Finding Us by Harper Bentley Read Free Book Online

minute. Everyone is already saying we did and that’s a big load of shit.” Putting my hands on my hips, I let my head fall back and I stared at the ceiling wondering how things had gotten so screwed up.
    “Well, you’re just an idiot for not wanting to make the rumors true,” she said, idiot coming out as “eeediot.”
    My head came down and I looked her in the eye. “You’re right. I am.”
    This got another tilt of her head along with a smirk as she thought she’d finally gotten through to me.
    “See? Now you’re getting it.”
    I snorted. “Oh, I got it a couple weeks ago when the best thing in my life walked out on me. Look, I’ve got shit to do, Alessandra. Time for you to go. But it was great seeing you again,” I said as I took her by the elbow, leading her to the door.
    She sto pped suddenly, looking up at me and quickly saying, “I know how you can get Ellen back.”
    Sure she did. But, hell, I was just about out of options, so why not hear her out. “Oh, yeah? You and about twenty other people. So enlighten me.” I crossed my arms over my chest knowing she was going to blab on and on about diamonds and furs or some stupid shit like that.
    “You need to woo her.” She nodded as she smiled s oftly, her eyes gazing somewhere behind me as a melancholy look filled them.
    There was that “woo” again. Maybe Dad was right.
    I narrowed my eyes at her. Someone had obviously tried wooing her, I guessed, from the faraway look in her eyes. “And what do you suggest?”
    “It’s different for every woman. It’s the one thing that touches her soul. If you find it, you’ll own her heart forever.”
    “Sounds like someone owns your heart,” I stated carefully, watching her for clues to see if she was being serious. I never knew if this chick was being sincere or not.
    She came out of her pensiveness, looking up at me. She flicked her hand carelessly in a dismissive manner. “Oh, that was ages ago. He means nothing to me now. Besides, he wasn’t handsome enough for me.”
    An nnd she was back.
    I chuckled. What a bitch. “Okay, thanks for that,” I said, opening the door and leading her out into the hallway.
    “See you in two weeks on the set,” she said, turning to grin at me, putting a hand against my chest, tiptoeing up to kiss my cheek, then she spun and flipped her hair with her hand as she strutted back to her condo.
    I went back inside and closed the door, going to the kitchen to get a beer, thinking about what she’d said. The one thing that touches her soul.
    I needed to find the answer to that and fast.

Chapter 5
     
    We’d lost the game and I was on the plane flying back to Chicago. I hadn’t really come up with a plan of action; I just hoped it’d hit me when I landed.
    I’d thought a lot about what Alessandra had said over the next day and a half, and had come up with an answer.
    The one thin g I believed that touched Ellen’s soul was security, knowing I was there for her, keeping her safe and letting her know I wasn’t going anywhere. And I’d blown that all to shit. But now it was time to repair that.
    Let the wooing begin.
    I rented an SUV and called Ross asking him where El was. She was working, so I headed to the campus Starbucks. It’d now been a month, four weeks, since I’d seen or talked to her and I couldn’t wait any longer.
    I pulled into the parking lot and turned off the engine, taking a deep breath. Here went everything. Getting out, I walked to the door, opening it for two women who were coming out then walked inside. The place was surprisingly busy at seven o’clock at night. Guess some people needed caffeine at all hours.
    I walked toward the counter and froze when I saw her, sucking in a deep breath. My God, had she always been that stunning? She was waiting on a customer, smiling as she took his order then turning to make his drink.
    She must’ve felt my stare on her as she prepared the order in a blender because she shifted her head to the side a tiny