degree. The emails between them did little to repair the relationship, and Ella considered that her sister might never forgive her. Being the oldest, she’d left home first, leaving Julianna in a bad situation. However justifiable that single act was, it may have caused irreparable damage.

Ella’s mother never made the effort to call or get together. If Ella didn’t originate the conversation it didn’t happen, and in her current state of mind she had no interest in calling Jeanne Dufort Walker, just to be rebuffed. The emotional scars from her mother’s neglect were most likely permanent, as she was unable to imagine having a better mother/daughter relationship.

The luster vanished from Ella’s life when Adam left. Yet she couldn’t resume life as it had been before, now that Adam had touched it. In his absence, old feelings of inadequacy resurfaced, and despite her agreement with him to feel good about herself, the old self-doubting Ella was difficult to keep at bay.

One day, she began to idly search on her tablet for anything Italian, just something about his heritage. At first she didn’t know what she was looking for.

Wanting to understand him urged her to find out anything she could. An article on Italian men caught her eye, so she clicked to read more. The writer described Adam perfectly: charming, gracious, polite.
Italian men are passionate, affectionate, warm, loving, and demonstrative
—so far, so good.

However, Adam wasn’t strictly Italian. She was intrigued that he was born in Brazil. A billionaire from Brazil, a “Brazillionaire” as she’d called him, the word she’d coined to describe him. The page she found about Brazilian men started on a positive note, calling them romantic, funny, and saying they treated a woman like a woman. Reading on, she frowned at the comment that Brazilian men were famous for being unfaithful.
If you fall for one, be sure he doesn’t have a wife back home.
Ugh, that would be terrible.

Horror gripped her. The idea of Adam having another woman in Brazil was a possibility, which could explain why he had to return to his home without her, unable to say why. He didn’t seem like that kind of guy, but then Ella was inexperienced with men. She’d been captivated by Adam and wanted to believe the best. What if she was wrong?

The goal to find out more about him took on a new blush. She needed to know what she was dealing with. Clicking around, she discovered other facts about Italians, learning that those from Northern Italy were of Nordic decent. Thus Adam’s light hair and golden skin came from his father, who was born in Milan. She hadn’t seen any photos of his family; odd that he didn’t have any in his Newport home. Possibly his sister also had light hair and eyes; she wished she could meet her.

After spending hours online, Ella knew more about Brazil, including the culture, tips on travelling to Rio, surfing at the many beaches, food, business, and even the language. She decided to purchase an English to Brazilian Portuguese dictionary to learn more about anything having to do with Adam. When he came back, she could surprise him by speaking a few words in his native language.

If nothing else, her research gave her a better understanding of the man she loved. Feeling more in control of the situation, her fear subsided. The idea of another woman nagged at her, but she dismissed it. Convinced that Adam would not betray her, she assumed the situation requiring all his attention was family or business related.

For several days after her research binge, Adam didn’t call. Since he’d been away, he’d called less and less often. But when five long days passed without a word, Ella panicked. Her mind wouldn’t shut off, feeding her various reasons for his lack of contact. Maybe something had happened to him, or maybe he didn’t want to talk to her again—either scenario distressed her. She wasn’t sure what to do and couldn’t stop worrying.

Every day she wanted to call Adam but didn’t. Telling herself that he was involved in something important, she held back, unwilling to be a distraction. It was better for him to deal with the situation in Brazil so he could come back to her. Still her patience wore thin, and she decided she’d give him one more day. If he didn’t call, she would call him or do whatever she had to do, in order to find out what was going on.

Then Adam called. “Amore mia,” he said, lapsing into Italian. His voice sounded different, strained and gritty.

Ella knew something was wrong. “Adam. Oh my god, Adam. You haven’t called in so long. I was so worried. What’s happened? What’s wrong?”

Silence on the other end pushed Ella to the limit, and for a second she thought she might faint.

Then Adam spoke again. “I have missed you so much. Please know that every minute away from you is torture. I don’t want to upset you, but I have to tell you something.”

Ella held her breath and closed her eyes.

Adam continued. “Will you trust me when I tell you that I fear for you? I know that makes no sense, and I’m sorry, so sorry. But I am dealing with the situation here, and it means everything to me that you are safe and you stay safe.”

What in the world was he talking about?

After another silence, Adam continued. “I’m taking a chance just calling you. I almost didn’t. I won’t be able to use this phone again. It may not be secure anymore. I’ll get a disposable phone and send it to you, so we will have a secure line.”

“Adam, don’t go. What are you saying? Are you in trouble? I want to help. Don’t shut me out,” Ella cried.

“No, never. I would never shut you out. Please understand that the worst thing would be to involve you. As long as you are safe, I know I will be able to come back to you. I’ll try to call again when I can. Don’t worry. I’ll be okay, and I will take care of everything as soon as I can,” he concluded.

“How can you be safe when you can’t even call me? It’s worse than you are saying, I know it. You are everything to me, Adam. Everything. Maybe I can help,” Ella blurted out before he could hang up.

“Amore mia, if you want to help, stay safe and wait for me to call. We will be together again.” And with those parting words, Adam hung up.

Ella stared at the blank screen, shocked. Nothing seemed real. Her shallow breathing was evidence that she was still alive—but she didn’t feel alive. A feeling of complete helplessness came over her. If he wouldn’t tell her what was happening, she couldn’t help. Adam expected her to do nothing and just wait until he came back.
If
he came back.

