Never Close Enough

© Copyright Anie Michaels 2013

This publication is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws, and all rights are reserved, including resale rights: you are not allowed to give, copy, scan, distribute or sell this book to anyone else.

Never Close Enough

By Anie Michaels

Chapter One

Ella

There were certain days one wasn't supposed to spend alone; Holidays, anniversaries, graduations, and most importantly, birthdays. Birthdays had always held special rank with Ella, so she found it ironic that here she was driving in what could only be described as hurricane conditions, towards the beach, stifling back sobs, alone, and on her thirtieth birthday. Just hours earlier she had the bad luck typical in her life, to walk in on her boyfriend as he and some chesty brunette were in the middle of some crazy Kama Sutra pose that could only lead Ella to believe that the slut was not only a whorish home-wrecker, but also some crazy yoga instructor for people with no bones. Perfect.

He and super-slut were so involved in their activities he probably wouldn't have even noticed he'd been caught except that Ella had backed into a bookshelf as she tried to stumble out of the bedroom, causing all kinds of raucous as books and knickknacks fell to the floor. His head turned, and their eyes met, and Ella saw what she thought was remorse in them, but she didn't recognize anything else about him. She couldn't add it all up, and apologized to them, like she had accidentally gone into the wrong apartment. She grabbed the suitcase she had placed by the front door that morning, and left before he had a chance to catch her. As she flew down the stairs she could hear him calling her name, but didn't know how to make herself stop, or allow him to see her so embarrassed.

So now it was two hours later, and she was still on her way to the beach house they were supposed to be spending the next week at celebrating her birthday. Only she was very much alone and still replaying everything that had happened back at their apartment. What had happened? She knew things weren't perfect with Kyle, but it had never occurred to her that he was cheating. This week was supposed to be their chance to reconnect, to get back the spark that had been slowly dwindling between them. She had been sure that all they needed was some time alone, then all the space between them would fade away, and they'd get back to the couple they'd been in the beginning. Back when even an inch was too much space between them. Back to nights of snuggling on the couch and watching movies and talking until one of them, usually her, passed out. Back when things were simple.

It was really raining now, and sheets of water were pounding her windshield, making it almost impossible to see, and definitely not safe to drive in. She took the next exit, and came up to a bar with "Tilly's" flashing in neon lights. This was just a good of a place as any to take shelter from this terrible rain, and she could definitely use a drink. She ran quickly from her car to the wooden doors with handles made of small logs, a rustic touch that signified her proximity to the beach.

Inside, there were only a few people scattered throughout the room. Two men were playing pool, a man and woman sat at a table near the juke box, and a few more men were sprinkled at the bar. Ella took a few seconds to shake the water off her coat, hung it on the coat rack near the door, and headed to the bar. The bartender was a woman who looked to be in her mid-sixties with short hair that was once brown, but now was more gray than any other color. When Ella sat down, the woman headed her way.

"Hey there, what can I get for you?"

Ella wasn't a big drinker, and always felt a little silly ordering drinks for fear of sounding like an imposter of some sort.

"I will just have a vodka sour, please."

"Sure thing. Can I see some I.D.?"

"Of course." Most people liked getting carded, but Ella felt the novelty wore off by twenty-three and it seemed silly now. She handed her I.D. over hoping she didn't seem annoyed.

"Well, my dear, you're entitled to a birthday drink on the house!" the woman said with a smile on her face. Oh right, her birthday.

"Oh, well that's nice. I had honestly forgotten about my birthday. Today hasn't gone the way I thought it would," Ella said while looking down at a coaster she had started spinning on the bar.

"Well, I will go get you that drink and if you'd like you can tell me about it. My name's Tilly, and I'm a really good listener."

"Tilly, as in the flashing signs outside "Tilly"?" Ella asked.

"The one and only. This is my place, and I make the rules, so you get a birthday drink."

Tilly walked away to make her drink and Ella reached into her purse to find her phone. There were seventeen missed calls and five text messages. All from Kyle. Ella debated for a moment whether she wanted to read any of them or not, but gave in to her curiosity.

**Ella, please come back. Where are you going?**

**Please talk to me! Why won't you answer your phone?**

**Ella, I'm worried about you. Tiffany doesn't mean anything to me. You've got to believe me.**

**Please call me so we can talk.**

**Ella, at least let me know that you're ok.**

Ella sighed, and quickly typed a message out.

** I am safe. I went to the beach. Please stop calling and texting. I need some time. I will call when I am ready to talk.**

"Here's your birthday drink, on the house," Tilly said as she set the drink down on the coaster Ella had been spinning. "So, tell me what's got you so down on your birthday, honey."

Ella looked at Tilly, and decided that being a pseudo-shrink to patrons was part of the job description of a bartender, so she spilled. "I came home early from work and found my boyfriend having porno sex with a very limber, woman-jellyfish hybrid." Ella took a sip of her drink, looked down at her glass, and sighed. "We were supposed to be coming to the beach for my birthday to get away, to reconnect, but when I saw them together I sort of shut down, grabbed my bags and ran." Ella looked up at Tilly, who stared blankly at her, waiting for more information, so she continued.

