by Alice Ward
I was a few rows behind Ethan and couldn’t see his face. I imagined him flashing his charming smile at the camera as he answered with ease.
“I’d remind them that my record speaks for itself,” he replied. “I’ve spent my career busting through records. My salary here is well deserved and has nothing to do with the fact that Victor is my stepfather. It was a happy coincidence that my contract with Dallas ran out around the same time the commission granted Victor permission to form this fantastic team. I’m honored to be a part of it.”
Victor Montez is his stepfather? Holy shit… that’s more than a little intimidating. Ethan must have had an eventful childhood.
“You were sidelined by a fractured wrist last season. Are you back to a hundred percent?” Melissa continued. “Has the injury affected your snap?”
“I’m better than ever,” he assured her.
“You were in Dallas for six years. Was it difficult to leave your old team behind?”
“I will always look back fondly on the time I spent in Texas. I made some great friends there. But nothing beats being home.”
Melissa thanked him, paused for a few moments, then yelled “Cut” and rose to her feet. She passed her microphone to the cameraman and extended her hand to Ethan.
“Thank you so much for sitting down with me.”
“You’re welcome. I look forward to doing it again after our opening game. I’ll make sure your camera crew has prime placement that night. And I’ll have tickets at the fifty-yard line messengered over to your office. Unless, of course, you’d prefer to be in a box.”
“Are you kidding me?” she asked, her voice overflowing with excitement. “I know a lot of people probably prefer the luxury aspect of the boxes, but I’m a girl who wants to be close to the action. Thank you so much, Mr. McAlister.”
They shuffled out of the aisle and walked up the staircase side by side. I stood and awkwardly waited for them to reach me.
“It’s my pleasure, I hope,” Ethan told her before flashing me another knee-weakening smile. “I do hope you’ll use the other ticket, Emily.”
“I’ll have to check my schedule,” I replied, dropping my eyes to the ground. I felt Melissa’s inquisitive stare and knew I’d have a lot of explaining to do during the ride home.
“I’ll make sure she’s there,” Melissa promised.
Ethan nodded and perched on the back of one of the stadium seats. Melissa looped her arm through mine and we said a final goodbye before making our escape. When we finally reached the safety of her car, she turned to me with an open mouthed grin.
“This has to be one hell of a story. Start from the beginning.”
***
“Hey Em, do you have a blank copy of the field trip permission slip? My laptop crashed again and Bentley Norris emptied a tub of finger paint onto my hard copies.”
I looked up from my phone to see Linda standing in the doorway of my classroom. Loose strands of hair fell from her braid and her eyes looked defeated and exhausted.
“Long day?” I asked, shuffling through a stack of papers on my desk. I found a blank permission slip and held it out to her.
“Long doesn’t even begin to describe it,” she said with a long-suffering sigh. She crossed the room, took the paper from me, and perched on top of a nearby desk.
“Last night—”
My phone chimed while she spoke, immediately drawing my attention. I read Ethan’s latest message and felt a tell-tale blush spread across my cheeks.
“I’m assuming that’s not your boyfriend,” Linda said with a teasing tone.
I slid my phone into my lap and looked up at her amused face. “No, it was a message from Ethan. But it’s nothing, I swear. He’s really funny, but we’re just friends.”
She raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Does Ben know about your new friend?”
I hesitated. Ben knew I’d gone to the Stallions’ practice with Melissa, and I mentioned meeting a few of the players. I hadn’t given him any more details and after cursing his luck for not being able to join Melissa himself, he hadn’t mentioned it again.
“I take that as a no,” Linda announced. I could tell by her tone that she disapproved. “I hope you know what you’re doing. I’ve never been a fan of you and Ben together. But for your own sake, you shouldn’t start a new relationship until you’ve ended the old one.” She dropped her voice as she offered the next warning. “It’s bad karma, Emily.”
“Ethan and I don’t have a relationship,” I argued.
