skies parted.
The angels cascaded down from heaven playing trumpets.
“It was love at first shrimp...” They sighed in unison.
“How romantic.” Louise was sufficiently charmed.
“We talked for hours that afternoon.” Ethan laid it on thick. “But then I had to board a plane for Bangkok.”
“We didn’t see each other again for months.”
Caught up in their “reminiscing,” they moved their faces toward each other. Involuntarily. As if pulled together by a magnet.
Ethan bent in and brought his mouth to Holly’s. Only it wasn’t a feather-soft fake dinner kiss, meant to convince his aunt. No, his unexpected lips were bold. And hot. And they smashed against hers.
Their insistence didn’t let her pull away. She swirled inside. Got lost in the moment. Let it go on several beats too many.
Until she could finally separate herself from him.
Holly feared that everyone at the table could hear her heart pounding outside her chest.
Ethan looked as shocked as she felt. But after a moment he picked up his fork and resumed eating. Following his lead, she did the same.
Fortunately neither Louise nor Fernando had noticed anything strange. Holly and Ethan were engaged, after all. Why wouldn’t they spontaneously kiss?
But he wasn’t helping her any with a kiss like that. Let that be a warning to her.
Louise inquired, “Are your people from Miami, dear?”
Holly barely had a moment to catch her breath—nowhere near enough time to recover from that inebriating kiss before there came the next flaming hoop she had to jump through. She didn’t have “people.” And the people she did have she needed to keep a secret. Her people were not Benton kind of people.
“No. Fort Pierce.”
“Fort Pierce?” Fernando tossed back.
Certainly not the kind of stylish metropolis full of chic hotels, South Beach beauties and all-night parties that would interest him.
“We met again last year here in New York, when Holly was exhibiting paintings at a Soho gallery,” Ethan fibbed to move their story forward.
“Then wasn’t the next time when you came down and we visited Key West?”
He leaned over to brush the side of her cheek with the back of his hand. “It was then that I knew for sure.”
His tender touch across Holly’s face made it a struggle to keep her eyes open. Especially after that not so gentle kiss had rocked her to the bone.
Ethan sensed he had made her uncomfortable. “More water, anyone?” he said quickly, refilling glasses without waiting for an answer.
Thankfully giving her a moment to regroup.
After a couple of quiet sips Holly ventured, “I’m so happy we’re finally together in New York. I haven’t been here in five years.”
Ethan, Louise and Fernando all looked at her.
Oh, no! Oh! No!
Fernando’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you said you had a painting exhibition here last year?”
Gulp. Ethan’s soft stroke to her face had thrown her off course. Let her talk before she thought.
Dead silence. Which was finally broken by the sound of a fax coming in on Ethan’s desk.
“I meant that I haven’t explored the city in years.” Holly took a shot. “That was a work trip. I hardly left the gallery.”
“Shall we have dessert?” Ethan did his best to defuse the moment.
“Let me help you, dear.” Louise slowly rose and followed Ethan into the kitchen.
Fernando kept his glare on Holly one uncomfortable moment longer before he shot up to strut to the liquor cabinet.
Left at the table, Holly stood and began clearing the dishes. Not knowing how badly she had messed things up. Whether Ethan would be furious with her or sympathetic over her flub. Unsure if anyone had bought her quick cover-up.
Louise, even with her reduced ability, had offered to help Ethan with dessert in the kitchen. She must want to say something to him that she didn’t want Holly to hear.
Careful not to interrupt Ethan and his aunt’s private conversation, she stacked the dirty plates and brushed crumbs off the table. The dessert dishes and silverware were on a side shelf, so she set those out.
The evening had been going so nicely. Louise seemed to like her. Hopefully Holly hadn’t unraveled everything with one slip of the tongue.
With each passing minute Holly had come to like the idea of being Ethan’s pretend fiancée more and more. She wanted to make this work. To have the art commission and a place to live. It was a peculiar arrangement, for sure, but a better starting point for a new life than she could ever have imagined. At almost thirty, it was time for her to rewind and reboot. Put the bad choices—Ricky—and the bad luck—her mother—behind her.
When Ethan had sweetened the deal by agreeing to use his influence to help her brother, Vince, get a promotion, Holly had had to roll the dice and give it a try. Ethan had said he couldn’t make any promises, but Holly knew Vince was a hard and devoted worker who could easily manage additional responsibilities. She’d never forgive herself if her mistake tonight had done anything to endanger his chances of success.
And, wow, she was going to have to lay down some ground rules about her physical interactions with Ethan. She was shocked at how she was drawn to him almost hypnotically, easily touching his arm and lightly laying a hand on the small of his back as if it was no big deal. Like a fiancée would.
But that kiss had shown her how quickly things could go too far. His mouth on hers had dizzied her, made her lose track of her thoughts, forget the company she was in. Ethan’s lips were dangerous weapons. They could completely daze her, leave her woozy and unable to do the job he had hired her for.
What she needed was to figure out a system whereby his touch had no effect on her. She’d work that out. This was playacting, after all.
The dessert and coffee dishes set, an odd sight greeted Holly when she turned around from the table. Fernando was again in front of Ethan’s desk. This time he was peering at the fax they had just heard come through. His eyes widened and he snatched the piece of paper from the machine, folded it and slid it into his pocket. Not noticing that Holly was watching.
Because Fernando supposedly spent a lot of time in this apartment, the fax might be something he was expecting. But it irked her that he was again hovering around the paperwork and personal items that Ethan had spread out on the desk. However, she didn’t know all the facts. He was Louise’s husband. She couldn’t question him even though she wanted to. She was a hired hand who didn’t know what went on in this family.
She