"It never occurred to me that Kyle could be cheating, that there was a Tiffany out there I should be worried about. I didn't even yell. I said nothing. I almost felt like I had walked in on strangers accidentally. I should be angrier, right? I should be throwing things. I should be ruining his clothes and spray painting his car with four letter words, but I'm just not."

"Well, honey, what are you feeling?" Tilly asked gently.

Ella took in a deep breath, held it for a second, and let it out loudly.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just sad. I don't know if Kyle was The One," Ella said with emphasis, "but I certainly wasn't looking for anything else, and it hurts to think that he could be with someone other than me, and someone so opposite of me." Ella thought about the chesty brunette, and even though she hadn't taken a thorough look at the woman, she knew Tiffany was everything she wasn't. Busty, brunette, tall, and flexible to boot. Ella was shorter, with blonde hair that came down past her shoulders, and had curves where she should, but they were nothing to get excited about.

"Well, it sounds to me like he didn't know what he had, and he doesn't deserve you anyway. Good riddance to bad rubbish" Tilly said.

The swinging double doors behind the bar suddenly opened which had both Ella and Tilly turning to look at the man who walked through them.

"There was a leak in the main line to the dishwasher, which caused a pressure problem, which is why nothing was getting clean. I patched it, but you might need to get an actual plumber in here to check it out soon, if you don't want it to cause problems again," he said.

"Thanks son, you're a life saver," Tilly said as she affectionately rubbed his arm. Tilly turned to Ella, and said "This is my son, Porter. He comes around sometimes to fix things that need fixing, like a good son should."

"Hi, I'm Ella," she said as she reached her hand out to him. He took it, and she was surprised at how commanding his handshake was. Not hard or rough, but firm and purposeful. She looked him in the eyes as he shook her hand, and couldn't help but notice how stupidly handsome he was. He was tall with dark hair that wasn't short, but wasn't long, and didn't really have a style. It simply fell where it fell, and looked messy on purpose. Like he spent much of his time running his fingers through it.

"Nice to meet you," he said in a way that left her feeling like he was used to his mother introducing him to women at her bar, and that this handshake was one of many he'd been roped into. He turned back to his mother and said, "I'm going to go take a look at the lock on that door in the bathroom before

I leave."

"Ok, thanks" Tilly replied. He walked toward the small hallway that had a sign above it that said 'Restrooms'. Tilly looked back at Ella and said, "Sorry he was so gruff. He's a nice guy; it just takes a while for him to warm up. His Daddy died when he was a boy, and he took on the 'man of the house' role, and I think he grew up a little too fast. But he's the most loyal loving son I could ask for."

"That's fine, I'm probably not the best candidate for conversation tonight anyways." Ella grabbed her purse, and put a single on the bar. "I better get out of here if I'm ever going to find my rental. Thanks for listening, and thanks for the birthday drink," She said to Tilly.

"No problem, honey. You come on back here before you leave town, we have a real good lunch menu. And I hope you have a good rest of your birthday," she said with a smile.

"Thanks, I will try." Ella got up and headed to the door, pulled on her coat, and headed out into the rain. She jogged the short distance to her car, got in, but when she put the keys in the ignition the car wouldn't start. That was an understatement. The car wouldn't do anything. It didn't even try to start. She looked around and noticed that her headlight knob was still switched on.

"Damn it!"

Ella slumped down until her head thumped against the steering wheel, and she tried not to think about why everything had to fall apart at the same time. Tried not to think about how Kyle should be here to help her figure out what is wrong with her car. Tried not to think about how alone she felt at this very moment. She let out the breath she'd been holding and opened her car door to head back into the bar. This time she didn't bother to take her coat off, just headed to the bar, and sat down on the stool she had just vacated. Tilly handed another woman a drink that looked a little too tropical to enjoy while a monsoon raged outside, and came back to Ella.

"Ella, what's wrong?"

"Well, my car won't start. I think I killed the battery. Do you have a phonebook so I can call a tow truck?"

"Oh, I don't think you'll get a tow truck out here for a battery in this weather. There's only two or three in the area, and they will be busy responding to accidents from the rain."

"Well that's just great," Ella said.

"Hey Mom, that lock is fixed," Porter said as he came out of the hallway, heading towards the bar.

"Great honey, thanks. Hey do you have jumper cables in your truck? Ella's battery died."

"No. I loaned them to Bob the last time he was in here."

"That's ok, I will just call a cab," Ella said as she shrugged.

"A cab?" Porter laughed. "There aren't any cabs out here, you'd have better luck hitch-hiking."

"Ok, well that's not an option," Ella replied, a little annoyed that he obviously thought she was out of her element – which she was, but he didn't need to be so smug about it.

