“Fat lot of good it’s done me,” he replied.
“Your accent gets stronger when you’re pissy, did you know that?”
He couldn’t help but laugh. “Do I suddenly turn into Steve Irwin? Crikey!”
Monroe grinned. “You do have some funny words down under.”
“This from the place that calls a remote control a clicker,” he scoffed.
“Ooh, good one! But you got to lean into the accent. Pass me the clickah, this show’s gahd ahwful.” Monroe’s cheeky smile could have lit up the entire country. “My dad grew up in Boston. People around here don’t speak quite like that, but I swear my sisters and I picked up some of his linguistic habits.”
“What about your mum? Sorry, mom.”
“She’s dead, too. See, more dead people.”
Ethan cursed on his breath. “I’m so sorry. I must sound like a dick.”
“Shush, no you don’t. My mom passed peacefully and on her own terms.” There was a glimmer of sadness in Monroe’s voice—and in her eyes—but mostly there was a sense of fierce respect. “We miss her like crazy, obviously. My mom was a saint. But I remind myself that she chose to go out the way she wanted—at home, surrounded by family, no nurses fussing over her because she always hated that.”
“My mother was the same.” A wistful smile lifted his lips. “She always wanted to take care of everyone else, but hated anyone taking care of her.”
Monroe bobbed her head. “Grief is a pain, but the first year is the hardest. I won’t say it gets easier, but… I don’t know. I guess at some point you make peace with it and try to remember all the good things you had, instead of the things you lost, ya know?”
“Cancer?”
“Yeah, the big C.” Monroe shook her head sadly.
They followed the path onto the boardwalk, which was so long it seemed to curve around the entire town. Forever Falls was perched right on the edge of the ocean, with ragged cliffs on one side and a sweeping arc out to the other side. Planks of wood created a solid ground to walk on that ran alongside the beach. There were a few semi-permanent stalls that looked as though they served drinks and ice creams and food in the warmer months. But they were all boarded up.
There was a lighthouse in the distance, with strips of red and white almost like a chunky candy cane. A dog galloped along the beach and his two owners walked at a leisurely pace behind him. It was picturesque, for sure. Now that the sun had come out, it was pleasant to be outside. Not warm, by any stretch, but the latte was keeping his hands at a comfortable temperature.
“I can see why you wouldn’t want to leave here,” he said, staring out at the view. “It’s really beautiful.”
“Not everybody feels that way,” she said bitterly. “Chalk that up to reason fifty-six why my marriage didn’t work out.”
“He wanted to move?” Ethan found himself curious about Monroe’s marriage—and what her husband was like.
“Yeah, he wanted the city life. He said Forever Falls was the kind of place that would suck you dry if you stayed here too long.” She made a derisive sound. “I think that’s because he thought leaving made you more important to the people here. Like it was proof you were better somehow.”
“So what were the other fifty-something reasons?”
She looked up at him, one brow arched. “You really want to know?”
“Well, if we want your family to think I’m good enough for you then maybe I should know what to avoid.” Really, he was just curious.
“Oh well, let me count the ways. His family thought I was low brow, we could never agree on where to go on vacation together, he never wanted to put any effort in with my sisters and our sex life was…” She halted suddenly, like she was surprised at what had popped out of her mouth. “Nonexistent.”
Now that he found hard to believe. Monroe was magnetic and passionate. Fiery. What straight man wouldn’t find that attractive?
“Well, our sex life was nonexistent but he was still getting it on three times a week. Just not with me.” She looked at him as if challenging him to say something, but what could he possibly say to that? “See, told you I was blunt.”
“It’s a good defense mechanism,” he replied.
“Excuse me?” Monroe spluttered. “It’s not a defense mechanism. It’s just how I am.”
Ethan chuckled and sipped his coffee. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
…
Monroe felt like she was about to shoot fire out of her head, like the angry character in that kid’s movie Inside Out. But not because she was angry at Ethan for saying it, more that she was angry at herself for being so transparent. She didn’t like that he could read her so easily.
She didn’t like when anyone could read her easily.
Her bluntness was absolutely a defense mechanism. Just throw it on the pile with its good friends sarcasm, snark, and self-deprecation. But while Ethan might think he was the one with the upper hand here, because he’d pulled this plan together, Monroe wasn’t about to let him—or anyone else—think they could run rings around her.
“Just because we’re pretending to have a thing going on doesn’t mean you get to push my buttons.” She drained the rest of her coffee and tossed the cup into a trash can.
He tried—and failed—to stifle an amused smile. “You’re an easy target, Monroe. And a cliché, what with that fiery red hair of yours.”
Her mouth popped open. “You did not call me a cliché.”
“A lovable cliché?” He chuckled. “Come on, even you have to admit that’s funny.”
“Your sense of humor is warped.”
“Nah, we Aussies just have an irreverent nature. That’s what happens when you make a country out of a bunch of criminals.” He shrugged good-naturedly. “Unless you want this to be our first public fight.”
“God no.” She blanched. “It’s way too early for that. Although, maybe we should come up with a dramatic break up for when the time comes.”
