Elly in Love. Colleen Oakes

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      Elly woke up to the feeling of something being wrong in her house. Something was off. She sat up in bed, her hair a tangled mess, and her pants bunched around her hips. What is going on right now? Her sleep daze made her clumsy and slow. She shook her head, as if to shake the blurry thoughts free. Cadbury. Where was Cadbury? He usually woke her up by whining at the side of her bed. That or she was choked out of deep sleep by a haze of dog farts.

      “Cadbury?” she called. There was no response. The apartment was a silent tomb. Still half-asleep, Elly pulled herself out of bed and limped down the hall. She winced as she turned the corner—her arm, chest, and shoulder were sore from the mountain of designing she had done yesterday. Elly took a step toward the kitchen. A thin sound penetrated the silence, and she jumped, her heart thundering against the front of her chest. It was a low voice, rising gently over the waves of “Moon River.” Keith? Elly quickly smoothed down her hair.

      “Elly, come out … I know you’re in the hallway.”

      Elly licked her finger and tried to frantically wipe off any lingering eye makeup. What was he doing here? She cursed the day she gave Keith a key and decided to take it back immediately. Keith seeing her in “morning mode” was just not an option. Not yet, anyway.

      “Elly?”

      Elly took a deep breath and turned the corner, plastering a fake smile on her face and vowing not to kill him with her morning breath. But it didn’t matter, because she suddenly had no breath at all.

      Her dining room pulsed with a bright, happy glow. The piles of dirty dishes and mail had been put away—hadn’t her bra been on the table?—and sitting on it instead was a luscious breakfast spread. Red serving plates held stacks of pancakes, trays of bacon and eggs, a bowl of fruit, pastries, and a bottle of champagne. Harsh February sunlight filtered through a pitcher of juice, sending orange light dancing across the room. Keith stood by the table, radiating nervousness, his Italian flag apron wrapped tightly around his waist. Cadbury sat patiently by his side and stared up at him with pure adoration. On the middle of the table sat Elly’s arrangement, the “Designer’s Choice,” looking even more lovely than she remembered it. The Maria Theresa roses had opened, their opulent petals spreading wide. Soft green viburnum seemed to hum in front of her bay window.

      Elly felt tears in her eyes. “How did you …?”

      Keith gestured for her to sit down. “I let myself in a couple of hours ago. I’m lucky you’re such a sound sleeper. And that you have a microwave.” He paused. “And that you snore so loud. I dropped a dish, and you didn’t even hear it.”

      Elly grimaced as she looked up at the clock. He knew she snored. Awesome. “It’s eleven! How did I sleep so late?”

      Keith gave her a knowing look. “It was Valentine’s Day. Kim told me that you started designing at five a.m. yesterday.” Kim. That dirty little spy!

      Elly smiled, filled with a deep love of her friend, who always had Elly’s best interest in mind. She sat down at the table, dazzled by the spread, by Keith’s wide grin, and by the aroma of buttermilk wafting up from the pancakes. “Keith. This is….”

      He held up his hand. “Eat first. Then we’ll talk. You’ve earned it.”

      Elly nodded. “Okay. Breakfast first.”

      Keith shook out a napkin and laid it gently on her lap. His hand lingered on her shoulder, and Elly had the sudden urge to brush her lips across it. She didn’t. Instead, she reached for the bacon.

      To say it was a feast would have been an understatement. The eggs were cooked to perfection, the pastries were handmade and delicious, and the fruit was so ripe she sighed as it exploded across her tongue. As she ate, Keith explained that this had been his plan all along.

      “I know that you said not to do anything on Valentine’s Day, and I even though I really wanted too, I didn’t.” He paused. “Elly, I thought of you all day.”

      Her heart released a shower of sparks as he continued, unaware of the effect he was having on her this morning.

      “I knew the best present I could give you was the sleep and focus for the day that you so desperately needed. And I hope you don’t mind the flowers.” He fidgeted nervously, and Elly focused on not tackling him. They just weren’t there yet. Right? Taking things slow. He is the most-amazing man, she thought, her mouth full of strawberries. Do I even deserve him? “I know you made the flowers for yourself, but I thought that out of everyone who deserved something beautiful, you deserved it the most. And I don’t know anyone who does the gorgeous work you do. It was hard to be sneaky, but Kim helped.”

      Elly smiled as she spooned more fruit onto her plate. “I’m going to kill her for this.”

      “Aw, don’t. She had a hard time organizing the flower thing so you wouldn’t have any suspicions. Although, I felt bad afterwards, like maybe I should have ordered something for her as well, just for helping me.”

      Elly rolled her eyes. “Uh, yeah, I think she’ll be okay. Sean got her a surprise trip to Paris for Valentine’s Day, and let her pick out whatever she wanted from the store. He’s always romancing her out of this world.”

      Keith looked a bit uncomfortable. “Wow. Sorry I didn’t think of that. She got Paris and you just have pancakes….” He looked sadly at the table.

      Oh my gosh, why did I say that? Elly snapped at herself. That was horrible! She reached across the table and took his hand. “Keith.” She leveled her gaze at him. “This is perfect. An afternoon at the Met does not compare to this.”

      Keith smiled, trying to contain his laughter. “Elly, the Met is in New York.”

      Elly ignored him. “It’s all the same. That’s what I’m saying. Can I have some pancakes now?”

      He pulled his hand away, and Elly was left with an outstretched arm. “Not yet. I have one more surprise for you. This is your real present.” He hesitated. “Now if you want jewelry, or something more, let me know. I want to do this right. It’s been a while since I spent Valentine’s Day with a striking woman by my side, and I want to make sure it’s everything you could want.”

      Elly felt up to her head of semigreasy hair. Striking. That was one word for it.

      “Now close your eyes and open your mouth.”

      Elly raised her eyebrow and gave Keith a skeptical look. Um, what?

      Keith gave a deep laugh. СКАЧАТЬ