"No problem," Tilly said. "Porter was just finishing up here, so he can take you where ever you are going, right Porter?"

Porter stared blankly at his mother for a second, obviously irritated by her offering up his services. "Yea, sure, no problem. Where you headed?"

"I'm staying at a rental in Lincoln City on Elm St.," Ella said. "But really, it's ok. I'll manage."

"Well, don't be so stubborn, you can't walk. It's at least ten miles down the road," Tilly said. "I would take you myself but I don't close for another few hours. Porter will take you, he doesn't mind." She smiled sweetly at her son with a look that implied he didn't have a choice.

"Let's get going then," he said. Ella followed him out the door. She stopped at her black Toyota to grab her bags out of the trunk, just one suitcase and one duffel bag. She noticed he hadn't stopped to wait for her, so he was almost to his truck on the other side of the lot. She picked up her pace and made it to the passenger side just as he was shutting his door. She took a deep breath before she got in, and tried to plaster a polite smile onto her face to give the illusion that she was thankful for the ride. She had a feeling that the next few miles in a car with this man would be less than pleasant.

Chapter Two

Porter

This was so typical of his mother. She was always volunteering him for projects or favors for friends, especially if they were for pretty women. It didn't matter to him that Ella was pretty, or even beautiful. He noticed her small frame, and how her blue eyes locked on his when they shook hands. He noticed the way she smelled like vanilla, but it didn't matter. He wasn't looking for relationships, he was never looking for relationships. Sure, he'd had his fair share of women, especially when he was younger, but he'd never felt the need to date anyone seriously. He'd had a few girlfriends, mostly when he was younger, but nothing serious. He never felt compelled to be in a relationship and only considered dating the few women he had because he knew his mother desperately wanted him to be married, and she wanted grand babies. None of the women ever stuck though, and the longest he'd been with one woman had been merely a couple months.

"So what's the address of your rental?" He asked.

"Oh, um, I'm not sure. I will look it up right now."

Porter rolled his eyes in the dark, knowing she couldn't see him. He saw her fumbling with her phone, and tried to hide his annoyance.

"Ok, here we go. It's 2358 Elm St in Lincoln City."

"Alright, that shouldn't be too hard to find," he said.

"Thanks for driving me, I'm sure this isn't how you envisioned spending your Friday night."

"It's no problem, but you should really carry jumper cables with you, so you don't end up stranded."

"You're right, I shouldn't rely on the kindness of strangers" she said with a little edge to her voice.

"I guess you're lucky I am a kind stranger, and not some lunatic who happened to be at the right place at the right time to take advantage of you," he snapped.

"Oh, well thank my lucky stars! I do say, you're a regular hero," she said, her voice oozing with sarcasm. "Look, I've had a pretty rotten day and I don't need you lecturing me. So either take me to my rental, or I can get out and walk the rest of the way."

Porter thought about arguing further, but decided to save his breath. It was only a few more minutes to her place, and then he could leave her in peace, and it wasn't her fault that his mother was always trying to set him up with women. They traveled in silence the rest of the way, and when they found her place he pulled into the drive way threw the truck into park.

"Do you need help in with your bags?"

"Um, no. Now I just have to figure out how to get in."

"What do you mean? You don't have the keys?"

"No, I don't have the keys. I found this place on the internet, and the owners told me in an email that they keep the key hidden on the property. I just have to find that email real quick."

"Let me get this straight," Porter says. "You are traveling alone, without jumper cables, taking rides from strangers, unaware of the address of your rental, and without any keys to get it? Are you out of your mind?!"

"Excuse me?" she gaped at him, pissed off that he would talk to her that way. "I have keys, they are just hidden, out there somewhere," she gestured out the windshield of his truck. "According to this email," she said pointing at her phone, "they are under the potted flowers on the back porch."

Porter said nothing, but opened his door and jumped down from his truck. He stomped through the rain, up the steps of the front porch, and around to the back. A few seconds later he returned headed towards the front door, and he saw her grab her bags and head to meet him there. He opened the door, fumbled around for a light switch, found it and turned it on, but nothing happened. He flipped it up and down a few more times, somehow hoping that it would start working after a few tries.

Porter let out a frustrated growl, "I don't suppose you know how to turn on the electricity, do you?"

"Not exactly," Ella said hesitantly.

"How can you be so irresponsible to get yourself into this situation to begin with?" Porter nearly shouted.
"Listen," Ella said, turning towards Porter matching his annoyance in her tone, "I didn't plan any of this! Today was supposed to be my birthday get away. My boyfriend was supposed to be with me, handling all of these details. It's not my fault that I found him having sex with someone else not four hours ago. He decided to abandon our relationship to have crazy-bendy sex with that slut, and it looked like better sex than we'd ever had together, so tell me how fair that is? I am sorry if helping me has been an inconvenience for you, or I haven't lived up to some standard of responsible behavior. I was just trying to get away from what seemed to be my life falling apart!" She was breathing heavily, and he could tell she was trying to hold tears back. Seeing her that way shifted something inside of him.

