I called and left three messages on Ivy’s cell phone. “I don’t know why she’s not answering. It’s Saturday night. Where could she be?”
Ethan sprawled out in my desk chair. “Oh, I’m sure she’s out having a great… time. What’s a little marital discord for Her Royal Highness?”
At least he wasn’t lying on my bed anymore—Philip had forced him to get up and move to a chair. Ethan whined and complained, but Philip’s stony expression left no room for argument. I was both grateful and relieved. The last thing I needed was my bed to stink like my drunken ex-husband.
To be honest, I was glad Philip had stayed. While I could probably handle things on my own, it didn’t mean I wanted to.
I went over to check on my birds. All the shouting earlier had stressed them out, and they were huddled together. I felt terrible. At least they were still on their perch. When I first brought them home from the bird rescue, they’d been so stressed, they stayed on the bottom of the cage most of the time.
“I’m so sorry, my babies,” I cooed at them. I wondered whether I should offer them some fruit, though I doubted they’d eat. I figured the best thing was to let them relax.
Philip came over to stand beside me. “Is everything okay?”
I explained how all the shouting had stressed out my parakeets.
“Damn.” He seemed chagrined. “Sorry. I forgot all about the birds.”
“Don’t worry, it’s not your fault.” I glared over at Ethan.
Philip peered into the birdcage. “Hey, guys, that won’t happen again. I promise. What are their names, anyway?” he asked, still looking at them. “I’ve been talking to them the past couple days but didn’t know what to call them.”
“Calico Jack and….” I paused, not sure how this would go over. “And Quicksilver.”
“What?” He turned to me. “Did you say Quicksilver?”
I nodded. My eyes went back to watching my budgies. “Calico Jack was a ship’s captain, and Quicksilver served on his crew. Apparently they were good friends.”
“Which one is Quicksilver?”
I motioned toward the bird on the right. “The one with the blue and white markings.”
“What a crazy coincidence.” He chuckled. “I can’t believe it. Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”
“I don’t know.” I bit my lip. “What was I supposed to say exactly? That I named one of my parakeets after your pirate grandfather?”
He laughed. “No wonder you had that look on your face when I told you about him.”
Ethan hiccupped loudly, then leaned forward on his chair. “Are you fucking… serious? Did I just hear you say you’re related to a pirate?” He gave a drunken snort and put his head back. “Well, holy shit, no wonder she’s… into you.”
“Shut up, Ethan.”
“You’re like Claire’s total wet dream.”
Philip’s eyes widened slightly as he glanced at my birds and then over to the pirate poster on my wall.
“You’re not my wet dream,” I said as my cheeks grew warm. I glared at Ethan. “Mind your own business. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I always hated your dumb pirate obsession,” he went on. “Did I ever tell you that?”
“It’s not an obsession. It’s only an interest.” Such a jerk. He never could handle his liquor. Alcohol always turned him into a moron.
“Pirates are fucking assholes.” Ethan flailed his arms so clumsily he nearly fell out of the chair. “Everybody knows that.”
Philip was studying him like he was an insect again. He turned to me. “We should just take him home. Do you know where he lives?”
I sighed. “Yeah, I do.”
Between my cajoling and Philip’s threats, we somehow got Ethan out the front door and into the back seat of Philip’s SUV. He complained, though by that point he’d mostly gone maudlin and was declaring his love for me again.
“Tell me you don’t still have feelings for him,” Philip said once he shut Ethan inside the car.
“No, definitely not.”
“I know you were married, but that guy’s a bonehead.”
“That’s why we’re not married anymore.” I glanced at the car. Ethan’s face appeared in the window, his forehead pressed against the glass. He mouthed the words “I love you.”
I rolled my eyes. It was terrible to admit, but I felt a malicious pleasure at the hangover he was going to have tomorrow.
We decided that I’d drive Ethan’s car and Philip would follow me in his. I could only imagine the conversation the two of them were having as I drove, glancing in the rearview mirror frequently to make sure he was still behind me. At least I knew Philip could handle it. I didn’t know him very well, but I’d seen enough that it was obvious he could handle anything.
I pulled into the driveway of Ivy and Ethan’s large house next to their red BMW, with Philip’s SUV right behind me.
As we all got out of our cars, Ivy came out the front door. She was wearing jeans, heels, and a tight crimson tank top. The little demon dogs trailed behind her. They began to yip as soon as they saw us.
“Hush,” Ivy told them, glancing down.
“I’ve been trying to call you for the last hour,” I said. “Did you get my messages?”
“I got them.” Her eyes went from Ethan to Philip, lingering on the latter before coming back to me. “What’s going on here?”
“Ethan showed up drunk at my house.”
She frowned at Ethan, who was leaning against the SUV looking miserable. “What’s wrong with you?” she said, obviously irritated.
He shook his head. “Go to hell, Ivy.”
“He drank a whole bottle of wine and who knows what else. I think he just needs to sleep it off,” I told her.
“Don’t tell me what he needs,” she snapped. “I know what he needs more than you. He’s my husband. Something you’d do well to remember.”
I was taken aback. “Excuse me?”
