Dancing on Waves, page 10
He nodded. “I know all that. Tell me about you. How did you and Ethan meet?”
“I thought he told you,” I said suspiciously. “He rented my house.”
“And you didn’t know who he was?”
“No.” I shrugged. “I suppose I should have done some research, but I don’t investigate my guests. Mitchell is a very common last name.”
“You didn’t know he was wealthy?”
“I figured that out when I met him,” I said. “Guys like you have a particular look. A scent. It’s not hard to pick you out from a crowd.”
“And you picked Ethan out.”
“I didn’t pick him out,” I clarified. “He rented my house.”
“And you didn’t see an opportunity?”
“An opportunity for what?” I asked irritably.
I was quickly growing more pissed by the second. I didn’t like his tone. I didn’t like what he was implying. He was basically calling me a gold-digger.
“You’re an attractive woman,” he said. “Ethan was in a weird place in his life. I knew something was up when he went off the grid. Ethan has a lot on his shoulders. He’s always handled it with amazing strength. I’ve admired that in him. But I think it became too much. He cracked. He cracked, and you were there to pick up the pieces. I don’t know what you think you know about him, but he’s not the man for you. I think you might call it a nervous breakdown. Whoever you thought he was in Hawaii is not who he really is. He has a lot of responsibilities here that he can’t just walk away from. You showed him a good time, but he’s not available.”
“I’m sorry, but exactly who do you think you are?” I asked. “You’re clearly not his friend. You’re the one that’s using him. He’s the CEO. His name is on the door. Maybe you’re using him.”
He smirked. “I don’t need to use him. I’ve been friends with Ethan for a long time. I know him very well. The best thing you can do for Ethan and yourself is to go home. Go home and go back to your life. This thing with you and Ethan is going to end badly. I can see it. I’m sure he could see it if he allowed himself to see with clear eyes. I have no doubt you care about him. He probably cares about you, but it’s never going to work. You’re both going to suffer.”
“You’re a dick.”
“I’m not trying to be a dick,” he said. “I don’t think you’re a bad person. You’re just not the person for him. Ethan has been in a weird place. He might have enjoyed his time with you over the last month, but that time is over. It’s time for him to get back to work and handle business. The only way this works is with him focused on the company. You’re going to feel abandoned. Your feelings will be hurt. He’ll feel guilty, but that won’t stop him from doing what needs to be done.”
“You need to go,” I said and got up. “Leave.”
“I’m only trying to save you both from a lot of pain and suffering,” he said.
“I’m sure that’s your main objective,” I scoffed. “You think I’m after him for his money. You’re an idiot. You don’t know me at all. I could give a shit about his money. He pursued me.”
He got up and made a big show of looking around the room. “Yeah, I can see how his money offends you.”
“Does Ethan know you’re here?” I asked.
“No, but I’m sure you’ll tell him. That will only add to his troubles. I don’t know you, Ava. You’re probably a really nice lady. I can see you care for Ethan, but it’s just not going to end well. The best thing you can do is go home. Go back to your life. Forget about Ethan. Let him forget about you. He needs to move on. He had a moment, but he’s going to be okay. Getting him back to New York was half the battle.”
“Is that really how you see him?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You see him as broken. Damaged. Whatever you said. From what I’ve seen, Ethan finally has some clarity in his life. I would think as his friend, you would want that for him. Then again, I suppose if you’re someone who makes his living off of his so-called friend, you would of course want Ethan here. You don’t care if he’s miserable. You just want to make sure your meal ticket is signed.”
He smirked. “Sweetie, I have plenty of my own money. I don’t need Ethan’s. I’m just trying to make sure you don’t fuck up his whole life.”
“Leave,” I ordered and pointed to the door. “Leave or I’ll call security.”
“I think you’re forgetting you’re in my room.” He grinned. “I’ll leave. Think about what I said. If you think you know Ethan so well, you’ll have to acknowledge I’m right.”
He left the room. I threw the lock and spun around. I hated it, but the man had gotten under my skin. He was an asshole, but was he really trying to do right by Ethan? I didn’t know. Did I tell Ethan about his friend’s visit? I didn’t want to hurt him any more than necessary. Maybe Lucas was right. Maybe me being in New York was fucking things up even more for him.
Chapter Sixteen
Ethan
I rang the bell at my grandfather’s house. His housekeeper answered the door. It wasn’t surprising. “I’m here to see my grandfather,” I said.
“Mr. Mitchell asks you to wait in the den,” she said. “Can I get you a drink?”
“No, thank you,” I said.
I was shown to the den like I didn’t know where it was. I sat down and waited. And then waited some more. After fifteen minutes, I got up and made myself a drink from the sidebar. While up, I looked around the den. There were a few framed pictures on a shelf. I stared at them. One was of my family and another of my grandparents and us when we were younger. Both pictures were professional. There weren’t any smiling photos of us on a boat or catching fish. No one was happy. Smiling, yes, but not happy.
I checked the time again and considered leaving. My grandfather was fucking with me. It was his way. “Come into my office,” I heard him bark.