Porter didn't know what to say. She was obviously upset, and he wasn't sure how much of that anger he was responsible for, but he wanted to make it right. He might not be the world's friendliest person, but he wasn't an ass.
"Look, Ella, I am sorry. I had no idea any of that was going on. I don't know what's wrong with your boyfriend, but he sounds like an idiot if he'd do anything to mess things up with you. And I'm sorry for yelling about the cables and keys. I guess it just bothers me thinking about what could have happened to you if I hadn't been around."
But that was the strange thing. It did bother him, more than he was comfortable with. He wasn't used to worrying about anyone, and he didn't usually go out of his way to help anyone besides his mother. But the idea of some schmoe off the street driving Ella home and helping her into her house made his blood run fast through his veins. For now, he was just glad he had been around when she needed him. "Let's go inside, and you can sit down and I will get the power on for you."

Chapter Three

Ella

Ella was ready for this day to be over. She sat quietly on the couch in the living room, alone in the dark, trying really hard not to crumble into tiny shards of blubbering female. She would have plenty of time for a formal breakdown, she just needed to hold on to her sanity for a few more minutes. The lights came on suddenly, and she heard Porter's footsteps coming up the stairs.

"I found the fuse box, got everything turned on. You should be good to go here," he said as he stood at the threshold from the basement to the kitchen.

"Thanks again, for everything. I am sorry I got a little crazy out there earlier, it's been a rough day," Ella said.

"Forget about it. Sorry you're having an awful birthday. Listen," he started slowly walking into the kitchen, heading in her direction. "Tomorrow, if you'd like, I could get my cables back from Bob, and take you back to your car, and give it a jump."

"No, Porter, really, you've done enough. I appreciate it, but I can figure it out."

"The way I see it, I sort of owe you for snapping at you outside. I shouldn't have done that, and I apologize."

Ella didn't really want to take him up on his offer. After everything that had happened she was a little embarrassed that she had thrown a grown-woman tantrum, and wanted this whole experience to be behind her. She gave him a weak smile and said, "Thanks for that Porter, apology not necessary, but I accept. I will figure everything out tomorrow, I have bothered you enough."

Porter looked her directly in the eyes for a short moment, looked out the window towards the ocean, and then headed toward the door. "If you change your mind you can always call my mom at the bar, she will get me a message. Her number is listed, so you should be able to find it if you need it," he said as he came to the door. He reached for the doorknob, opened the door, and then turned back to her. "I hope you enjoy your stay here, Ella. And I hope you realize while you're here that any man who cheats, isn't worth the tears you will likely shed over him. You're a beautiful woman, and it's obvious that he's made the mistake by taking you for granted, so try not to spend too much time being heart broken." He pulled the door all the way open and walked out into the rain. Ella followed him out of the house and down the porch steps. She watched him back his truck up, and then pull it out onto the long driveway. Once his truck was out of sight, she turned to go back into the house.

Ella looked at the beautiful house and felt a wave of sadness. This was supposed to be the romantic house where her and Kyle found each other again. She had specifically chosen this house because it had a gorgeous wrap-around porch with a swing that faced the ocean. When she had found the house online she had imagined spending nights on that swing with Kyle, drinking wine, holding hands, watching the sunset. Now she was pretty convinced she would be swinging alone, but still drinking the wine.

Ella closed the door and felt a little confused about the one-eighty Porter had done. On the drive over he had seemed like she had been a huge annoyance to him, and now he was giving her relationship advice and compliments? Weird. It was sweet of him, but it caught her off-guard. She locked the door, and headed back into the living room where she had left her bags. She looked at the clock over the mantel, nine o'clock. It was late enough that she didn't feel like a total loser for going to bed, and she really couldn't find a good reason to be awake any more. She took her bags up the stairs, and walked all the way down to hallway to the master bedroom at the end.

She walked in and all her sadness came rushing back. The four poster bed with white chiffon curtains cascading all the way to the floor was exactly like she had seen in the pictures. It was such a romantic bed, and it had been her every intention to spend many hours in it with Kyle. She had daydreams since booking this house about the two of them loving each other here, talking about their future, remembering why they were with each other. She sat on the bed and gave in to the quiet sobs that she'd been holding in for the last hour.

She leaned all the way back on the bed, covering her face with both hands. She rolled on her side and pulled her kneed to her chest, as violent cries racked her body. She cried at first because she was confused – what had she done wrong? Why did he need to sleep with someone else? As she cried, she remembered walking in on them, and her confusion turned into anger – Why hadn't he tried to talk with her before he cheated? How long had he been sleeping with her? Was she the only one? Ella immediately felt ill. She hadn't even considered the possibility that he'd been with more women than just the flexi-whore.

