Protecting Ellis (Loved by the SEAL #1)

Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

On Monday, she felt good enough to go to work. She promised Trip she wouldn’t overdo it. There was no way she would park in the back, though. There weren’t enough eyes on the area, and she couldn’t see if anyone was waiting for her.

It bugged her that the police didn’t know who had attacked her. No one was taking credit, and Bennet’s alibi was solid. Maybe he’d paid someone, but the police hadn’t found any link to Bennet. Also, Bennet seemed genuinely shocked and repulsed when he’d heard about the beating.

She let Gloria take on the heavier stuff while she focused on the light work. About noon, there was a knock at the front door. A woman stood at the door wearing jeans and a t-shirt. She looked like a customer. Ellis hated to disappoint people, but they were closed. Staring at her from this side of the glass was awkward and she decided to open the door.

Before turning the lock, Ellis glanced around, looking to see if anyone else was with the woman. The parking lot looked empty. Cautiously, Ellis opened the door, ready to tell the woman they were closed.

“Hi, Ellis, right? I’m Remi. I’m with Kevlar.”

The words didn’t make sense. “What?”

“He’s a SEAL. Trip was chatting with Kevlar about you closing your shop and everything that happened, and I know it’s weird, but I knew where your shop was and wanted to see if you needed help.”

“Oh.” Right then, her phone rang. It was Trip. She answered as she let Remi inside. “Trip.”

“Hey, one of the women might be stopping by. I mentioned that you were closing your shop and the attack, and well…”

She met Remi’s gaze and smiled. “Remi just got here. Thank you for calling.”

“Sorry, I should have told you earlier. We were on a run.”

“It’s all good. I’ll text you later.”

“Sure.” Trip hesitated before he said bye. She wondered what that was about but didn’t have much time to think because Remi was there, and she wanted to find out why.

She shoved her phone into her pocket and turned to face Remi. “So you’re with Kevlar. I don’t know if I’ve met him.”

Remi’s laughter was more snort than laugh, but it made Ellis smile. She had a feeling she would like this woman.

“Sorry about just stopping by. I ran into a snag at work, and I needed a break.”

“Oh, where do you work?”

Remi bit her lower lip and glanced up at one of the photos Ellis had of lions she’d taken in Africa. “I work for myself. I’m an artist. I draw Pecky the Traveling Taco.”

“Oh crap, that’s you? Pecky is brilliant.”

Remi’s cheeks turned pink and her smile grew wider. “I love the work. But sometimes I get stuck. I heard about what happened, and I want to help. I need some exercise, and I can help you however?—”

The door to the back studio opened, and Gloria came out carrying a bin of supplies. “Oh, I didn’t realize anyone else would be here.”

“Gloria, this is Remi, Remi, Gloria. She works here.”

Remi shook Gloria’s hand after she set down the bin. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Remi was just telling me she draws Pecky the Traveling Taco.”

“Oh, nice. My husband loves it.”

Remi smiled. “Thank you.”

Ellis glanced around. “I’m still doing light stuff. But yes, we could use your help.”

“Awesome. I feel like this space will give me inspiration. I love the lions.”

Ellis had been proud of that shot. “I enjoyed my time in Africa. It was beautiful.”

“I bet. These shots are spectacular. Now then, what can I do?”

Gloria had a list of tasks that needed to be accomplished. With Remi’s help, they were able to work through half the items by three that afternoon. They chatted, and Remi said it would be cool to draw Pecky traveling to Africa to take photos.

Ellis chuckled. “That would be awesome. I loved it there. I have loads of photos you could see. We should make a time when I’m not exhausted.”

“Yes. That would be great.”

Exhaustion hit Ellis and they decided to call it quits.

“Thank you so much for coming by to help.”

Remi gave her a gentle hug. “Any time. I really enjoyed getting to know you. I’m happy you and Trip are together.”

Ellis smiled as she thought about Trip. “He’s really a great guy.”

“I totally get that. Kevlar is amazing. My life would be much duller without him in it.”

When Remi had told her what had happened and how she’d met Kevlar, she’d been shocked and amazed. That someone would go to those lengths was chilling. Then again, she was recovering from an attack, so she knew people would go to great lengths to be awful.

Remi took off, and Ellis grabbed her bag so she could head home. Gloria walked out with her. She was thankful Gloria had moved her car, backing into the space so their driver’s side doors were next to each other. It made her feel safer getting into the car with Gloria right beside her.

Gloria gave her a brief hug before opening her door. “I like Remi.”

“So do I. She’s really nice.”

“And funny. She reminds me a little of Ginger.”

Ellis laughed. “I can see that. It was nice to have help. I need to send her a thank you. I feel good about how much we got done today.”

“So Thursday then?”

Ellis nodded. “Yes, that will give me time to rest.”

“Good. I’ll keep you informed if anything that needs your attention comes through.”

“I really appreciate you working extra last week. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“Luckily for us both, you don’t have to do it without me. I’ll see you on Thursday.”

Gloria waved her out first, and Ellis took off, heading home. She pulled into a grocery store lot to make sure she wasn’t being followed. It was weird having to jump through hoops just to get home safely. The attack still bugged her, but she wasn’t having too hard of a time with fear. At least that had gone in her favor.

Trip arrived a few minutes after her. When he pulled her into his arms, she sighed and relaxed against him. This man knew how to comfort her and make her feel better just by being around.

“How was today?” he asked after kissing her.

“Remi is great. I’m glad she came to help.”

“I don’t know her well, but from what I do know, she’s a good person.”

“I really appreciated her help, and it was nice to chat with her. I’m glad things worked out for her and Kevlar in Hawaii.”

“Oh, yeah. That was bad. It sucks that it was one of our own.” Trip shook his head, disgust evident on his face before he rolled his shoulders. “The ass got what he deserved. Well, he probably deserved worse.”

She wrapped her arms tighter around him, and he rested his cheek on the top of her head. After a few seconds, he relaxed against her, the tension easing from him. Betrayal sucked. She wasn’t sure how someone could betray anyone like the guy had. Especially someone they were close to. Then again, Bennet had been sleeping around with other women. It was the reason she wasn’t planning her wedding at the moment.

“I feel incredibly lucky to have found you.” His deep voice vibrated against her cheek, warming her more. She felt so protected and loved in his arms.

She leaned back and met his gaze. “I’m the lucky one.”

She really felt like she’d struck gold with him. He was strong and could keep her safe, but also so loving and kind. This was the type of man she’d never expected to meet and yet here she was. Hopefully nothing would get in their way because she wanted forever with Trip.