The Art of Ethan

by Cara North

  “So.” Ethan was being cocky, and he knew it, but something alarmed him about Emma now. Something wasn’t right.

  “Well, I just thought that, well, I haven’t really dated anyone.” Emma was feeling jealous. Who could this woman be? She would no doubt meet her at Megan’s wedding. Was it Chloe? Chloe had stayed when she left. She had kept her well-informed of his every move and, at the same time, made her own intentions clear. Was it the redhead? Shit! She needed Ethan. Her current situation demanded a man in her life, an available man. “Have you seen Chloe lately?”

  “Yeah, as a matter-of-fact, I just left her at the coffee shop around the corner.” This was getting too creepy. They must be in it together. They were best friends. Surely, Chloe would tell her about the restraining order. “Look I gotta run. I’m late for a meeting.”

  “Oh, sure. You gotta go then you gotta go.” Emma looked into his big brown eyes and started blinking. Chloe was no match for her. Emma could take him, already had once before. She would again.

  “I gotta go.” Ethan spoke quickly then started walking, at a brisk pace. His mind was racing. These women are trying to kill me. What is going on around here? What’s with the blinking eyes? He needed to call Charles back. He hated to admit it, but he may even have to call his cousin, Joshua.

  His cousin was finished with his second college degree. After being a cop for years, he had the notion to change his whole life, to become a teacher. The Big Dog, as he was known amongst friends, had just suffered a real heartache. Thank God, he didn’t go to North Carolina. Grace wouldn’t have to worry about moving. Joshua would have uprooted in an instant. Shit. That thought hit him like a ton of bricks. Joshua would leave for the woman he loved. He was a true romantic.

  That had Ethan thinking and his gut burning. What would his grandpa do? He knew. He shook his head, wondering what Grace was doing now.

  Beaufort, North Carolina

  Grace put down the paint roller and looked around. The living room was now a nice sage green. It was the last to be painted. The whole house was more alive. The colors were earthy and the decorations simple. Several of the local church organizations had sent trucks to pick up the donations.

  It had just about wiped out her savings account, but this house was now hers. It was a place she could live or a place she could visit. Either way, that would depend on Ethan.

  The past few days he had called her every night with a new idea or color suggestion. She e-mailed him photos of the rooms as they were done.

  For his part, he had a king size bed and a shower curtain delivered unexpectedly to her door. The delivery man didn’t ask why Grace laughed herself to tears, and she was grateful for that. He also had a plumber install a new showerhead that felt like heaven. Grace worried that he spent too much money, but he didn’t ask her permission. Things just showed up.

  “The new pictures should be there next time you go online.” Grace lay in the oversized bed and wished Ethan was there.

  “How do you like my bed?” His voice was low and sensual.

  “It’s big and lonely.” Grace sighed. “It feels good though. It’s just all these paint fumes have made me sick.”

  “Oh, poor baby. You need me to come there and make it better?” Ethan was serious. Being apart from her was torture.

  The longer he stayed in New York, the more women he ran into. The more women he ran into, the more he wanted to be with Grace.

  “No, yes, no, it would be nice, but I’ll be there soon anyway.” She didn’t do all the work in the house on her own. Several neighbors helped out, and she stocked them with beer and had pizza delivered. The women were excited to see their little Grace do something with the place. It was surprising and heartwarming. Grace looked at the clock. “It’s getting late. You should go to bed.”

  “You’re not the boss of me.” He snickered. “There is no chain around this ankle.”

  “Ha, ha. Very funny.” Secretly, she loved when he played around like they had a future together. She hoped she could convince him to make it a reality some day.

  “Oh, I almost forgot, I cleaned out my art room.” Ethan waited.

  “What? Why would you do that? Where did you put everything?” Grace couldn’t believe he had moved his work. Over the past few nights, she had learned how much he loved his work. They never talked about money, but he did portraits for a lot of important and famous people.

  “Rumor has it I may be babysitting soon.” Ethan wanted her to tell him if it was true or not. Chase was sure Megan was pregnant and hiding it. “You wouldn’t know anything about that would you?”