She thought very seriously about calling him and having this conversation with him, but knew she would just be a crying mess, and she didn't want him to know how upset she was. She wanted to be calm and collected when they spoke, and not give him any indication of how truly wrecked she was. Besides, what could he really say to her at this point? All she wanted was answers, because the resolution was clear: they were over. She loved Kyle, but she would never stay with a man who cheated on her. She had enough self-respect to know that he had given her up when he'd decided to be with someone else, but that realization hurt, as well. He'd chosen someone else over her, consciously or not.

She cried for the loss of the relationship, she cried for the betrayal, and she cried for the hopelessness she felt that anything would work out the way she'd planned. She got up from the bed, opened her suitcase and pulled out a nightgown. She went into the master bathroom, and as her sobs started to subside she readied herself for bed.

As she came out of the bathroom she went out onto the attached balcony. She noticed that the rain had let up and although she couldn't see any stars, she could hear the ocean. She closed her eyes and listened hard for the rhythm of the waves coming onto the shore of the beach. She knew from the web page that the house was very close to the water, and she was grateful that at this very moment, the steadiness of the surge of the ocean was calming her nerves. It gave her a little satisfaction to know that there were things in the world she could always rely on, like the ocean. The constant give and take of the tide, and although the waves move away from you, they always come back. She felt she could be steady like the sea; even though there were storms and swells, she could find her rhythm again.

Porter

Porter had no idea why he'd said those things to Ella. He'd meant them, he just wasn't use to words popping out of his mouth that he wasn't prepared to say. She probably thought he was some weird, manic man who swung like a pendulum from totally irritable to charming and sweet. He hadn't meant to come across that way. He could feel that she was on the verge of a major breakdown, and he wanted to try to ease some of her pain. Hell, he'd wanted to stay and hold her through her sobs, but he knew that was an irrational compulsion, and that she would think it more than a little weird for some stranger to want to hold her while she cried over her boyfriend. But he's be damned if he didn't feel a pull towards her.

The way she had looked when he had come up the stairs from the basement, vacant and still, but so beautiful, had almost caused him to stumble over his words. He knew it was time for him to go, but wanted to find any excuse to see her again. That alone made him wary of his judgment. She was beautiful, but his need be near her, to see her again, was not a feeling he was used to. So he threw out the lame offer to help her get her car running again, and she'd declined like any sane woman should, but he was having a hard time getting past the idea of not seeing her again. She might not be looking for someone to help her, but he was going to see her again, if only to be close to her.

Chapter Four

Ella

Ella woke the next morning and looked through the chiffon fabric out the glass French doors to the balcony. The fabric made the world outside her bed look foggy and muted, which mirrored how she was feeling. She debated staying within the four walls of the four poster bed all day, but the thought of walking the beach this early in the morning was too enticing.

She dug some black yoga pants out of her suitcase, put on her University of Oregon sweatshirt, and threw her hair up into a messy bun. Then grabbed her running shoes and walked down the stairs. The sliding glass door in the living room opened up onto the back of the house that lead directly to the beach. She sat on the porch steps and put her shoes on.

There was nothing Ella loved more than the Oregon coast. People who lived in Oregon didn't come to the coast to swim, and they didn't come to the coast to tan. They came for the view. It was magnificent. Straight ahead she could see the beautiful ocean, with blue-gray waves rolling up onto the shore. Looking to the North there was a tall wall of earth and rock, and Ella knew at the top of that wall there was a peaceful spot of grass and flowers called High Meadow. She had only been to the top once, but it was the closest to Heaven anyone could get on Earth as far as she was concerned. Looking to the East and South, she was totally surrounded by the trees that made Oregon famous. Everywhere you looked, it was green. It was trees, it was moss, it was ferns.

Right now everything was veiled in gray, waiting for the sun to decide if it was going to appear, and as an Oregonian, Ella considered herself lucky if the sun came to the beach with her, but she wasn't going to count on it. There was quite a bit of debris on the sand, from last nights' storm, she figured. It would make some lucky person's day to find a bounty of kindling and firewood for the bonfires that were traditional on the beaches in Oregon, because it was the only way anyone could stay warm.

Ella walked towards the water, listening to the waves and the calls of the seagulls. She stopped before she hit the really wet sand, and just gazed out over the sea. The view was humbling, and inspiring. She had never felt so small and insignificant, or so important at the same time. She needed this message, this reminder, that everything is constantly moving and changing and evolving. She could see the fluidity of the water, the perpetual motion. She could also feel the sturdiness of the sand, which was deceiving since it was hardly solid. Tiny particles bound together to forge one seemingly strong surface. That's how she felt at this moment, like many particles that had been held together for so long, but now threatening to separate. She could feel herself start to fall apart. It was a breakdown she wasn't willing to have again, not after the crying she had done last night. She'd had enough.

She walked along the water, stopping every now and then to admire the view or pick up an interesting shell. As early as it was, there were few other people on the beach, and the ones that were out were jogging or walking their dogs. After she had walked quite a ways she decided to turn back. She had been out for at least an hour, and had done some good thinking and sorting of her feelings. Self-respect was important to Ella, and she knew there was no way to go back to that relationship and maintain a shred of dignity. She knew she would have to call Kyle and deal with him, and the sooner the better, she thought.

