Protecting Ellis (Loved by the SEAL #1)

Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Ellis’s phone rang, and she thought about ignoring it but glanced at the screen, seeing that Trip was calling. Pleasure spread through her as she swiped to answer.

“Hello. I hope you’re having as good of a day as I am.”

He cleared his throat, and she could tell just by that sound he wasn’t. “Not really. I have to leave town. I wanted to see you, but we’re flying out in an hour.”

“Oh.” She didn’t know what else to say. “I guess I’ll see you when you get back.”

“You will. I know the timing isn’t ideal.”

“Trip, things happen. The timing may never be ideal. I’ll be here when you return, and we can get reacquainted.”

Trip said nothing for a few seconds, and she was about to break the silence when he spoke. “Thank you for understanding. I really appreciate it.”

His words had deeper meaning than what he’d said. She could sense it in the way he spoke. “I’ll be thinking of you while you’re gone. When you get home, send me a text so I know.”

“I will. And thank you, Ellis. It means a lot. I have to go. Be careful, and I’ll see you when I get back.”

The call ended, and she stared at the phone until Gloria opened the door from the front area. “I was—hey, are you okay?”

“Yes. Were you going to ask about packing?”

“I was wondering when you wanted me to pack up the items for shipping.”

“Sure. I’ll come out front and keep an eye on the place so you can pack.”

Gloria stepped to the side so Ellis could pass. She stopped before the door closed, studying her employee. The woman was good at her job, and it would make sense to keep her around. But would Gloria want a job with little customer interaction?

“Would you be willing to work for me if we didn’t have the storefront? I’m looking for a studio space, and I think I might have found something farther south, not too far, but your hours would be a lot more flexible. Some of them could be done from your home.”

Gloria’s lips thinned and she looked like she was thinking. “That would be interesting.”

“There wouldn’t be the same kind of interaction with people coming in. Work would be boxing and shipping orders, like now, but no direct sales from a storefront. You could spend a little time printing labels at home for shipping and going through orders. Then the only things you’d have to come in for was the actual boxing.”

“Do you think there would be enough hours?”

Gloria was getting between fifteen and twenty hours a week. The shipping wouldn’t take too long, but there were other tasks that would take time. Gloria was good at her job, and Ellis knew she could trust her with more.

“I’ll be submitting to galleries, so there’s that. Hopefully, I’ll have more online orders. Also, there will be studio work you can help me with, like setting up for shoots.”

Gloria nodded. “I like the idea. We could do a trial period, and if it’s not enough hours, we can discuss before I try to find a new job.”

Ellis felt better about everything, bringing a smile to her lips. Gloria was a good employee who she could rely on. Now, she had to make plans on closing down the shop and setting up a new studio in a different area of town. The new place would be more industrial, which meant it would be cheaper. Maybe she could go on more photography excursions, but traveling would mean leaving Trip behind. She blew out a breath, worry and excitement hitting her.

She couldn’t give up a part of herself just to be with Trip. If they were supposed to be together, it would work out.