She folded her arms across her chest and stared back at me. “You’ve been glued to your phone for the past two weeks. If that’s not a relationship, what would you call it?”
I felt my face flush hot again and diverted my eyes to my desk. I mindlessly shuffled paperwork and tried to come up with an excuse for myself.
“Fine, maybe I’ve gotten a little carried away,” I relented. “I’ve flirted a little. But it’s still completely innocent.” I swallowed hard. “I love Ben. We have a future together. The attention from Ethan is exciting and flattering, but it will pass. He’s a celebrity, for Christ’s sake. It’s only a matter of time before he hooks up with a cheerleader or a pop star and forgets all about me.”
“So you’re just enjoying the attention while it lasts?” she pressed. I could tell she still didn’t believe me.
“That’s the plan,” I agreed.
That wasn’t entirely true. My rational mind understood that the flirty back and forth banter between Ethan and me was temporary. But my heart was starting to get attached to his entertaining, often thoughtful messages.
“All right,” Linda said. She let out another long sigh and rose to her feet. “Just be careful, Emily. You’re walking a thin line with this. I don’t think you and Ben belong together. But if you’re sure that’s what you want, you need to cut things off with the quarterback and delete all of his messages. Think of how Ben would feel if he found out about this.”
A heavy weight of anxiety gripped my heart. I knew she was right, and I felt terrible for keeping such an enormous secret from Ben… just not terrible enough to stop.
“I’m just trying to look out for you, Em,” she called over her shoulder.
“I know,” I called back as she stepped through the door.
I pulled out my phone again and reread Ethan’s message.
Eating at the diner tonight. Care to join me?
I fired off a quick message turning down his offer and then turned my phone off completely.
Linda’s right. I need to put a stop to this. Flirting with Ethan has been fun, but there’s no future there. I want someone who’s happy with a quiet life, someone who comes home every night. Ben can give that to me. He’ll always be there when I need him.
I slid my phone into my purse, gathered the rest of my things, and set off for the parking lot. I needed to assuage my guilt and decided that surprising Ben with his favorite meal was a great place to start. I drove home, took a quick shower, and spent an hour curling my hair the way Ben liked it. I slipped into my sexiest pair of skinny jeans, pulled on a deep V-neck t-shirt, and brushed on a light layer of makeup before leaving for the market.
Ben was working at the Boys’ Club until seven; I knew he would be tired and wanted everything to be perfect for him when he got home. I hurried through the market, gathering fresh produce, thick cut ribeye steaks, and two different types of red wine. As a last minute impulse, I tossed an already made cheesecake into the cart and proceeded to the register. A few minutes and forty dollars later, I loaded my bags into the back of my car and made my way to Ben’s place.
Ben lived in a large, generic looking apartment complex close to The Day School. With first-come, first-served parking, I was rarely able to park anywhere close. But that night, I got lucky and found an empty spot just steps away from his front door. I found my key to the apartment on my ring, loaded my arms with grocery bags, and decided to make a second trip to carry in the wine.
I unlocked the front
door, flipped on the lights, and continued on to Ben’s small galley kitchen. I set the bags down on the countertop and heard a soft, muffled noise from the bedroom.
What the hell? He was supposed to be at practice until seven. I hope he isn’t sick.
“Baby?” I called out, padding down the hallway.
I heard a loud thud, followed by silence.
What the fuck?
I took hold of the doorknob, but it refused to turn. A blend of confusion, fear, and rage grew in my chest and I pounded on the door.
“Ben, are you okay? Why is the door locked? Are you—”
The door opened and my worst fears were realized. Ben stood before me wearing nothing but a guilty scowl. My eyes moved from him to the redhead, half covered by the blankets. She looked at me with an evil, triumphant grin and leaned back on a pillow.
“Emily, I’m so sorry. This isn’t how I wanted you to find out,” he stammered.