As she came back up to the house she was halted by the sight of a man on her porch. She knew immediately it was Porter, even though he had his back to her. She stood in place for a few seconds taking the opportunity to admire him from a distance. She had seen plenty of him the night before, but now she wanted to really look at him. The first thing that stood out to her was his broad shoulders and strong back. He was a man with a tall frame, and his shoulders were wide, like he might have been a quarterback at some point. The strength that was concentrated in this one area was impressive, and the muscles continued down his arms making them a very fine feature, one Ella didn't mind admiring. He was leaning back against the porch railing, wearing jeans with a black, short-sleeved shirt. His legs were crossed at the ankle, and he was talking to someone on the phone.

Ella decided to stop staring at him, and see what it was he wanted. She continued up the path to the porch, and when Porter finally spotted her he held up one finger in the air to indicate 'just a minute'.

"Yea, listen Mitch, I patched the line last night, but it needs someone who knows what they're doing to fix it," he said to whomever he was talking to. "That would be great, I will let her to know expect you later on today. Okay. Thanks man." Porter hung up the phone and turned towards Ella. "Hey, you're up early."

"Good thing, too, cause here you are. What are you doing here, Porter?"

"I know you said last night that you would figure everything out, but I really just couldn't leave you stranded without any help to get back to your car. Please just let me help you. I know you don't need the help, and really you'd be doing me a favor, because if my mom finds out I just abandoned you, she'd kill me."

Ella smiled up at him and said, "She would, wouldn't she?"

Porter laughed, "Yes, so please let me drive you back to the bar."

Ella turned toward the house and said as she was walking away "Fine, but I have to take a quick shower first. Make yourself at home." Ella had no way of knowing but she was pretty sure he was watching her walk away, so she made sure she gave a little extra sway in her hips. As she climbed the stairs she heard him moving around the living room.

A few minutes later Ella came down the stairs, grabbed her purse off of the counter and said, "Ready?"

"Yea, let's go." Porter headed toward his truck, and Ella followed after locking the door. He went to the passenger side and opened the door for her.

"Such a gentleman today, Porter. Or are you Porter's much nicer and chivalrous twin brother?"

Porter laughed, shut her door and got in on his side. "I know I was a little harsh last night, I didn't mean to be. I apologize, again. My mom has a habit of making me, how shall I say, overly available to any woman who is single, attractive, and seems nice. She's an eternal optimist and thinks one day I will settle down with someone and have a family."

"So," Ella said, "you think I'm attractive and nice?" She asked just to watch him squirm.

Porter fumbled a little, ran his hand through his hair and said "Well, I mean, I'm not blind, and anyone who can see you would agree that you are gorgeous." He held her eyes for a moment more, but then turned back to start the truck.

Ella watched Porter maneuver out of the drive way, and felt like she couldn't hide her surprise at his words. She wanted to make him smile and laugh, but wasn't expecting him to respond so sincerely. She had really only had one serious relationship with Kyle, and a few short term boyfriends in college. None of them had given her a compliment that had made her breathing falter and heart race. She tried to maintain her cool composure, but was sure he could hear her finally let out the breath she was holding. "Well, I guess we'll both have to deal with each other's good looks then," she said giving him a shy smile. "So, where is this Bob, and will he give you your cables back?"

"After I left your place last night I went to Bob's house and got them. You know, just on the off chance I could convince you to let me help." Porter said.

"I see," Ella said, thinking it was a little cute that he had planned this the night before, "so now just off to your mom's bar?"

"That's the plan."

"So, tell me what you do for work. Oh my gosh," Ella said quickly, "You're not missing work for this, are you?"

"No, it's fine. I work for myself. I am a contractor. So I will do almost anything that involves tools, power equipment, lumber. You name it, I can build it."

"Not to mention, you fix dishwashers."

"Oh no. I am no plumber. Along with my mother's keen eye for pretty girls, she also feels like I am far more capable at handy-man duties than I really am. You want a deck? I can do that. You need an addition built on to your house, I'm your man, but I do not mess with the plumbing or electrical. She just thinks way too highly of me."

"Awe, she just loves you, I'm sure. Plus you probably charge her a lot less, right?" Ella said laughing.

"I guess that's a good point, I might have to raise my rates among family," he said smiling back at her. "So tell me, what do you do?"

"I opened my own boutique in Portland a few years back, and it's been doing pretty well. I am pretty hands on, so I put in quite a few hours at the shop, but it is the best feeling to be your own boss, right? That's something we have in common." She looked over him and he turned to look at her.

"Ya, I agree. I really like that I get to choose how I am going to spend my time, and that I can make my own plans, but there's also a lot of pressure. I've got three guys working under me, and I know that if I can't pull it together and do right by them, their families will struggle. That's a big driving force behind my work."

