by Susan Hatler
“No! I wasn’t insane, and I wasn’t desperate. I was—” Sadie froze when she saw Chessie’s disapproving look. Oh, God. She’d disappointed them. Had let down her friends. She slept with one of the brothers.
Broken the code.
The wave of reproach sent her reeling. She couldn’t even look at Lia, couldn’t bear to see the disappointment in her eyes. She jumped off the couch, heading to her room, taking the stairs three at a time until she reached the second floor. After slamming the door hard enough to shake the upstairs, she threw herself down on her bed.
And sobbed.
Moments later, two contrite and sheepish best friends tiptoed into her room and sat on her bed. Snuggling next to her, Lia rubbed her back and Chessie pulled off her sandals to give her a foot massage.
“I’m really sorry I gave you a hard time,” Chessie said quietly. “I was just surprised, that’s all.” Her words were as warm as her hands on Sadie’s feet, and just as comforting.
“I let you both down.” Sadie choked out the words.
Chessie let out a laugh. “Is that why you’re crying? Because you think you betrayed us?”
“I slept with one of the brothers—I broke the code. I’ve been a bad friend.”
Lia joined Chessie in laughter, and soon both girls were laying side-by-side next to Sadie. Although, unlike Sadie, they weren’t crying and feeling miserable. Instead, they couldn’t seem to stop laughing.
As Sadie’s sobs slowly subsided, so did the two girls’ laughter. After a few moments, she sat up. A renewed sense of calm came over her.
“Neither of you are mad?” she asked.
Lia wrapped her in a warm embrace. “No, just astonished. We never thought you had a thing for Ethan.”
At her friend’s touch, Sadie’s heart melted. “I need to show you something,” she whispered. “There’s a shoebox, under the bed.”
Surprised, Lia bent over, found the battered fabric-covered box, and put it on Sadie’s lap. Sadie flicked a finger at the lid and opened it.
“Wow,” Chessie whispered, pulling out bits and pieces of Ethan’s life. “This playbill is from the first play he ever did, in eighth grade.”
“And this?” Lia added. “What’s this?” She held up a braided bracelet.
“Oh.” Sadie smiled. “He’d made that at camp and gave it to me the day I got braces. I kept it. Obviously.”
Chessie shook her head, eyes smiling. “You’re nuts, you know.”
Sadie nodded, fingering a playbill with Ethan’s face splashed across the front. “Yeah, nuts about Ethan.”
Lia’s jaw tightened. “Why didn’t you ever tell us you had a crush on him?”
“I knew he never felt the same way about me,” she responded. “I didn’t ever want to jeopardize our friendship, so I kept my mouth shut.”
Lia ran a hand lightly over hers while continuing to pick through items in the box. “We would have supported you, honey, no matter how Ethan felt.”
“Maybe I should have said something years ago. I guess I don’t really know why I didn’t. After a while, the secret was so locked in that there never seemed to be a right time to say anything. Until now, that is.”
“Are you two an item?” Chessie asked. “I’m assuming you slept together the night of the auction, since that’s the only time you’ve seen him in twelve years.”
“Yeah,” Sadie sniffled, fingering the flyer advertising the auction. “We hooked up that night. But we’re not an item—he’s not my boyfriend.”
“Why not?” Chessie asked.
“He says he can’t give me a commitment—that he won’t do relationships.”
Lia nodded. “He’s always said he won’t ever settle down. I don’t know why—he’d be a great husband and a terrific father. I always figured he wouldn’t do relationships because our parent’s marriage stunk so badly.”
Chessie curved her arm around Sadie’s waist. “Did you know all this before you two played Package the Pickle?”
She chuckled. “He wouldn’t have touched me if we hadn’t agreed there’d be no relationship coming out of that night.”
“That seems so raw,” Chessie said.
“Not really. I knew what I was getting into. Or at least, I thought I knew. I wanted to let go of the fantasy. I figured the reality of it couldn’t possibly be as amazing as my mind had made me think it would be.” She paused. “I was wrong.”
“Are you going to be able to deal with working next to him?” Chessie asked.
Sadie let out a quick hiccupped laugh. “I’d better. He’s the one person who can save my sinking ship.” And the only person who could save the festival, her reputation, the town’s economy, she continued in her mind. Her fingers flew nimbly over the papers and items, arranging them back in the box. How sweet of Ethan to have remembered she’d crushed this one, and to have sent her a replacement box.
“Are you sure?” Lia asked.
“It will work out just fine. You’ll see.” She flung herself back on the bed. But as she did, she caught the concerned look that passed between her best friends—the look that didn’t need words to convey their shared thought: yeah, right.
***
Ethan bent down and stuck his head in his near-empty refrigerator, ignoring the wail of a siren in the New York street below. Theo had shown up earlier, having flown out to the east coast for a business meeting, and all Ethan had to offer was a martini.
At least he had olives.
After shaking vodka and vermouth until ice formed on the shaker, Ethan poured two martinis, dumped in several olives, and brought them into the living room. Handing one of the drinks to Theo, he walked around the brushed nickel coffee table to the open window at the street three stories below. The scent of freshly baked naan came from the East Indian restaurant on the first floor, sending his stomach rumbling. He pulled out the olives and ate them in one bite, turning to look at Theo as he chewed.
Theo downed the entire martini.
Huh. “You seem a little edgy tonight,” Ethan observed. “Is everything all right? Any problems at work?”
Theo poured more martini mix into his glass, then toyed with the olive speared onto a toothpick. “Work’s going fine.”
Ethan waited. He knew Theo’s words hid something else, but he also knew better than to ask directly. “How are your parents?” he asked.
“Good.”
“And Sadie?” Ethan felt a tightening in his chest, a quick thrust of electrical current running from his stomach to his throat.
Theo cleared his throat. “Yeah, well, I wanted to talk to you about her, actually.”
Ethan’s stomach clenched. He nodded anyway, an indication for Theo to continue.
“I love my sister,” Theo began. “And I want her happy. I also know she’s very capable of running her own life, and I don’t want to control her. I don’t even want to know about her love life. Unless…” Theo paused and looked straight at Ethan. “Unless her love life involves my best friend. Then I have a right to know.”
Oh, shit. Ethan looked down at his feet. He took a big gulp of his martini, fire burning down his throat, and waited for Theo to continue.
“Ever since the auction, Sadie hasn’t been the same. Suddenly, instead of this driven career woman, every time I see her she’s got this dopey, dreamy expression on her face. And now, with you moving back into town, she’s as giddy as a schoolgirl. A brainless and giddy Sadie isn’t exactly the Sadie I know. Ethan, I want to know happened between you and Sadie the night of the bachelor auction.”
The increased pressure in his chest almost hurt. Sleeping with Sadie had been between him and her. But he had slept with his best friend’s sister. He kept his expression frozen, and managed to raise his focus from his feet to his friend’s face. His friend’s rather angry face.
Theo put down his drink and leaned forward, elbows on his knees, eyes boring down on Ethan. “What I want to know is this: did you sleep with my sister?”
Carefully, Ethan s
et down the crystal martini glass on the windowsill. Theo wasn’t going to like what he was about to hear. But lying to his friends had never been his way. “Yeah, I slept with Sadie.”
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.”