Too numb to even cry, Ella put her hand over her eyes, wishing the whole thing was a bad dream. Aching from the loss of Adam, and fearing the worst, she didn’t seem able to function properly. Willing her mind to clear, she rubbed her forehead. There had to be a way to be of use to the man she loved. He’d saved her, more than once. It was her turn to save him. The trouble was she had no idea how.

Surfing had always been her escape. In the worst of times, riding the waves brought sanity to an otherwise crazy existence. Quickly she changed into her suit, grabbed her board, and half jogged to the beach. Tossing her towel and sweatshirt to the ground, she plunged into the water and paddled out. In a daze, she let the waves toss her about.

Unaware of her surroundings, Ella thought only of Adam. Desperate for a solution, she frowned. Nothing came to mind. She could think of no way to help him. Unable to think rationally, she zoned out. As she had so many times, she caught the next wave, not needing to focus. She could almost literally ride the surf in her sleep. It was second nature.

Flying through the curl, Ella felt a fleeting thrill at the high-speed ride. Still her only thought was of Adam and the life-changing day that she’d fallen off her surfboard. The amazing day she’d met him, the day he’d rescued her. A bizarre thought occurred to her. Sliding down the deep blue wave, she had an idea; a crazy idea at that. Maybe she could change the course of events.

Maybe she could reel back time to the day she’d caught Adam’s attention, the fateful day when she tumbled into the water and he dove in to rescue her. If it happened all over again, possibly she could change the course of events. Like her own novel, she could change the plot and arrange it so that once she met Adam he wouldn’t have to leave her. He wouldn’t have to go to Brazil without her.

One minute she was thinking it, and the next minute it happened; she flew off her board and into the water. Struggling against the strength of the ocean, she fought hard, not realizing for a moment what had happened, only vaguely aware that her head hurt. Was she dreaming? Had her imagination run away with her?

No, in the next instant she knew the water flooding her lungs was real. But she couldn’t let it end this way. Adam needed her. The last thing she remembered was a strong arm around her, pulling her up. Then dark unconsciousness wiped everything out.

*****

When Ella first opened her eyes she didn’t know where she was, nor did she recall the recent event. As Kaiyla’s face came into focus, a dim memory edged into her awareness. Speech seemed beyond her, and her limbs were too heavy to lift. Batting her eyes, she fought to clear the haze.

“Ella?” Kaiyla said, looking tired and frumpy. Kaiyla never left the apartment looking frumpy, but when she was notified her roommate and closest friend was in the hospital, she made an exception.

“Ella,” she said again, “can you hear me?”

A trace of a smile flickered on Ella’s lips in her effort to reassure her friend that she could hear her. Her skin prickled and a dull pain pounded in her head, but she didn’t think she had the strength to lift her arm. Opening her mouth to speak, nothing came out, and she coughed.

“I’m so glad you woke up. You scared me. Ella, do you remember what happened?”

Ella strained her mind, and visions of tons of water holding her captive startled her back to reality. “Where’s Adam?”

“He’s in Brazil, hon, remember?”

“But, then who…”

“Robert rescued you this time. The way he tells it, a wave swallowed you whole, and he didn’t waste a second getting out to you. Good thing he did, because this time you got hit on the head. You’ve been out cold. You’re board must have hit you in the fall. There’s a nasty bump and you’ve been out for hours. But the doctor says you’ll be okay.”

Ella’s heart sank at the realization that Adam hadn’t rescued her. He was still gone, still in Brazil. Disappointment drowned out the physical discomfort she suffered. He wasn’t there. Adam wasn’t there.

“Ella, are you okay? Shall I call the nurse?”

Almost imperceptibly shaking her head, Ella finally uttered two words. “No nurse.”

“Does your head hurt?”

“Not too much.”

“You were lucky. If Robert hadn’t seen you, it would have been bad. That head injury knocked you out. The ambulance brought you here. Robert gave them your name.”

“How did you…”

“The hospital called and I came right over. Good thing you were wearing your Road ID around your ankle, or they wouldn’t have known to contact me.”

Ella didn’t remember putting on the ankle bracelet ID. In her stupor, she must have done it automatically, like she did every time she went to the beach. It had been Kaiyla’s idea to get the band with name and emergency contact information, and they each wore one whenever they went to the beach. Kaiyla wore hers when she went jogging, too.

“Robert stopped by after his shift to see if you were okay, but you were still unconscious. The doctor says you have concussion, but no permanent damage. You may have to stay in here for a day or so.”

Ella reached for her water. She was dying of thirst. “Where’s my board?”

“In my car…Robert brought it when he stopped by. Another surfer probably retrieved it for you. I had to fold down the backseats, but I got it in the car. Uh, do you want me to call your mother? I haven’t yet, but I will if you want me to.”

“No, please. I’d rather you didn’t.” The last thing Ella needed was her mother’s indifference. Adding emotional pain to physical pain was never a good combination.

Wiped out, she was about to close her eyes, too tired to think about anything, when the door opened, and Cameron stepped inside. He walked over to the bed, nodding toward Kaiyla and giving her a cursory “Hey, Kaiyla,” having met her once before at a small birthday dinner for Ella.

“Ella, you’re awake,” he said softly. “You gave everyone a scare. Kaiyla called work for you. Zoe will be by later to visit you. How are you feeling?”

“Like a sledge hammer hit me in the head,” Ella said, and she looked like it.

“You were lucky,” Cameron said.

“So I heard.”

Sagging against the pillow, Ella didn’t feel very social. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate her friends stopping by; it was just that she barely had the strength to close her eyelids.