I turned around to see him standing in the doorway with his usual drink in hand. I followed him down the hall to his office. “Sit down,” he ordered.
The desire to tell him no was strong, but I wouldn’t disrespect him, even though he was being obnoxious. I sat down and waited for him to say what was on his mind.
“I can’t tell you how disappointed I am in you,” he said.
That was not what I expected him to say. “Me?” I asked.
“Yes, you,” he said with a shake of his head. “You’re smarter than this. What the hell possessed you to run away at a time when your family needed you the most? You ran away like a coward.”
“I didn’t run away,” I argued. “I left because the lawyers for the company thought it best I stay out of the limelight.”
“Don’t give me that,” he barked. “You ran because you didn’t want to deal with it.”
“I don’t want to deal with it,” I said. “This is Collin’s problem. I didn’t do this.”
“It doesn’t matter who did what,” he replied. “You abandoned your family. We may be a lot of things, but we don’t just run away from our troubles.”
“They aren’t my problems,” I reminded him. “Collin did this. I was at work, minding my own business while he was out killing people.”
“Don’t say that!”
“He has been accused of some pretty horrible crimes, Grandpa,” I said. “His scandal is hurting all of us. The company is taking a huge hit.”
“I wonder why,” he said with disgust. “You’ve been hiding. You’ve had your head in the sand while the rest of us have been trying to find a solution. I never took you for the kind to run off and leave your family, Ethan. I thought you were better than that.”
“I don’t know why you’re upset with me for following the direction of counsel,” I said. “Have you spoken to Collin? You do realize he’s the one that did this. I didn’t do anything. I’ve never done anything to cause a scandal. My entire life has been comprised of making choices you’ve all guided me into. Selfless choices. He’s been a selfish brat his whole life, and none of you have done anything to stop him.”
“Don’t you get smart with me,” he ordered.
I took a deep breath. “I’m not trying to be smart. I’m pointing out the fact you are mad at me for something Collin did. I’m back in the city trying to do what I can to stop the company from going under. I’m under pressure to resign. They want to take away the company you built because of something Collin did.”
“They want to take it away because the CEO fled the country!”
“I was still technically in the country,” I muttered.
“I’m in no mood for your smartass,” he said. “You’ve embarrassed me. You’ve embarrassed the family. We’re losing ground and respect.”
It was like I was in some weird dream. There was no way they were all blaming me for Collin’s choices. That didn’t make sense. “I want to clarify something,” I said. “Are you angry I went to Hawaii or angry that Collin did what he did?”
“I’m angry you went to Hawaii when you should’ve been here taking care of business,” he said. “I’m angry you didn’t heed your father’s warnings when he told you a long time ago Collin was struggling. I’m angry you think you have no culpability for this mess.”
“Why would I be culpable?” I asked. “I ask that with no disrespect. I’m genuinely curious why you think this is my fault.”
“We all warned you,” he said with a shake of his head. “We told you Collin needed your help.”
“I helped him as much as I could,” I said. “He didn’t want my help. He has to help himself.”
“You knew you had everything,” he said. “You knew you were going to run the company and inherit everything. That left him out in the cold.”
“I brought him into the company,” I said. “He didn’t want the job. He wanted to forge his own path. I supported him, but I couldn’t support his addictions. He got angry. He left. Collin knows exactly what he’s doing. The political path might have worked for him if he could have gotten rid of the drugs.”
“Fix it,” he said and shook his finger at me. “You need to fix this thing, or we’re all ruined.”
“I’m trying,” I said. “I can’t buy the police.”
“We don’t need you to buy the police,” he argued. “All you have to do is stand by him. Let your good name rub off on him. We’ve already got a plan, but that’s another thing.”
I could only imagine what he was going to say. “What would that be?”
“Ava Macarthur,” he said with a shake of his head. “You need to get rid of her. She’s only going to make this worse.”
“She doesn’t use Macarthur,” I said. “She’s Hunt.”
“I don’t care if she’s Winnie the fucking Pooh,” he snapped. “She’s still that girl’s sister. What do you think it look likes to have you sleeping with the sister of the woman who dragged your brother into this mess?”
“I don’t think that’s quite how that went down,” I said. “Ava has nothing to do with this either. She hasn’t spoken to her sister in a long time. She didn’t know what her sister was up to no more than I knew what Collin was doing.”
He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. Get rid of her.”
“I don’t know what that means, but I think you need to understand Ava didn’t do anything,” I said defensively.
“You don’t need someone from that family dragging you down,” I said. “You don’t need the distraction. We all need you focused on resolving this issue. That woman is only going to muddy the waters.”
“She is doing nothing of the sort,” I argued. “She’s the one getting dragged into something ugly. Ava had a good life back home. I am the one that brought this to her door.”
“Bullshit,” he scoffed. “She’s trouble. She’s going to cause an even bigger scandal. Get rid of her. The last thing this family needs is another scandal.”
I had to laugh at the ridiculousness of the statement. “I think the family does just fine creating their own scandals. No help needed.”
“This is not funny, Ethan,” he growled. “Do you know what we stand to lose if we can’t get ahead of this thing? I know you enjoy your lifestyle. You’re going to lose just as much as the rest of us.”