“You’re pathetic. You’ll do anything to hang on to him, won’t you?”
“Are you crazy?” My voice rose an octave. “I want nothing to do with him.”
Ivy smirked. “We both know that’s not true.”
Philip spoke in a stern voice. “This guy broke into Claire’s house tonight. We’re only bringing him home because he was too drunk to drive. You’re lucky she didn’t call the police.”
Ivy’s jaw tensed as she studied Philip, trying to size him up. She seemed uncomfortable. “Who the fuck are you?”
“That’s Claire’s boyfriend,” Ethan offered. “It turns out you were wrong, and she does date.”
“Boyfriend?” Ivy’s mouth opened in surprise. “Since when do you have a boyfriend?” Her eyes roamed over Philip, and I had to admit her expression was priceless. I couldn’t have chosen a better fake boyfriend. Philip was seriously hot, and between his stony expression and unyielding body language, he was also someone you didn’t want to mess with.
But then Ivy’s mouth changed to a smirk again. “I guess you didn’t know Claire was two-timing you, then,” she said to him.
“What are you talking about?” Only Ivy could turn my barren love life into something scandalous.
“Don’t play dumb.” She was still smirking, but her expression changed when she looked at me. “You were seen, Claire.” She crossed her arms. “A friend of mine saw you and Ethan together at the park the other day.”
“What?” I blinked at her in confusion.
“My friend Mona saw you two sitting together inside that hideous car of yours. I know Ethan left you, but get over it. Can’t you just stay away from him?”
I opened my mouth, flabbergasted. “Are you kidding me? He got into my car uninvited!”
She scoffed. “How stupid do you think I am? And after everything I’ve done for you.”
“Done for me? You’ve never done anything for me.” Except destroy my life, but I was past that. Ethan was a cheater, and she was welcome to him.
“I’ve been recommending your maid service to all my friends. Have you forgotten? You can bet I won’t be doing that anymore.”
“Good! I’m glad to hear it, because your friends are horrible.” I knew I shouldn’t have said that. Those were customers, and insulting them was no way to grow my business. But then I realized Ivy would probably tell them all to leave now anyway. At least I won’t have to deal with fish-face Mona anymore. “And Ethan did get into my car uninvited.” I looked over at where he was still leaning against the SUV. “Tell her the truth!” I demanded.
But Ethan only shrugged.
I shook with rage, wanting to scream. When will I ever be free of these two? Will I be tortured forever?
But then I felt a hand on my arm. It was warm and firm, steadying me. Philip’s hand.
I turned with surprise. Our eyes met, the clear blue of his looking straight into mine. It was like gazing into a calm sea. I couldn’t explain it, but I got the sense he understood me. He understood me better than I would have ever guessed.
“Come on, let’s go,” he said quietly. He leaned closer and put his mouth to my ear. “You’re better than this.”
He was right. I was better than this.
“I don’t know why I bothered to help you at all,” Ivy went on in a vindictive voice. “Your business is a complete joke, and so are you.”
Philip’s hand was still on me.
“Let’s leave,” he urged.
He stepped toward his car, but then something distracted him. He was focused on the ground at his feet. The demon dogs were there all lined up. Their foxy faces tilted at an angle. They appeared happy to see him.
“I recognize these dogs.” He seemed puzzled.
“They’re Ivy’s. I was walking them when we first met.”
He nodded. His hand went to the driver door of the SUV, and the dogs all followed it with interest. One of them yipped.
“I think they want another car ride.” I couldn’t help laughing a little.
Ivy called her dogs, telling them to heel, but they ignored her, still focused on Philip.
His mouth twitched. “Maybe we should take them with us.”
“No,” I said. “Trust me.” Those dogs were seriously high maintenance. He had no idea.
“I wish you would take them.” Ethan pushed away from the car. “She loves those damn dogs more than she loves me.”
Ivy’s face darkened upon hearing that, but there was something else too. She was wounded. She watched Ethan move past her, unsteady on his feet, and I knew from experience how a wounded Ivy could be a dangerous thing.
She flashed back to me. “This is your fault.”
“No.” I shook my head. “You created this mess yourself.”
“You betrayed me.”
My eyes widened. “I betrayed you?” An ironic laugh escaped me. “I haven’t betrayed anyone. You need to look in a mirror.”
Her jaw tensed. Her gaze flickered over to Philip before settling on me again. “No, you started it years ago, and I’ll never forgive you for what you did.”
I stared at her in bewilderment. What in the hell is she talking about?
Ivy turned and called for her dogs to follow, but they didn’t budge, still too enamored with Philip.
“Heel!” she insisted, but the dogs only glanced at her.
Philip seemed bemused. “Go on,” he told them lightly. Two of them yipped. Finally, he waved his hand toward Ivy, and all three dogs trotted after her.
Once we were in the car driving away, he turned to me. “Is she your sister?”
“Yes.” I sighed. “Stepsister.”
“I remember you mentioning those dogs were hers.”
“Daphne is also my stepsister. Their mom, Violet, married my dad when I was in middle school.” I figured he’d seen enough dirty laundry tonight that he might as well know who the players were. “Ivy married Ethan about two years ago. He left me for her. I caught them together.”
