Romance Me (Boxed Set) (42 page)

Although Ethan saw Theo stand up and move toward him, it didn’t dawn on him why until Theo’s fist connected with his jaw with a loud crack. A moment of silence followed, marked only by the sound of the mantle clock ticking and the faint sound of traffic below.

“Shi-i-i-t,” Theo swore as he shook his wrist to ease the pain of bone meeting bone. “I hope that hurt you more than it hurt me.”

“Minimally,” Ethan said, cradling the side of his face in his hand. “You punch like a girl.”

“I’ll be happy to do it again.” Theo clenched his fist, then winced.

Ethan backed away. “I think I’ll pass.”

Theo’s punch had lacked intensity, but it had served its purpose. It had been a warning: don’t sleep with Sadie again.

“Are you two an item?” Theo asked.

The tightness in his stomach increased. “No. We agreed it would be a one-night thing.”

“And Sadie’s okay with that?”

He certainly hoped so. She said she would be. And she’d hired him after they had slept together. He believed her at the time. Or had he just wanted to believe?

“I was crystal-clear I couldn’t do a relationship. I wouldn’t have slept with her otherwise. Hell, I won’t sleep with anyone unless they know the score, which is one reason I see so little action. Women want commitment, something I’m unable to give.”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Theo’s voice held a thin layer of sarcasm. “Always playing the part of Mr. Mysterious, the lone wolf.”

Ethan winced. He hated that nickname, hated his inability to know love, and hated the reason why. Hated what his family had made him. Theo and the others had never known his mother—she’d died right before Ethan and Lia had moved to Meadowview. Her secrets remained behind in their former town. Secrets Ethan had no desire to expose. Secrets that kept him from commitment.

“Look, it just isn’t part of who I am, all right? Sadie made a choice that night, based on all the honesty I could give her. She had her own reasons for sleeping with me, Theo, and I hope you can respect her decision.”

“She’s had a crush on you since she was twelve, you know.” Theo righted the coffee table he knocked over trying to get at Ethan. “You think it’s going to go away just because you scratched her itch? Aren’t you concerned about working together?”

In two weeks he and Sadie would be thrown together every day, unable to avoid each other. When he took the job he made sure she would be able to put the past behind her. But now, with memories of her flooding his body and mind daily, he just wasn’t sure he could do the same.

But that was his problem, not hers. He wouldn’t let his attraction to her get in the way of him performing his job. Not with so much was at stake. “We’ll work out just fine,” he said.

Theo winced when he heard the crunch of broken crystal under his foot. “Sorry. I think I broke one of the martini glasses I gave you as a graduation gift.”

Ethan laughed softly. “Looks like you did.” In anticipation of Theo’s reaction, he shifted uneasily. “So Theo, are we good?”

“Yeah, we’re good,” Theo sighed. “Just don’t go near my sister again, or next time I’ll get Jack to punch you.” He stuck out his fist and knocked knuckles with Ethan. “One for all and all for one, remember?”

Ethan’s laugh rang loud as Theo walked out the door, cradling his hand. “See you, Musketeer.”

Chapter Eleven

At 8:30 on a Monday morning in mid-July, light spilled through opened shutters of the newly renovated Modern Playwrights Festival office, illuminating fresh bouquets of flowers, warming the teak and leather furniture, and covering an excited Sadie in a warm bath of sunshine. Ethan would arrive any moment. And when he did, the start of a new chapter would begin.

He’d arrived in town late the night before, too late for Sadie to stop by and welcome him home. Instead, she’d spent a near-sleepless night, tingling sensations of anticipation and excitement keeping her from sleep.

She ran her hands down her dress, straightening the white linen sheath. Jack had worked a miracle in the office in a matter of a few weeks: the three tiny offices and storage area had been entirely gutted and remodeled to create an appealing workspace.