“First of all, I’ve invested my salary very well,” I said. “I’m not going to go bankrupt. Neither are you or Mom and Dad. The company might get sold off, but it won’t be the end of the world.”
“How dare you act like it’s not a big deal to lose everything?” he hissed. “That’s my life’s work we’re talking about.”
“I know, and I’m not trying to destroy it, but I can’t make any guarantees I can save it either,” I said.
He threw his glass across the room. It shattered against the fireplace with the shards falling to the floor. It wasn’t the first time I had seen my grandfather throw a tantrum. “Get rid of that woman!” His voice boomed across the room.
The conversation wasn’t going to improve. I got to my feet and waited for him to look at me. “I am going to fix this,” I said calmly. “I’ll make sure Collin is taken care of. I make no guarantees about what that looks like, but I will do everything I can to help him. But what I won’t do is leave Ava. That’s nonnegotiable. I love her. Period. End of story. Not you, not my parents, not the press is going to keep me from her.”
“We’ll see,” he said with a snort.
“I guess we will see,” I said. “I think you should remember how stubborn I can be. I’ve made up my mind about this. I’m not about to change it.”
He smirked again. “Like I said, we’ll see.”
“Goodbye,” I said and started to walk out of the room.
“Ethan!”
I stopped and looked back. “I’ll expect you to be at the gala.”
“What?” I asked with confusion.
“The annual winter ball,” he said. “You will be there.”
“You’re still hosting that?” I asked with astonishment. “Why? Will anyone show up?”
“Damn straight they will,” he said. “It’s not about us. We raise money for a good cause. I still have some pull in this city. This is our chance to redeem ourselves. We need everyone there. We are going to put on a united front. This is our way back into power.”
I smiled. “Great. I already have a date.”
“Don’t you dare,” he warned.
“Grandpa, you made one fatal error when you called me here tonight,” I said calmly.
“What was that?”
“You made it clear I hold all the power.” I shrugged. “You guys will fall without me. I’ll be there with Ava. If you don’t want her there, that’s fine, but I won’t be there either. If I’m not there, you have nothing. No one will clean up this mess.”
The expression on his face was priceless. Our conversation was over. I walked out of the house and ventured down the sidewalk until I could hail a cab. I wasn’t expecting my grandfather to get in on the action. I thought he would have been content to stay out of it. It was disappointing and hurtful to know he blamed me for this disaster.
When people said nice guys finished last, they weren’t kidding. I felt like I was dead last. The last person had lapped me. If I chose to, I could let myself get really down in the dumps. It felt like the entire world was against me. The only person in my corner was Ava. I’d known my family would have some reservations about her, but I’d never imagined they would take it to this level. They really were horrible people. They would deny me love and happiness in order to suit their own needs. How in the hell was that fair?
Chapter Seventeen
Ava
My mind was playing tricks on me. I was conjuring up all kinds of ideas about where Ethan was. I imagined he was with his family and wasn’t going to come back to the hotel. He was going to change his mind about the way he felt about me. I imagined him telling me I wasn’t right for him, and I should go back to Hawaii.
I was more than just a little tempted to do just that. I was afraid of being dumped. It was going to be painful. I’d rather be the dumper than the dumpee. Maybe I could just leave him a note and tell him I had changed my mind. I didn’t think he would be all that sad about it. Like Lucas said, it was never going to end well. He was going to end up dumping me eventually. I could do it before he had to.
No matter what Lucas said, I knew Ethan was a good man. It would kill him to have to dump me. He’d feel guilty. He would do it, but he wouldn’t enjoy it. I could save him a lot of trouble by doing it for him. It would hurt, but we’d both get over it. We would heal.
I heard the door handle at the same time Roxy did. She jumped up and rushed toward it. Ethan walked in and gave a half-smile to Roxy. “Hey girl,” he said and rubbed her head.
I got up to greet him. “Everything okay?” I asked and walked into his arms.
He gave me a weak hug and brushed his lips over mine. “Yes.”
“Did you eat?” I asked. “I can order you room service.”
“I’m good,” he said with a shake of his head.
“Do you want me to make you a drink?”
“Nah, I think I’m going to take a quick shower and go to bed,” he said.
He shrugged out of his coat and hung it over the back of the couch. Something was wrong. It wasn’t just my paranoia. Something had happened. “Okay,” I murmured.
He walked into the bathroom. I stood in the center of the room without moving. Should I confront him about what might have happened? I didn’t think he was in the mood to hear about his friend’s little visit. I would keep that to myself. I shut off the lights and changed into my pajamas. I crawled into bed and waited for him.
Again. I was waiting for him again. Would that be my life if we were together? Lucas said things wouldn’t end well. Maybe he did know Ethan better than I did. Ethan would fall back into his old habits. He told me he spent day and night at work. I did not want to be the little lady waiting at home for him all the time.
He walked out of the shower wearing just his underwear. He looked at me, and I thought for sure he was going to say something. He climbed into bed, gave me another kiss, and then settled against the pillow.