“Damn, really?” He glanced at me, incredulous. “That guy’s an even bigger bonehead than I thought.”
His eyes went back to the road, his profile straight and true. I could tell he meant it. His comment made me warm all over. Warm in a good way.
“I’m guessing he’s the reason you don’t date, huh?”
“Basically.”
“Not all men are cut from the same cloth.”
I looked out the window and sighed. “I know.”
“So your stepsister married your ex-husband.” He shook his head. “Jesus, what a clusterfuck.”
I snorted with laughter. Maybe it was the stress of the evening or seeing the absurdity of all this through someone else’s eyes. “It is a clusterfuck,” I said, then laughed.
“I’m surprised you still talk to any of these people.”
“I don’t have much choice. They’re the only family I have.”
He seemed to consider this. “I know your dad passed away, but what about your mom?”
“Oh.” I looked out the window again. “She left when I was a baby. I guess you could say she’s a… free spirit.”
His gaze went to mine again. “Your mom left when you were a baby?”
I nodded. “She left both me and my dad. Just picked up one day and was gone. He raised me on his own until he married Violet.”
Philip’s eyes stayed on me until he was forced to turn back to the road.
We drove through the gate past Sullivan House and then down the dirt driveway. I’d left the house light off for my birds, but the porch was lit. After parking, we both got out. It was nearly midnight. Philip followed me up the narrow path to my front door.
“Thank you for your help,” I said. “I really appreciate it, and I’m sorry you missed your flight.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
We both grew quiet, and I wasn’t sure what else to say. I was still embarrassed about everything. The whole evening was like an episode from a bad soap opera.
“I had a nice time at the movies earlier,” I offered. Hard to believe that was only a few hours ago. It felt like days.
“I did too. And I apologize again for the way I took your phone. I hope you can forgive me.”
I turned my head and smiled, deciding to let him off the hook. “I suppose it’s all that pirate blood running through your veins.”
“Must be,” he said with a grin, stepping closer. Close enough that I could smell him. Clean and musky.
His eyes were on me, but I felt shy. I looked down at the cobblestones as if they were interesting.
“Claire.” His voice softened.
I bit my lip, still studying the ground.
“Look at me.”
I forced my eyes up. With the porch light on, I could easily see his handsome features.
It was intimate out here. A warm summer night. The air seemed to dance with energy.
We gazed at each other, but then his eyes dropped to my mouth.
My stomach went tense with alarm.
I could barely catch my breath. My heart hammered.
The alarm wasn’t because I didn’t want him to kiss me.
It was because I did.
Chapter Eleven
~ Claire ~
I knew I should back away from Philip, should go inside the house and call it a night. I wanted to, except my feet weren’t listening.
He seemed to be struggling with something too. “I should go,” he said, though it sounded more like he was talking to himself than me. His gaze shifted from my mouth back to my eyes. “I should leave.”
We watched each other, neither of us making a move to go anywhere.
I realized it had been a long time since I’d felt desire like this.
He brought his hand up and took a strand of my hair between his fingers. It seemed a sweet gesture, familiar, as if he were my real boyfriend. He wrapped a curl around his thumb.
I remained still, too aware of his nearness and of the effect it was having on me.
I could hear
Philip breathing. It warmed me. Just like his words in the car had earlier. My heart was frozen, inaccessible, but this was the first inkling I’d had that a thaw was possible.
He played with my hair while his expression looked like he was trying to solve an algebra problem.
“What is it?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.” But then he hesitated and seemed to think better of it. “Can I ask you something?”
“Okay.”
He licked his lips, opened his mouth to speak, but spaghetti western music blared from out of nowhere. A twangy lonesome whistling that didn’t stop until Philip pulled his phone out of his front pocket. He looked down and snorted softly when he saw who the caller was before declining it. I saw it too.
“Was that Doug?”
Philip sighed. “Yeah, it was.”
“Does he always call you this late?”
He chuckled, and there was a dry sound to it. “No, I can’t say that he ever has.”
He slipped his phone back into his pocket. Whatever the problem was, he appeared to have found a solution, because he stepped away from me.
“I should go.”
I nodded. “Thanks again for your help.”
“Sure.” He turned to leave, but then paused. “Maybe we should do it again sometime.”
My brows creased with confusion. “Do what?”
“See another movie.”
A tingle of excitement ran through me at his words. “Maybe we should.”
He grinned, and it did all sorts of things to me. My stomach flipped like it was doing cartwheels.
Philip tilted his head toward the driveway. “Okay, I’m leaving.”
“I’ll see you later.”
He didn’t leave though, just stood there watching me. Finally, he gave a short nod.
As he walked away, I didn’t move from the spot. I listened as he got into his car, as the engine started. I couldn’t explain it, but there was a spark ignited inside of me. Somehow this night had been momentous in a way I couldn’t quite put into words.
I heard his car backing out of the driveway and realized I didn’t want to be caught still standing on the front porch. I fumbled to get the door unlocked. Once inside, I slid the curtain back and watched his headlights until they were gone.
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