Free Where Love Finds You (The Unspoken Series) by Marilyn Grey Page A

home. I couldn’t wait to get to know her better.
    I know it’s hard to believe, but I really didn’t think of her as a potential date. In fact, she wouldn’t allow it. She twirled her rings and talked about Andy as though he were still alive. I know why, too. It became so clear by the time I left our consultation. 
    He never died to her. 

Ch. 11 | Ella

    Another day in the coffee shop, another strange day in the life of Ella Rhodes. Dee sat in my office, across from me, staring at me like I had lost my mind. 
    “I know it’s unrealistic of me,” I said  as she leaned back in the chair across from me. “But I know what I said to Patrick was right. I could never forgive myself for marrying someone who fell in love and watched his bride walk down the aisle just a few years earlier. One bride is enough for every man. If one bride isn’t enough, then why bother with faithfulness anyway?”
    “Ella, Ella, Ella.” She stood and sighed. “You live in a dream world.”
    “What’s so dreamy about that?” 
    She walked to the door. “Who has the desire, much less the strength, to marry only one person in their lifetime? What about people who are abused? Or Patrick? There is a such thing called until death parts us. You really expect him to stay faithful to his dead wife even if he lives until he is a hundred years old?”
    I nodded. 
    “No one lives like that. It’s unheard of. You’re missing a perfectly good man because you think he should only have one wife in his lifetime. How do you know if she was the infamous one? What if she had to die so he could meet someone else?”
    “I don’t know, Dee. You’re getting too deep for me. I don’t sit around and think through logistics. I know what I feel doesn’t make sense. I know my life doesn’t make sense. But maybe that’s exactly what I want. Maybe I don’t want to live by sense. Maybe I want to live by love . . . love that is unheard of. Love that stays faithful, even if death parts us.”
    Dee rolled her eyes with a smile. “You are a fascinating person. I’ve met my fair share of fascinating people, but you are definitely unique in your own way. I think you live in a world no one else has ever found, and probably never will. You’re going to be lonely forever if you don’t get your head out of the clouds.”
    “The man I marry will live in this crazy world of mine with me.”
    Summer walked into my office and smiled. “Sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt, but there is a man here to see you about paintings or something.”
    “Thanks, Summer. Do you know what his name is?”
    “No, but he said he talked to Dee and dropped his stuff off for you to review. He’s been here several times trying to talk with you.”
    Dee laughed. She knew I didn’t like dealing with the starving artists. I felt so bad telling them I didn’t have room for their work. Truth is I had stacks and stacks of people who wanted their work in here. I couldn’t give everyone a chance and I am not a fan of crushing dreams. I had enough crushed dreams of my own.
    “I’ll tell you what,” I said to Summer. “Tell him to bring in three of his favorite paintings. I will put them up and we’ll see how it goes.”
    She smiled and left the office.
    Dee looked at me. “I’m shocked.”
    “I know. Honestly, I just didn’t want to get up. I have too much work to do and the last thing I want to do is tell someone else I can’t help them sell their art right now.”
    “That guy’s determination paid off. Is he the one with the Converse shoes friend?”
    I laughed. “I believe so.”
    “Things could get interesting around here in the Ella Rhodes story.”
    “The Ella Rhodes story is right. Not sure about interesting. Maybe in a strange way.”
    She laughed and walked out of my office. Time to catch up on the one thousand phone calls and papers I needed to sort through. What I would give to leave all of this to be a wife and stay-at-home mother. Now, that’s