Ella agreed quietly and nodded her head at him. What he had said really touched her. She often felt the same pressure, although she only really employed two other women who were both working through college, so the pressure wasn't as high. However, she not only understood what he was saying, but admired the fact that he was aware of his responsibility to his employees. He sounded so grown up, and responsible, and surprisingly to her, that was a huge turn on. In spite of his acute bought of grumpiness displayed the night before, he was being completely friendly and open to her today. She was doing her best to reconcile the fact that he was someone she would normally be very attracted to, had she been in a place emotionally to have an attraction.

"So tell me Porter, how old is Lincoln City's most eligible bachelor?"

"Bob is at least 65," Porter said with a straight face.

"Oh really? I guess that's not too old for me, as long as he has money."

"Oh, he's loaded," Porter said, finally breaking a smile towards Ella.

Chapter 5

Ella

Porter had taken her to her car where he was currently hooking some cables up to their batteries. He seemed more than capable so Ella let him handle the task. She felt her purse vibrating and then realized that he phone had been on silent since yesterday. She took her phone out and saw 'Kyle' on the screen. She hesitated, but then thought she'd have to face him sooner or later. "Hello?"

"Ella! You answered, I'm so glad. Listen, we need to talk," Kyle said

"Kyle, I don't really think there's anything to talk about."

"Of course there is, Ella. I am so sorry about what you saw. I don't know what I was thinking. That never should have happened."

"What shouldn't have happened, Kyle? You cheating on me, or me walking in on you in the act?" Ella's voice was rising, and she knew Porter could hear her, and that he was pretending not to listen to her conversation.

"All of it Ella, I shouldn't have cheated on you, and I am so sorry you had to see what you did. I know I totally messed everything up, and that you deserve better. I don't know how to explain everything that's been going on."

"Start from the beginning Kyle," Ella said softly, she wasn't completely sure she wanted to know what had happened.

"Ok, well, you remember about three months ago, I went on that business trip to Miami?" Kyle asked.

"Yes," Ella remembered him going to Miami for a week, and nothing seemed suspicious.

"Well when I was in Miami I met Tiffany at one of my conferences. I swear to you I didn't go there with the intention of sleeping with anyone. I met her, we were together for work purposes, and things just kind of happened. We went out to dinner with some other people at the conference, we had some drinks, and we just talked all night. We spent the week together, and before I left we slept together. I am so sorry Ella."

"Why didn't you tell me? And this has been going on for three months?!" Ella yelled.

"No. Yes. No. We only slept together once in Miami. After I came home I wanted to fix things with you, Ella. Things have been off between us for a while now, I know you felt it, too. I wanted to make sure that I was giving us the shot we deserved, the shot you deserved. This wasn't your fault Ella, it was mine. Anyway, for the last three months Tiffany has been emailing me at work, asking me to come back to Miami to see her. At first it was friendly, but she started getting really insistent. I kept trying to tell her that I wasn't sure about her and I and that I needed to see what was happening with us. I told her that we were going to the beach, and that I was hoping it would help our relationship, that it would fix us. And I really was, El. I wanted to not feel guilty anymore, and to be happy with you." Kyle was quiet for a few seconds, and Ella could hear him trying to gain control, he was near tears. Ella had a few rogue tears slipping down her cheeks. This was not what she was expecting.

"Tiffany showed up here yesterday afternoon, unexpected," Kyle continued. "I wasn't expecting her to be here, and I wasn't expecting to feel the way I did when I saw her. I just kept thinking about how far apart I feel from you, and how close she was. She wanted me Ella. I haven't felt that from you in years."

"Don't you dare try and turn this around on me Kyle! I was trying just as hard as you were, I was feeling alone, too. I never found some convenient yoga slut to make me feel better!"

"I know, damn Ella, that's not what I meant. I should have talked to you about it, I shouldn't have slept with her, I will never be as sorry about anything else in my life. But it happened, and I can't take it back. Believe me I would."

"Where is she now, Kyle? Is she still there with you?"

"No, I made her leave after you found us."

"Was she the only one?"

"Yes, I swear."

Ella believed him, and she was relieved to know that he had only been with one person. She took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.

"I think we are over Kyle," Ella said softly.

"I know we are, Ella. I am so sorry."

"I think you should move out of the apartment."

"Are you going to stay at the beach?"

"I think that's best."

"I'll be out by the end of the week."

"Bye Kyle."

"Bye El."

Ella ended the call put her phone back in her purse. She used her hands to knead the back of her neck, and felt no amount of pressure would relieve the tension she felt in her body.

"Everything ok, Ella?"

Ella turned around and looked at Porter. She had forgotten he was so nearby, and knew he'd heard the whole conversation.

"Well, if by 'ok' you mean 'totally fucked up', then yes. Everything's dandy," she said with more sadness in her voice than anything.

"Anything I can do to help?" Porter asked.

