Heartbeats in Moonlight

Chapter 44

Amelia was at Evie's place. "I know that Gabriella is flying in for my wedding." Amelia just wished that Ella were here. She had kept in touch with Ella, since she left the town but it would be better if she were here. Of course Amelia and Jack made the important decisions together, but there were so many other judgements, choices, evaluations to make, like this dress. There was so much going on with her wedding arrangements.

"I know." Evie was still thinking about telling Amelia about her conversation with Ella before she left town. That conversation finished on a dismal note. Evie just wished she had dealt with the situation better.

"Did she tell you about her date with Peter?" Amelia looked down at Evie who was pinning her wedding dress hem.

Evie looked up at Amelia, "Ben's milk-sharer?" Evie heard about that through the town's grapevine. So many people in the street had asked her if she knew anything about Ella's relationship with Peter.

"Yes." Amelia nodded.

"What about him?" Evie continued to pin the dress.

Amelia shrugged and prattled on, "That's the point. I don't know." She narrowed her eyes. Every time she reviewed her conversation with Ella, it worried Amelia. 

"Well, a few people asked me about her relationship with Peter." Evie shrugged, "And, as I said to them, I know nothing!" Evie tipped her head to the side, "Did you know about her date with Peter?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

"I was there when Ben asked her to go with Peter to that award."

"Oh, ok." Evie nodded then asked, "Why?"

"What?"

"Why ask her to go with him?"

"Well, Peter needed a date for that thing." Amelia said as if that was obvious.

"And Ben suggested Ella? The icicle?"

"Not nice, Evie."

"Just kidding." And then remembered her conversation with Ella. "Any way, what is the problem? Apparently she went with Peter. The whole town is talking about it."

"I know. I know they went to the awards event. She said she had a great time. They talked. That he was a nice man. They didn't dance, just sat and talked. That he was funny. The food was great. And people thought they made a good couple!"

With pins between her lips, Evie muttered, "So?"

"Well, Jack said, his brother, David was at the event."

"So?"

"So, Ella must have seen David." Amelia said as if that was obvious to Evie.

Evie winced. She remembered what she said to Ella. "Turn around." Evie said as she studied the hem.

Amelia turned and continued, "I mean, David was there with Elise, you know her father arranged the event, and apparently, according to Jack, Elise invited David. So he went as her date. And Ella didn't say anything about see him at the event. Nothing. I know if they spoke. I don't know if they ignored each other. Ella didn't even mention David. She must have seen him with his date."

"So?"

Amelia narrowed her eyes. "Cause it would hurt Ella!"

"Well, Ella went with the milk-sharer remember? David must have seen her with her date too." Evie tried to off load her guilt. "David would see Ella with that guy. Ella can't have her cake and eat it too!"

Amelia shrugged again. "Fine, but she was only there as a favour. She didn't want to go. Ben and I nagged her. Ben practically dragged her to his shed to meet Peter, and she agreed to go. I mean, Peter is a really nice guy, but..." Amelia bit her lip and changed her statements, "In any cases, it just didn't feel right. She didn't mention seeing David. I only knew that David was there because Jack told me. Ella didn't say anything about David."

"What was wrong with it?" Evie wondered if Ella's conversation with Amelia was tarnished by the conversation between her and Ella. Evie thought, perhaps Ella didn't want Amelia to know about the fall-out between Ella and her.

Amelia shrugged again. "Well, I guess, what she told me, if you know what I mean, was just about him and Peter. I mean, she sounded like she had a great time, that she like her date, but it just felt as if she was just going to the actions. She must have seen David, so why didn't she tell me about that? It doesn't tally with her report, that she had a great time if David was there too, it wouldn't be easy for her. She would be sad, cross, upset, seeing David with Elise, but Ella said she had a great time with Peter and I don't buy it."

"Well, if she said she had a great time with Peter, then obviously she had a great time. And I guess, David had a good time with his date, Elise. The end!"

Amelia looked down at Evie. Eventually Evie looked up and said, "What?"

"Has something happened between you and Ella?" Amelia asked as she stood on a chair and watched Evie pinned the hem of the dress she was making for Amelia.

Evie took a breath. She would have to tell Amelia. "We had an argument." Evie murmured. Even now she felt bad about how she'd handled the situation. Worse still bringing David into the mix.

"Argument?" Amelia frowned. "What about?" Amelia asked, sensing that Evie was far from pleased with herself.

As per normal, Evie was forthright. "I overheard her call Seth a fuckwit!" Evie sighed as she admitted to overhearing Ella and Seth's conversation.

"Hey, tame for Ella." Amelia pointed out. They'd both heard her describe other men, much more colourfully.

"I know." Evie sighed. "And Seth said he'd asked for it, apparently they'd been trading insults."

"Really? Why?" Amelia frowned.

"Well apparently she called him a callous bastard because Jane got that bracelet and I got this ring."

"Fair call!" Amelia replied. Given one was worth more that the other, and he gave the bracelet to Jane when Seth was engaged to Evie!

"I know, but, the long and short of it is that I overreacted."

"Oh. Well," Amelia shrugged. "We all know you are blunt. We expected that. I guess you apologised"

"Er, no, not exactly." Evie shrugged. "This was bad." Evie said quietly, "I really screwed up." She looked up at Amelia, "She's avoided me ever since."

"You didn't apologised?"

"No. I was so cross."

"Well you guys had better patch it up pdq! I'm not having my friends at loggerheads at my wedding." Amelia looked at Evie, "What did you say to Ella?"

Evie got to her feet, and feeling incredibly bad about what she had said to Ella, she turned and looked at Amelia, "I made some crack about David." She admitted.

"Oh." Amelia winced. "A crack about, what exactly?"

Evie screwed up her face in mortification as she muttered. "About her being a frigid icicle. And the fact that David has better taste."

"Oh no."

Evie could see from Amelia's reaction that her words had obviously had more of an impact than she'd intended. "I know. Stupid."

Amelia hesitated. "Evie, you know Gabriella loves David." Evie nodded. "And you used it to hurt her." Evie winced. Amelia huffed. "Fix it. And before the fourteenth!" Amelia's wedding date.

While Amelia and Evie were at home, sorting out Amelia's dress, Seth was in town and was also thinking about the problem between Ella and him.