“So you did plan for me to find out,” I countered, my voice flat. I was in too much shock to feel anything and reached for the wall for support.
“No… I mean, yes. I mean… I think we’ve both known this was coming. We fit on paper, Em. But the spark just isn’t there.”
“How long has this been going on?” I pressed, the weight of the moment starting to sink in. Tears stung my eyes and I bit the corner of my mouth, determined to hold myself together to whatever degree possible.
“Ben and I—”
“I didn’t ask you,” I snapped, turning back to the redhead. I gritted my teeth when she smirked again, lifting her nose into the air. I spun on my heel and stormed back to the kitchen. I started pulling things out of the grocery bags and slamming them on the counter. Ben appeared a few moments later wearing a pair of boxers. He seemed alarmed by my quick, violent movements and stayed a few feet away from me.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his tone cautious.
“I thought it would be nice to have dinner together,” I explained, slamming a jar of artichoke hearts onto the counter. “But as I no longer have an appetite, I thought I’d just leave this here for you and your whore.”
“Emily, I’m so sorry. I know you’re upset. But Becky isn’t a—”
“Don’t you dare defend her,” I growled. “Don’t defend yourself either. My uncle was right about you. You’re nothing but a lying, cheating bastard. I recognize your precious Becky. It’s bad enough that you’re having an affair. But did you really have to screw one of the football moms? Does her husband know what the two of you have been up to?”
“Becky and Sean separated eight months ago. Their divorce is supposed to be finalized next week. I know you’re hurt, Emily. As hard as it may be to believe, that’s the last thing I ever wanted to do. If I knew you were planning to surprise me tonight—”
I turned to him, my hands on my hips. Rage was winning out over all of my other emotions, and it took every ounce of strength I had not to knee Ben in the balls.
“What?” I spat. “If you’d known I was coming, you would have screwed your MILF somewhere else?”
He sighed and looked down to the worn tile floor. “I… I… I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say.”
I couldn’t be in the apartment another minute. I slung my purse over my shoulder and pushed past Ben, storming toward the front door.
“You don’t have to say anything. In fact, if I never hear your voice again, I’ll die happy.” I paused long enough to pull his key off my ring, tossed it over my shoulder, and slammed the door behind me.
I dove into my car and peeled out of the parking lot, trying to outrace my heartache. I failed and pulled over at a home goods store. Killing the engine, I let my tears overtake me. I mourned the loss of the future I’d planned so carefully and tried to figure out where everything had gone wrong. How long had Ben been sleeping with Becky? Was she the first, or just the latest in a string of his conquests? I knew I was probably better off not learning the answers.
I cried until my eyes ran dry, then spent another few minutes composing myself. I didn’t know what to do or where to turn. I knew Uncle Walt would be sympathetic, but I wasn’t up for listening to him rail against Ben. I also couldn’t bear the thought of his inevitable “I told you so” expression. I eyed the two bottles of wine in my passenger seat and decided the occasion definitely called for some drinking. I pulled out of the lot and turned toward home. Somehow, I ended up at the diner instead.
CHAPTER THREE
Ethan’s eyes lit up when I pushed through the diner door. His excitement immediately turned to concern and I realized I must have looked like an absolute mess. He jumped off his stool and rushed over to greet me.
“Emily, I wasn’t expecting you. Are you okay?” he asked, draping an arm over my shoulder. He led me to the counter and I sank down on the stool beside him with a nod.
“Yes… no. I don’t know,” I replied, propping my elbows on the cool linoleum.
He signaled the waitress, who appeared with a steaming mug of coffee. “Would you like something to eat, darlin’?” she asked.
I shook my head and wrapped my hands around the warm, comforting mug. “No, thank you.”
She gave me a sympathetic nod and cleared Ethan’s empty plates. He took a sip of his water and turned to me, his eyes searching mine for some sign of what happened.
“You’re obviously upset,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. “I assume you came to find me because you need a friend?”