"Buy me a drink?"

"Ella, it's nine o'clock in the morning."

"Ok, fine, buy me a drink in twelve hours."

Porter laughed, "Ok, I can do that. You want to get in your car and see if it'll start?"

"Sure," she replied. She got in and sat with one leg in the car and one leg out. She put the key in the ignition and it turned over without a problem. She smiled excitedly and said, "And you said you weren't an electrician."

"Well, I guess I missed my calling." Porter walked over to her car, unhooked the cables, shut her hood and then went to her open door and leaned on the frame of the car, boxing her in slightly. "Seriously, are you going to be ok?"

Ella shrugged, "I think so. It's over, and honestly, it's been over for a while. He went about it in a pretty shitty way, but we were destined to end. I've been trying to put it off, trying to fix whatever was wrong, but maybe it's better this way. Relationships should take work, but maybe once it's broken it's too late. We've been broken for a while. I just want to go back to the house, take a hot bath, and relax."

Porter looked down at Ella, then took a step backwards, reaching for his keys in his pocket. "Do you need to follow me back to your house, or do you remember the way?"

"I remember the way, thanks Porter, for everything. I don't know how I would have gotten here to fix my car without you. I am going to hold you to that drink tonight."

"You're on. I will meet you back here in twelve hours, sharp," he said with a smile.

Ella smiled back at him and then closed her door. She backed out of the parking space and waved to Porter as she pulled away. Was she really going to meet him tonight at the bar? She didn't necessarily think anything scandalous would happen, but she was newly single and he was single, too. Would she be giving him the wrong impression by meeting him? What if he was expecting something from her? Well, honestly, if he had wanted something from her he had certainly had a few opportunities, so if he hadn't tried something already, she was probably in the clear, right? Did she want to be in the clear?

She had just broken up with her long term boyfriend, but she didn't feel as upset as she thought she should. She was a little sad, and a little angry for the way it had all ended, but she wasn't destroyed. Was there something wrong with her? She decided that not being an emotional wreck was ok, and that meeting a nice man who had helped her tremendously for a drink wouldn't be the end of the world.

Porter

Porter watched her car pull out on to the road, and smiled as he removed the cables from his battery and put them in the bed of his truck. He turned towards the bar and headed to the door. She had a way of making him smile. He felt bad that she was going through something rough, but he also felt good about being able to help her feel better. As he walked into the bar he saw his mother bring an order to a table of older, retired men. He recognized them as regulars, and knew that they came here almost every morning to eat and flirt with his mom. It was harmless, and Tilly was good at making anyone she came into contact with feel special, so it didn't surprise him that she could bring customers back day after day.

Tilly saw him come in and after giving the men their food and a thousand watt smile, she met him back at the bar. "You want some coffee, son?"

"Yah, thanks"

"What are you doing here this morning? I usually don't see you until the afternoon," Tilly asked as she poured him a cup of coffee.

"I picked up Ella and brought her to get her car. She just left."

"Well, isn't that nice of you," Tilly said, trying to hide her smile from him.

"Calm down mom. It was nothing. I didn't feel right about leaving her there without a way to get back."

"That was very nice of you, honey. I'm sure she appreciates your help."

"She did. She has told me 'Thank You' a few too many times," he said as he took a drink of his coffee. It was delicious. His mom made the best coffee. He'd have to come here in the mornings more often. It tasted even better because he knew his mom wouldn't take any money from him. Free coffee only partly made up for all the times his mother tried to fix him up with unsuspecting women.

"Maybe she'll think of a way to repay you," Tilly said with a wink.

"Mom, honestly, you're ridiculous. Ella just broke up with her boyfriend. Five minutes ago. In the parking lot. She doesn't need you trying to put your nose in her business, and neither do I."

"I am simply suggesting that maybe she doesn't need to be alone right now, perhaps you should keep an eye on her."

"Ok, mom. Well, as it happens, we are meeting here tonight for drinks."

Tilly got an excited look on her face, "That's my boy!"

"That's my cue to leave. You're too much."

"Have a good day, son! See you tonight," she said as he was walking towards the door.

Porter shook his head as he walked to his truck. His mother was relentless. Sometimes he thought he should just find a woman he tolerated to marry just so his mother would back off, but he knew that was a bad idea. He'd never really met a woman he wanted to spend more than an evening with, let alone a lifetime. Would he want more than an evening with Ella? The thought had crossed his mind. He was attracted to her, that was simple. Her blonde hair was enticing, and looked soft enough to touch whether it had been up in a bun this morning, or swirling in the wind last night. Her small frame was highlighted by the roundness of her curves. He had tried not to get caught admiring those curves. She was slender with just enough curve to hold onto. He doubted he'd get an opportunity to hold on to anything of hers, and that was ok. He wasn't into rebounds, and he wasn't a desperate man. He could spend time with a beautiful woman as a friend, without expectations. It didn't mean he couldn't think about getting ahold of her.