  “No, and I don’t think she is. Your brother is a little nuts right now with the wedding so close. I can’t believe you would give up your room.” Grace was touched by the gesture.

  “Are you kidding me? For the first little young in, what over thirty years, yeah, I can move it all back downstairs to the gallery.” Ethan was excited about his brother’s prospect. He wanted kids; he wanted kids with Grace. “Aren’t you at all hopeful that your cousin will have a baby?”

  “I guess.” Grace thought about Megan and those acrylic nails changing a diaper. “You know, it sort of scares me to think of Megan with a baby. Those nails, four inch heels, and can you imagine her fat?”

  “She would change; all women change.” Ethan still sounded hopeful. “I hope she is. It would serve Chase right. Hopefully, it’s a girl.”

  “Why would you want it to be a girl, Mr. Optimistic?” Grace was tired. All the work she had been doing around the house made her tired all the time now.

  “Because I’m the oldest, I should have the first boy,” he said it so matter-of-fact.

  “Well, you’re a little behind on the baby making, don’t you think? If Megan’s pregnant, your only hope is that she has a girl.” Grace laughed. Chase and Ethan really still competed like little boys in all things. Just like she and Megan did.

  “Why are you laughing? You don’t think I have baby making skills?” Ethan feigned offense.

  “I’m sure you do.” Grace sarcastically chided him.

  “Don’t make me prove it.”

  His voice dropped and a warm feeling covered her like a blanket. She would love to see him prove it. In fact, she hoped someday he would, twice.

  “How many kids do you want?” Grace blurted it out abruptly. At this point, they had discussed a lot of things as friends.

  “Four, five, I don’t know? How many are you willing to carry?” His tone was playful, but his question was serious.

  “Uh, two, three max.” Grace played along.

  “We’ll see. I’m sure I can negotiate later.” Ethan took a deep breath and released it. “But for now, I have to get some sleep. You’re keeping me awake with all this baby talk.”

  “Hey, you started it.” Grace yawned.

  “I know. Good night, Gracie.” His voice was low again.

  “Hmm, good night.” Grace hated saying it, knowing there would be no good mornings.

  Grace snuggled into the oversized bed and hugged the king size pillow that wore his T-shirt. She inhaled deeply, trying to pull whatever was left of his scent from it.

  She wondered if she could find a reason to go to New York before the wedding. She couldn’t very well invite herself to stay with him. Though she loved Megan, there was no way she could stay with bride-zilla without killing her. If only Ethan would come to North Carolina. He asked her several times, but she didn’t want him to spend more money.

  The thought of him spending more on her was just unsettling. He already pampered her with house gifts, and she had no idea if he could really afford it. She wouldn’t ask Megan; it wouldn’t be right. At the same time, she wouldn’t ask him. She didn’t want him to think it mattered.

  * * * *

  He turned before finally settling into a loose sleep. He wasn’t getting any real rest without Grace. He had to go to North Carolina. He couldn’t wait to see her again.

  The alarm sounded, and Ethan was on his feet
in a flash.

  FIRE-FIRE-FIRE the alarm screamed at him. He didn’t notice any smoke, at first. By the time he made it to the wall for the alarm, the phone was ringing.

  “Hello.”

  “Is everything okay? We are showing a fire in zone three. We called the fire department. They are on the way.” The alarm dispatcher was calm.

  “Where the fuck is zone three?” Ethan could smell the fire, but he didn’t know what was burning. If anything hit the gallery, the whole place could combust.

  “Right out your door, sir. Do you see fire? Do you smell smoke? Can you hear the fire department?” The dispatcher was still calm.

  “I can smell it. Fuck!” Ethan dropped the phone and grabbed the fire extinguisher. Indeed, the flames were out his door. The whole stairwell that led up to his loft from outside was on fire. That meant the back of the gallery could be next.

  * * * *

  The sirens were close; then, the lights came. She could see them. A crowd was gathering in the front of the gallery now. Chloe stood there, smoking a cigarette. She wanted the fire department to get there quick to put out the fire.