I gave him a wordless nod.
“Do you want to talk here? Or would you like to go somewhere more private?”
“Private,” I answered without thinking.
He pulled out his wallet, dropped a twenty on the counter, and rose to his feet, offering me his arm. I took it and a strange, comforting warmth spread through my body. When I’d arrived at the diner, I felt like my life was over. But when Ethan touched me, I knew everything was going to be okay.
We stepped out into the parking lot and Ethan paused.
“My place or yours?” he asked. “Or if you’re not comfortable with either of those, I have a master key to the stadium.”
“Your place is good.” I wasn’t ready to be at my apartment, surrounded by things that reminded me of Ben. And I really didn’t feel like running into anyone at the stadium.
“No offense, but you don’t seem like you’re in any shape to drive. I don’t want you to feel stuck at my place. How about I drive your car now and you can take me back to mine later, when you feel better?”
“That works for me,” I agreed, handing over my keys. He opened my door and I unlocked his as he circled the car. He slid the driver’s seat all the way back before wiggling in behind the steering wheel. He drove in silence for a few minutes before placing a gentle hand on my knee.
“Is it safe to assume you’re no longer taken?” he asked.
“Is it that obvious?” I countered with a sad snort.
“No,” he assured me. “You still look beautiful. Distracted, maybe. But I doubt anyone at the diner noticed. Do you want to tell me what happened?”
I lifted one of the wine bottles I’d moved to the floorboard. “Not until I have a little of this in me.”
“I understand.”
He navigated through Irvington, pulling up to a large iron gate only blocks away from my apartment. He punched a few keys on the code box and the gate swung inward.
“You have a beautiful house,” I observed, staring at the Tudor mansion in front of us.
“Thank you. You’ll have to excuse the décor. I just moved in a few months ago and I’ve been too busy to really put my mark on the place.”
“I promise I won’t judge,” I assured him.
He pulled up to the large, solid wood door and killed the engine. He passed me my keys and took the wine before climbing out of the car. I smiled as he moved the seat back into position for me before shutting the door.
How thoughtful…
I followed him into the house and immed
iately understood why he’d warned me about the interior. While the outside of the home looked straight out of Medieval England, the inside looked like it had been abandoned sometime in the nineteen seventies. Velvet wallpaper in various shades of gold and green adorned the walls, continuing from the foyer into the living room. Ethan’s modern leather furniture looked out of place in the space, but the house had tons of potential.
“I have a crew coming next week to do something about these walls,” he explained, wrinkling his nose at them. He led me to the large French doors on the far side of the room, which opened to an expansive backyard. The covered veranda ran the length of the Olympic-sized swimming pool in front of it.
“This is beautiful. How much space do you have?”
“About an acre, total,” he replied, setting the wine down on a teak patio table. He stepped behind the outdoor bar and returned with two glasses and a corkscrew. He opened the first bottle, filled the glasses, and settled into the chair beside me. I finished my wine in one long gulp and waited patiently while he poured my second round.
“That bad, huh?” he asked.
I nodded and stared out at the gleaming pool. “I went to Ben’s apartment. We haven’t had much time together since school started and I thought it would be nice to surprise him with his favorite dinner. Instead, the surprise was on me.”
I took another sip of my wine while Ethan let out a low whistle.
“You caught him in the act?”
I nodded. “Yep. I’ve been beating myself up for weeks for not telling him about our friendship. And all the while, he’s been screwing a cougar divorcee.”
Ethan was quiet for a moment and then cleared his throat. “You seem to be handling it okay. I mean you’re obviously upset. But you don’t seem… broken.”
“I don’t break,” I replied, my voice flat.
“Is that so?” he pressed.
“I bawled my eyes out for about half an hour after. I’m pissed. I’m devastated, actually. I honestly thought Ben and I were forever. I thought he was the predictable, stable man I’d always dreamed of finding. Obviously, I was wrong.”