Sliding her hand along the glossy white chair rail that neatly seamed the beadboard wainscoting to the wall, Sadie smiled at the craftsmanship. Hiring Jack to do the work was a brilliant decision. His crew’s craftsmanship was perfect, and with Jack’s understanding of the architecture of old buildings, he held true to the historic character of the regal theater in his design.

Sadie and Jack had structured the office in a dynamic layout. The theater’s second story had been completely opened up into one large room. Eight-foot windows with iron shutters lined three sides, allowing for light and an openness that made the space seem larger than its actual size. Jack had hinged together six-foot, single-paned antique windows and hung them from the ceiling, breaking the space into thirds for an illusion of privacy.

Sadie’s office took up the northern quarter of the space, and she’d set Ethan up in the southern office. The middle of the space she had designed to be reminiscent of a study. A window seat along the entire bank of windows served a dual purpose, with the base as a file cabinet. An overstuffed leather sofa sat directly in front of a coffee table that had been refurbished to house all the electronic and computer equipment needed for the small office. An antique roll-top desk and other pieces provided a future workspace for a receptionist and an assistant, if she and Ethan ever needed one.

Her mind drifting to thoughts of Ethan, she straightened a drooping flower in its vase. She hoped Ethan would appreciate the newly renovated space and not be offended that she’d set up his office for him. She’d even put a small photograph of Lia on his desk, a picture she’d taken at their high school graduation, Lia’s smile wide and her eyes sparkling. She’d also added a copy of the picture she had on her desk, of the six of them at the boys’ high school graduation, the last day all six had been together.

The sound of footsteps thudding up the carpeted stairs stopped her heart. She straightened her dress and bit her lip, clenched her hands in front of her, and mentally argued with the butterflies fluttering in her stomach to settle down.

Ethan was here.

“Wow, Sadie.” Ethan slid to a sudden stop as he took in his surroundings. He shoved both hands in his jeans pockets and glanced over the space, taking in the hanging windows that served as room separators, the leather sofa and seats, the pieces of antique furniture. His gaze rested on Sadie. “I just don’t know what to say. This place is stunning. You and Jack really pulled this together well.”

She barely heard his words, had to will her mind to take in what he’d said. He looked even better than she’d remembered. Her body tingled and her head felt fuzzy, seeing him like this. His scent wafted forward, catching her off-guard. A charge dashed through her body, part excitement, part arousal. For a moment she froze, forgetting to breathe.

Concentrate
, she reminded herself.
It’s just Ethan.
She’d slept with him and it had been great. Over and done. Deal with it.

She pulled herself together, smiled at his praise, and patted him on the shoulder. His very warm and muscular shoulder. Another zing shot through her stomach. “Thanks. It felt good to be part of something so out of my league. Jack held my hand every step of the way. He did an amazing job keeping the historic details but blending in a contemporary feel.”

“Yeah,” Ethan said. “I love the idea of these antique windows being used as hanging room dividers.” He gave one a nudge and smiled when it gently swayed back and forth.

That Ethan recognized Jack’s efforts touched her.

She grabbed his hand and tugged him forward. “Your office is to your right. It’s a mirror image of mine. I did a little decorating, but you can feel free to change things around or add your own personal touches.”

Ethan wandered into his work space, linking his fingers with hers. “Not much wall space to hang stuff up with these behemoth windows.”

“No, not really, I guess. I do love the light, but there isn’t much room for decorating.” Sadie willed her stomach to stop unclenching. The sight of Ethan stirred her senses, creating a whirlwind of emotion and desire, both blinding and deafening her. She had to focus. She needed this arrangement to work, needed to avoid anything that could get in the way of their work relationship.

“I have this awesome slasher movie poster I thought of putting up,” Ethan responded.

A
slasher
movie? Really? “Oh, well…” Sadie groped for a polite response. “Maybe I could move the filing cabinets from the far wall and you could put it there.”

Ethan’s laughter filled the space. “Sadie, lighten up—I’m teasing you. You look like you’re glued to the floor over there. I know this is going to be a little uncomfortable in the beginning given what happened between us, but I want this to work. I
need
this to work.”