  She didn’t want Ethan hurt. She didn’t want the gallery ruined. She would offer him a place to stay. He took her in at a bad time. She could take him in now. God, how did this get so out of control?

  The crowd grew, and Chloe became scared. If they didn’t get it under control, he would be trapped in there. She didn’t want to hurt him. She didn’t want to hurt anyone. She just wanted her life back.

  She watched the fire department pull out the hoses, spraying the building quickly in the front as others went to the actual fire in the back. It seemed like hours before Ethan emerged. He was covered in soot, choking from smoke inhalation. His large body seemed small compared to the scene around him. The crowd now cheered. The fire was out.

  Chloe wanted to rush to him, but the fireman was right there. How would Ethan react? He may see right through her and point her out. She hadn’t thought about that until now.

  Chloe dropped her cigarette and walked away.

  “Hey, lady!” Some man in the crowd called out. “Put that thing out. You didn’t see that fire?”

  “Oh, sorry.” Chloe hurried back and stepped on the cigarette butt.

  “Crazy bitch.” The man looked at her disgusted.

  It didn’t take much time for Ethan’s parents to find out. His cousin, Joshua, was finishing out his last days on the police force, and Ethan was known for fundraising. When the word was sent out, Joshua came into the station immediately. Joshua placed a blanket around his cousin.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about all this shit before?” Joshua was furious and concerned. Ethan was like his brother. They were close, and he didn’t like not knowing about this. He knew about the restraining order, but he wasn’t aware it was this bad. He was surprised it was the first restraining order he needed. Women had a tendency to get nutty around Ethan, must be the art thing.

  “I had it under control.” Ethan growled and sipped the coffee. Joshua was just as big as he was, but he was mean, well weathered by his job as a narcotics officer.

  “I see. So, you think she is capable?” Joshua looked at him seriously now. Women adored his cousin. They had always competed when they were younger, but, as they got older, it was more for fun, like a sport.

  “I don’t know.” Ethan shrugged. “You can’t tell anyone, Joshua. You have to keep this under wraps.”

  “Why?” Joshua looked at him.

  Ethan told him everything. Everything he remembered. How Chloe was always there when he met Emma. Then, the engagement party when she slipped him something then the pregnancy thing. She had tried to bribe Charles with sex, money, anything she had. Then, he told him about Grace and the fact that Chloe had mentioned her.

  “Okay, I’ll keep it on the down low.” Joshua put his hand on Ethan’s shoulder. “You could have told me. I’m not getting married, and it wouldn’t ruin my life or plans.”

  “You’re right. I should have told you.” Ethan looked at his cousin. “Now, what do I do?”

  “Get the hell out of here while I clean this mess up.” Joshua stood up at the sight of his Aunt Katherine. “Mom’s here.”

  Katherine Young was already in tears. Ethan was her oldest child. At thirty-five, he was still her baby. He didn’t act like a child. He was very independent, but she was his mother. That was her right, to worry about her children. It wouldn’t matter if he were fifty years old. This would be hard for her, to watch her son suffer such a loss.

  Joshua let Ethan explain everything. He left the room to make calls, alerted the fire department about the suspected arson. Because of the gallery, an investigator was already on scene. The gallery was safe, but the outside of the building was scorched and would need repairs. His loft had suffered the most damage. The stairwell was destroyed and so was part of the entrance.

  Joshua would call the Wolf, an informant who had more information available than any one man rightly should. He was skeptical of Ayden Wolf but had a gut feeling he was on the right side of the law. It would be a personal favor. One he knew he would cash in someday. That was his way.

  “What are you going to do, son?” Joe Young was a man of few words. When he spoke, people listened.

  “I don’t know.” Ethan was still in shock. He could rebuild the gallery, but the art within was impossible to replace.

  “Well, I think you could use some time away while the investigation takes place at least.” Joe looked at his son. Ethan was alright, and he knew his son was a proud man. However, he was his son, and he wanted him safe. “You can come home.”