“Dramatic?” Ethan hooked his arm through hers, since there were quite a few people out walking along the boardwalk and across the sand, given the nice turn the morning had taken. “I was just going to go with the Post-it Note special.”
“I take it back. You do sound like a dick.”
He smiled and it went all the way up to his eyes, creating crinkles at the edges that somehow made him look even more handsome. Monroe had always liked people who smiled with their whole face, like they couldn’t help the sunshine traveling all the way through them.
She was trying to think of another witty barb to throw at Ethan when she spotted a familiar face a few yards away. “Oh crap.”
“What?”
“Big sister, twelve o’ clock.” Monroe cringed. “I was hoping to drag it out for a bit before you met them. Give us time to work on our chemistry.”
“You don’t think we have chemistry?” He looked affronted.
“I barely know you.”
“You know more about me than any single person I’ve crossed paths with for the last year,” he replied. “But fine, wound my ego if you must.”
Monroe rolled her eyes. “I don’t have the brain-space for your ego right now. And she’s definitely spotted us.”
“You going to call in one of those kisses now?” he asked, his voice low.
For some silly reason, it sent a ray of sparks showering over her. She’d been keeping the kiss in her back pocket for a very specific reason—a specific Brendan-related reason. But Loren was barreling toward them, powerwalking with her BFF Amy, like she always did in the morning. Rudy must be looking after the girls.
“No kiss, but look…enamored.”
“Enamored?” Ethan raised a brow. “Despite the doppelgänger status, sadly I did not inherit any Hemsworth-level acting skills. In fact, I got kicked out of drama club in primary school.”
“Argh. Just look at me like you want to take me to bed, then.”
Ethan burst out laughing, which did not have the intended effect she was hoping for. Great, the very thought of them doing the horizontal mambo made him laugh like he was watching some prime standup comedy.
“Gee, thanks for the ego boost.” She folded her arms across her chest and then immediately dropped them—she didn’t want Loren to think they were fighting.
“How about this?” Ethan stopped and tossed his coffee into a trash can. Then he pulled her into his side, wrapping one arm protectively around her shoulders and leaning down to whisper something in her ear. “Pretend I’m saying something dirty.”
“Now it’s my turn to laugh at you,” she replied peevishly.
“Don’t be like that. Just pretend I’m telling you all the things I plan to do when I get you back to my place tonight.” He was so close she could smell him—no cologne, just earthy man. A touch of woodsmoke, like he’d helped to build a fire at the inn that morning. Something delicious under that. “Terribly wicked, unscrupulous things.”
Holy moly. Monroe did not think that would have the intended effect at all, but sure enough the heat rose into her face, making her want to shrug out of her coat. Like she needed any help at all visualizing what it might be like to have Ethan toss her over one shoulder and haul her back to someplace where they could get horizontal.
Fact was, she’d thought about that already. A lot.
Too much for a woman who’s all but sworn off men and intimacy of any kind.
Fact. But that didn’t stop her body from giving her brain the middle finger and doing what it wanted—like making her warm and achy. Like making her want to press her thighs together to stop the subtle pulse between her legs. Like making her imagine grabbing his hand and dragging him off to the bushes that separated the boardwalk from the path up to Main Street.
“Yeah, just like that,” he said, his lips so close to her ear that she could feel the puffs of warm breath skating over her skin. “Get all nice and flushed so your big sister thinks I’m treating you right.”
No wonder people were going ga-ga over Ethan. He was the kind of guy who was affable and funny and had a hidden sharpness that really appealed to her. On top of being good-looking there was a sexual magnetism to him that seemed as natural as breathing. And she was a poor old piece of metal who couldn’t resist the pull.
“Monroe!” Loren waved and pulled her friend along toward them. She wore a big, beaming smile and Monroe knew she wasn’t going to be able to worm her way out of his impromptu “meet the family” episode.
“You really do look like Thor.” Amy shook her head. “I heard it, but I thought people were exaggerating.”
“I’m sure if you put us side by side, it would be easy to pick out the real deal,” Ethan said smoothly.
Loren raised her eyebrow, shooting Monroe a look that conveyed the kind of clear message only a big sister could. Of course, even while out on a power walk, Loren looked like a million bucks. Her long, blond hair was swept back into a bouncy ponytail and tight black and pink athletics-wear covered her fit body. How she looked so good after having four kids must have been some kind of witchcraft. In fact, Monroe was pretty sure Loren could still squeeze into her high school cheerleading uniform if she tried.
“Ethan, this is Amy. And this is my big sister, Loren. I know you could probably tell because we’re basically identical,” she quipped.
“It’s a pleasure.” Ethan stuck out his hand to both women, one after the other, and suddenly the burning heat was gone, replaced by an easy Aussie charm that caused both Loren and Amy to giggle.
Actually freaking giggle. Like schoolgirls.
Ugh, one ticket to Vomit Town please. Express.
“Well, my little sister here did a very good job of keeping this a secret,” Loren said, shaking her head. “Otherwise we would have invited you over for dinner a lot earlier than this.”
