Heartbeats in Moonlight

Chapter 6

"It did seem strange." Nodding, Amelia agreed, though she wasn't sure that Ella's adjectives were fair. And she wished she had the nerve to just say things like that.

"What? Her waterworks?"

Amelia nodded again. "I guess so. Well, according to Jack she cried." She shrugged. "I didn't see her crying."

"Sneaky. Definitely scheming again." Ella poked her tongue in her cheek before saying, "If I were you, I'd steer clear of Jane De Mello on this trip." Ella's brain worked through Amelia's statements. "Sounds like she's setting you up."

"Me? Why?"

"Does she need a reason?" Ella looked over at Amelia and rolled her eyes. "Honestly Ames!" Ella gave Amelia a speaking look. Then Ella's brow furrowed as she responded quickly as she thought about that witch, Jane. "She is plotting something!"

Amelia huffed, "Jack thinks I'm mean to Jane because I think she fancies Ben!" Ella choked as Amelia carried on, "Apparently I am jealous!" Ella blinked for several seconds as Amelia's words sunk in. "About Ben. You know, about her and Ben." She narrowed her gaze and hoped that Ella understood her predicament.

Eventually Ella stopped spluttering, dab at her mouth and said, "A, there is no Ben and her, and B, if there was something between them, we would puked! And we would tell him he is an idiot!" Ben and Amelia were friends for a long time. Platonic friends, but close. Ella couldn't understand it, but for some reason Amelia and Ben's friendship worked despite the fact that Ben dated like it was going out of style whereas Amelia had only started dating seriously in the last couple of years.

"Well, Jack thinks there is 'a thing' between Ben and Jane! And that I am jealous about that. I mean, honestly, Ben is like a brother to me. That would be incest. I wouldn't be jealous. Well, ok, if was her, I wouldn't be happy. But not because I am jealous. If there was a thing between Ben and Jane I would be worried." Everything that came out of her mouth, in a rush. From Amelia's position, Jack had casted her as the devil, but actually, Jane was the villain.

"Yes. Poor Ben." Ella retorted dryly. Ben was a good-looking man of charm, property and wealth. But, Amelia and Ben were practicality siblings. "Jack's radar is skewed." Ella murmured. That statement reminded her about David. That was the trouble; she was on his radar, but for the wrong reasons. Ever since she had arrived at this town she had an urge to return back to her old town, all because she had one major unsettled issue, with David. Of course he had clocked her on his radar, but probably clocked her as the cool bitch in the town. She knew, she had acquired strategies at avoid him. Her best strategy was to turn around before he spotted her. She was pretty good at strolling past him without even acknowledging his presence. Her heart did not sprint. Her brain had not fried and she was amazing at insouciance! And she loved it when she saw him frown. It took her a tense few seconds to remember that she was meant to listen to Amelia. Obviously she had missed something, so she tried to piece the fragments and caught up with Amelia's train of thought.

Amelia explained in her usual quiet manner, "I was going to try to explain things to Jack. That's why I thought we'd buy the stuff today. No know, just, well, I was just hoping to catch him at the store." She took a deep breath as she reached for composure.

"What's to explain?" Ella looked over and said haughtily, with that supreme quiet confidence that Amelia expected from Ella, "He thinks you are jealous of that sly bitch." Amelia ignored Ella's raised eyebrow. "Of course you could tell him that he is a gullible fool and Jane is a calculating witch!" That brought Ella back to David, as he obviously thought the same about her, that he was gullible and she was a witch. She was not good at forgiving, and she ignored his attempts to make up when she first arrived at this town. She started this: She basically ignored him. And he picked up the gauntlet. Of course, she didn't want his attention. Their issue was embossed on her brain. And she was pretty sure that he had not forgotten it. And she was certain that he had not forgiven her either. How they had managed for the last two years, how they lived in the same town without starting a war was beyond Ella's comprehension.