  “You can stay with us,” Chase said over Megan’s head as they walked in. Megan was sobbing, and Chase held her close.

  “I think I’ll call Grace.” Ethan really wanted to be with her right now. Watching Megan and Chase left him longing for someone to share the good and bad times with, and North Carolina was far away.

  “I think that’s a good idea.” Joshua agreed as he walked back into the room. The Wolf was on it. This would be wrapped up in no time. “Get out of town for a bit.”

  “Is there a reason he should leave town?” Katherine looked at her nephew now. A new feeling of helplessness was rising in her.

  “No, Aunt Katherine. Of course not, but it would be good to be away while the fire department investigates the cause. Besides, if he stays here, he will be at the gallery or fielding phone calls. If he’s in North Carolina, Stephanie or someone can field the reporters.” Joshua looked at Ethan and shared a knowing moment.

  Ethan needed to get out of New York if Chloe was connected. To get that close and set a fire, she was a threat, a dangerous threat.

  “You’re right,” Katherine agreed. “Call Grace. We’ll arrange a flight for you first thing in the morning.”

  “It is morning, Mom.” Ethan let out an exhausted laugh.

  The phone rang, and Grace answered sleepily. “Hello?”

  “Grace, it’s Ethan.” Everyone stood over him, looming, watching, and listening.

  Something in his voice rocked her to the core. She sat up in alarm. “What’s wrong? Are you okay? Did something happen to Megan?”

  “I’m fine. My loft caught fire, but I’m fine.”

  “What?” She was on her feet now. “I’m on my way.”

  Grace hung up on him. He looked at the phone and smiled. Everyone was looking at him with curious eyes now. “She hung up.”

  He called her back.

  “Grace listen, pick me up at the airport. I’ll call back with the time.” He didn’t give her a chance to say anything. He was relieved she was so ready to come to his rescue, but he was going to go to her.

  “What, here?” Grace was already getting dressed.

  “Yes, there, I’m coming to visit.” He smiled. “Unless you have company already.”

  “Ethan, this is no time to make jokes.” Grace was nervous. She felt helpless. She was dressed, and now she had nothing to do b
ut wait.

  “This is the perfect time. It’s laugh or cry, and I am not crying.” Ethan let out a sigh. He looked around at his audience. He wished he had put on pajamas when he went to bed but talking to Grace last night had made him hot, so he was there in his underwear instead. “So, will you pick me up?”

  “You’re going to have to pay a pretty stiff fee if you want me to drive all the way to New Bern.” Grace smacked herself in the head.

  She didn’t want to joke, but she had to. He needed her to. It was corny, but, at the moment, it was the best she could come up with.

  “That’s my Grace.” Ethan smiled. He wanted to cry. If the fire reached the inside of the gallery, several of his grandfather’s paintings would have been lost. He would definitely cry then.

  “See you this afternoon.” Grace attempted a calm she didn’t possess.

  “Well, it’s all set. I’ll stay with Grace and be back before the wedding.” Ethan shrugged off the blanket and stood to his feet. He had no shoes, just boxers.

  “You should take this.” Joshua handed him a gym bag. Ethan looked ready to run to North Carolina in his underwear no less. “And probably put it on before you go out.”

  “Ethan.” Megan hugged him. She was crying still. He knew she was being genuine, but he didn’t need to get emotional right now. “I’m so sorry this happened to you.”

  “Someone get this please.” Ethan half patted Megan on the back, and Chase pulled her away. She left her tear stains on him and took some of the soot from his body onto herself.

  She was distraught. Megan was his nemesis, yes, but deep down she cared that he lived. After all, Ethan was going to be her brother-in-law. Grace must be a wreck. Megan left the station to call her. She had fire gunk all over her from Ethan. It made her cringe to think of him getting hurt. Grace was in love with him, whether she admitted it or not. That alone made Megan care more about Ethan than her Prada blouse, which was just ruined.

  “Gracie, how are you?” Megan sobbed into the phone.

  “Megan, how is Ethan?” Grace was dressed, trying to figure out what to do with herself.