A laugh escaped Ellie, doubting Kaz was interested in hearing about how she expelled the anal glands of every canine within a twenty-mile radius. She wasn’t sure that the animals she cared for ‘appreciated’ her, but their humans certainly did. It wasn’t uncommon for her to now be stopped in the street if someone recognized her, filling her into the intimate details of Lola the Chihuahua or Buddy the Budgie. It was a far cry from dealing with the millions and billions of dollars that Kaz spoke of. She couldn’t imagine that kind of responsibility, knowing he was a better person than her for dealing with it. Had it been her parents that had egged her into a family business, she wouldn’t have been nearly as nice or as willing. 

… She doubted that she would have broken his heart in the process.

Elodie sipped on her coffee, simply listening to Kaz while he spoke and attempting to find some kind of way to continue the conversation. She wasn’t completely at ease with his presence but it still held a familiar calming effect on her even throughout the years. She only nodded as he explained that the phone call had been regarding business. What could she say otherwise? That she hoped it hadn’t been a girlfriend calling to check on him… or a wife? It made her sound desperate and there wasn’t any way in hell that she would fall back into a relationship with Kaz. With that in mind, her blue eyes flickered back up as the man spoke of Macon and noticed the rueful, reminiscent tone in his voice.

Macon had always been a well-kept town. It didn’t hold a candle to Savannah with its squares and boutiques, but it was a Southern jewel that still remained relatively rural. Technology had found its way to the town with a bit of resistance, though the residents seemed to have adapted eventually. The main street still held cherry trees between lanes of traffic and old, civil war storefronts that lined each side. It had expanded outwards, with poor communities and bad neighborhoods like any other city, but she still loved it. It was difficult to see the changes when she’d lived there all her life, after all.  “You know how proud we are,” Ellie said quietly, taking another drink of coffee and looking into the beige colored liquid. 

One eyebrow quirked as Kaz started again, seemingly nervous about whatever statement or request he’d began to say. Surprise rolled over Ellie, followed by a cold calm that washed over her. Her eyes ran over his features, seeing nothing there but sincerity. The vet’s fingers curled over the mug a bit more tightly as she fought to tamper down rage that began to build in her. 

He expected just to walk back into town, and into her life, almost as if nothing had happened? Ellie stayed quiet as she surveyed him, wanting him to squirm for a moment. There wasn’t any reason she [i]should[/i] refuse, considering she was single and probably had nothing to do on a cold, Sunday evening. Tyler would be around but it was completely possible he would be at the station with the new murder case. Elodie fought the memories of the slightly decomposed body lying in the dead, brown field…

“l’Tuscani?” she asked, taking another casual sip of her coffee. “It is classy. Provided you get a reservation, I won’t mind joining you for dinner.” She didn’t know about walking along the streets like they had as teenagers or the talking part. Elodie kept those thoughts to herself, knowing it would do nothing but likely hurt Kaz. He was being friendly and he’d said he wanted as much at the swing. She’d agreed tentatively, but in a way that she thought he wouldn’t act on and simply forget. It didn’t seem like that was going to happen and she guessed that she was partially to blame. 

She shouldn’t have taken so much comfort in his presence. This was [i]her[/i] fault, and now she had to deal with the consequences. “Just talk?” Ellie asked after a moment, keeping one brow raised. “That’s the best you can do, Kaz Ujohiri?” Perhaps flirtation would ease her troubled mind and make conversation a bit easier between them. She’d become prolific, even though Elodie hated to admit it. Years and years of short and failed relationships had helped her develop her proficiency, something she hadn’t exactly been an expert at when they were younger. “Sure. Wine and dine me. We’ll see where it gets you.”