Free Trust Again by Christy Newton

did? Why was she having these insecurities? Jacob, please don’t make me regret letting my guard down. Ellie turned to the knock on the door. For the first time since she’d been here, she didn’t panic at the sound, but instead smiled.
    Her smile faded when she opened the door to Viola.
    “I’m happy to see you, too.”
    “Sorry, I just thought you were... never mind. Come in.” Ellie smiled lightly. “You want some hot chocolate?”
    “No thanks. You thought I was Jacob?” Viola grinned mischievously.
    Ellie sighed. “Yeah. I shared something with him last night. Hoping I didn’t scare him off.”
    Viola sat down next to her on the sofa. “What was it?”
    Ellie waved her hand in the air. “Oh, nothing.” She took a sip of the hot liquid and averted her eyes.
    “Well, it must have been something if you thought it would scare Jacob away.”
    “Just something about my past relationship,” Ellie mumbled.
    Viola raised an eyebrow. “I thought we were friends, El.”
    “We are.”
    Viola pursed her lips. “But you don’t want to talk to me about important things.”
    “It’s nothing against you. I just don’t want to talk about it.”
    “Well, if you ever do you know you can tell me anything, right?”
    Ellie nodded.
    “I mean, I may joke a lot, but I wouldn’t ever share anything with anyone you told me in confidence.”
    “I know.” She got up to put her empty mug in the kitchen. “Enough about me. How’s Frank?”
    “He’s good. Homesick I think, but good,” Viola’s voice cracked as if she might cry. “I miss him.”
    Ellie came back into the living room and placed a hand over Viola’s. “I’m sorry.” She paused. “How about a girl’s day? We can go shopping and do lunch.”
    Viola smiled and blinked back the unshed tears in her eyes. “Really?”
    Ellie nodded. “Sure! Just let me get a shower and get dressed.”
    “Sounds great. See you in an hour?”
    Ellie grinned. “Yep.”
    ***
    Feeling disappointed, Jacob hung up his phone. Was she avoiding him? After last night he had hoped to spend the day with Ellie. But after her call he now knew she’d be spending the day with Viola. Damn. Not that he didn’t want her to have a fun day with her friend. He had just wanted her all to himself.
    He looked around at his apartment and felt the walls closing in on him. He missed his house back in Illinois. The prime empty lot for sale in the new community he was building in popped into his head. The one backed up against a row of huge birch trees on a hill located on the cul-de-sac. He could see the perfect house on that lot. It would take most of his savings, but Jacob knew what he wanted to do. It was high time he put down some roots in Indiana.
    ***
    The diner special hadn’t changed since Ellie had eaten it seven years ago. Still delicious and still greasy as the oil it was fried in. Ellie looked down at her stuffed bags in the booth next to her. She hadn’t been on a clothing shopping spree in... well, never.
    “That was fun.”
    “It was!” Viola said as she lifted a fry to her lips. “I’d forgotten how happy getting new clothes makes me.”
    “Easy for you to say. Everything looks good on you. I’m afraid I was cursed with my mom’s hips. The only thing the woman ever gave me.”
    “What you bought looks great on you!”
    “Thanks.” Ellie hoped Jacob liked her new jeans and boots. The gum-chomping waitress brought their check. Ellie grabbed it first. “My treat.”
    Viola removed five dollars from her purse. “At least let me take care of the tip.”
    Ellie nodded. “I’m going to go visit my dad and make sure he is behaving himself.”
    “Thanks again, El. I had fun.”
    ***
    The guilt from lying to her dad had become overwhelming after she’d told Jacob the truth. If anyone should know what happened, it should be her dad. She fooled herself into believing she was only trying to protect him. But was she really just protecting herself? She had to tell him the