Butterflies gone, Sadie shot Ethan a quick punch in the arm. “Brat.”

“Twerp,” he replied, flashing a brilliant smile.

Her heart melted. As did other parts of her.

Ethan moved to the desk, running a finger along its length, then stopped. “Well, if you didn’t go and decorate for me,” he said softly. He reached back for her and pulled her close, circling her shoulders with his arm. A blend of mossy, earthy undertones mixed with the lingering smell of laundry detergent on his light blue Oxford shirt, stirring her senses.

“Those photos, Sadie—the ones you put on my desk—do you know what they mean to me?”

She leaned against his shoulder and gestured to the two framed photos she’d placed on his desk. “No,” she answered. “I guess I don’t know what they mean to you, just what they’ve meant to me.”

He shook his head, pressing his lips into a thin line. “The one of all of us at the graduation party for us boys represents one of the happiest days of my life. The one there of Lia at her graduation—God I love that photo, she’s so beautiful—it represents one of the saddest days of my life.”

The boys’ graduation day had been one of her happiest days, too, but why would Lia’s graduation have been one of Ethan’s saddest? Sadie remembered how excited they felt, all three girls throwing their caps in the air at the same time, and a great pool party at her house afterward. The only thing missing had been Ethan.

Reading her mind, Ethan resumed. “I always felt awful leaving her with our dad while I went off to college. I kept thinking that if I worked extra hard then I could save enough money to get her into college and away from Dad.”

“She knew how much you cared.”

He shook his head, then stopped to step forward and pick up the picture of smiling Lia. “I saved enough money to fly home for that weekend. Then my agent called and said they had an audition for me. I decided to take it, and that’s why I missed you girls at your graduation. Missed the chance to save Lia. She up and married Vance right after.”

Sadie stroked Ethan’s arm. “I know Lia was so proud of you, Ethan. She would have felt terrible if you passed up the opportunity when she knew that was all you’d ever wanted.”

“That
wasn’t
all I ever wanted, though,” Ethan slumped into his new leather chair. “What I wanted most was for Lia to be safe, in a better life, away from our father and the wretchedness that had been our life. Instead, I wasn’t there when Vance proposed to her after the graduation ceremony. She accepted, thinking she could get away from Dad and unburden me.”

Sadie ached when Ethan leaned forward and propped his forehead against his hands. “You know, Ethan,” she said, “Lia never blamed you for her troubles. I think she’d be hurt to know how much you’ve taken this on. You were young, trying so hard to be a good brother, and did what you thought was right at the time. You weren’t omniscient. You couldn’t possibly have known what Lia would do or why.”

Sadie looked down at Ethan, still drooped in his chair, and felt her heart swell with love. “I know I’m a bit protective of you, as you are of Lia, but I do think you’re being too hard on yourself. Remember what you told me about forgiveness when I was thirteen?”

He lifted his face and chuckled. “Was that when I caught Liz hammering a bra on the school bulletin board with the note, ‘Sadie—keep dreaming’ on it?”

“Yeah,” replied Sadie with a short laugh. “I wanted to commit bloody murder. I was in the eighth grade and furious with the Almighty for making me flat as a board. After you took the bra and note down, you walked home with me and told me something wise. You said that revenge can feel great for a while, but forgiveness feels great for a lifetime.”

Ethan’s shoulders released some of the tension. He leaned forward. With one finger he traced his sister’s profile over the glass in the frame. “You’re telling me to forgive myself?”

Sadie nodded, quick and decisively. “Yes. You can hate yourself for a lifetime, or you can forgive and love yourself the rest of your life.”

“Love myself,” Ethan repeated. “Not an easy task, Sadie.”

“I know,” she said. “Loving at all doesn’t come easily for you. To really love you need to trust, and your parents and Vance didn’t give you any reason to trust anyone.”

Ethan’s jaw tightened. “Out of everyone, I find it hardest to trust myself.”