Uh-oh.
“So, Tuesday night. We’ll see you there. I know Taylor can’t wait to meet you.” Loren did her usual steamroller thing and Ethan blinked as though he wasn’t quite sure what had just happened. Nobody ever saw it coming, because Loren was always sweet smiles and perky ponytails and she had that friendly, bubbly way about her that perfectly hid just how much of a Type-A control freak she really was.
It had amused Monroe to no end when they were in school, because she’d be able to bend students and teachers to her will without them having a clue. However, it wasn’t as much fun when Loren aimed that power in Monroe’s direction.
“Loren,” she said under her breath. “There’s no need to go all head cheerleader on this. Maybe Ethan has plans.”
“It’s fine,” he said good-naturedly. “I’d love to be there.”
“See?” Loren beamed. “Who can say no to a home-cooked meal anyway? Eight o’ clock, no need to bring anything.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” Ethan kept his arm draped around Monroe’s shoulders. She was feeling overheated.
The reality of the situation was settling in—she was lying to her family. Getting their hopes up. Both her sisters had been at her to rejoin the dating scene for more than eighteen months, convinced that Monroe was “pining” for Brendan.
She wasn’t.
If telekinesis was possible, she’d pop his head like a grape. There was no pining going on whatsoever. But was she in a hurry to get her heart bludgeoned to death with a metaphorical baseball bat all over again? No thank you.
“Okay, well we’d better be off before out heart rates get too low.” Loren waved, then bent to whisper in Monroe’s ear before she walked off, “He’s really hot, you lucky thing.”
Then the two women were gone and Monroe’s cheeks were even more flammable than before.
“Your sister thinks I’m hot.” Ethan nudged her with his elbow and Monroe wriggled out from under his arm.
“That makes one of us.”
“I thought you said I was… How did you put it? Very symmetrical?” He smirked and, as if the universe was trying its best to poke her, it made him look even more attractive.
“Loren and I have very different taste. She likes beefcakes.” It was true, she’d married the high school football star for a reason.
“Beefcakes?” Ethan pressed a hand to his chest in mock offence. “I’m not some gym bro with no brains in my head.”
“Could’ve fooled me.” Monroe bit down on her lip to keep from laughing. As much as she hated to admit it, hanging out with Ethan was fun. He had a good sense of humor and people were looking at her like she was someone else. Someone…special. “I thought when you first walked into the diner, there’s a guy who spends a lot of time at the gym.”
Ethan snorted. “More like chopping firewood and playing handyman for the past twelve months.”
Monroe appreciated people with complexity—people who didn’t seem to fit your first impressions of them. Maybe it was because she saw herself that way, or maybe it was because sometimes she felt like when you lived in the same small place your whole life you got stuffed into a box with a label slapped on the front and nothing you did would remove it.
“What are you going to do when you find out your father’s identity?” she asked.
“I honestly don’t know,” Ethan said with a sigh. He looked out over the Forever Falls beach, his eyes searching for something in the distance. In that moment, Monroe felt like she saw him, the real him… Not Ethan the Hemsworth impersonator. Not Ethan the hot Aussie stranger who’d wandered into town and caused a stir. Not even the man who flirted like it came to him as easily as breathing.
But the real Ethan Hammersmith, a man looking for his family. A man searching for something greater than himself. A man trying to figure out how to move forward.
And that was someone she could connect with.
Chapter Ten
Monroe and Ethan ended up going for a drive around the coast—he’d wanted to check out Mike’s metal workshop and see if he was in, but the place was closed for the weekend. On the way back he offered to drive Monroe home. But the offer caught Monroe a little off guard.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said, looking out the window and staring at the coastline. The sun had really come through today, and it made the waves sparkle like someone had dropped a giant tub of glitter into the ocean. But like all days in late February, there were storm clouds on the horizon, and the closer they got back to Forever Falls, the darker it was getting.
“Despite my earlier comments, I’m not a dick. You were kind enough to show me around and give me a piece of information that might help me out,” he said. “The least I can do is take you home.”
Take me home…
She tried not to let her imagination run wild. “Seriously, it’s fine. Just drop me at the square and I’ll walk.”
He shot her a look. “If this is about you not being comfortable with me knowing where you live, then that’s totally fine.”
“It’s not that.” She shook her head. “Maybe it should be, since I really don’t know you. But we kinda jumped over a few hurdles where that’s concerned. And something tells me you’re good people, even if you like winding me up.”
“I do enjoy winding you up,” he admitted.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why?”
“It’s part of Aussie culture. We’re only polite to people we don’t like.” He winked at her and then put his eyes back on the road.
“Do you miss home?” she asked.
Ethan sighed. “I miss something that doesn’t exist anymore. The life I had before my mother died and before I found out her secret…there’s no point missing that, because it’s never coming back.”
“Ignorance is bliss, I guess.”
It had certainly felt that way for Monroe—the time she had before she found out about the affair had been full of possibility. She had her whole family together, she had big dreams she was working toward, she had a relationship that she thought meant something. The diner had been running strong and she had the world at her feet.
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