Page 27 of Ethan & Grace

“I’m sorry. I really can’t help you.”

“Please!” I begged, feeling my throat tighten. Damn! I’d been doing so well today. I was only an hour away from making it through my first day without crying since Amy’s death, but now my eyes were brimming with tears.

The woman’s expression softened. “Sorry. All I can do is tell you to stay until closing time. Have a bit more fun, and if your coat is still here then, maybe the boss will make an exception.”

“When does the party end?”

“Four a.m. But by the time everyone’s out, it’ll be more like five.”

“But that’s six hours from now.”

She shrugged as if to say, Take it or leave it, before turning demonstratively to the person behind me in the queue.

I stepped aside, uncertain what to do—although really there was only one logical choice. I would wait. Leaving Amy’s coat behind was out of the question. I briefly considered going back into the club, but my party mood—barely there to begin with—was now at rock bottom.

11

I’m off. Have fun!

Message from Ethan to James

Grace

I found a dark corner near the cloakroom where I could linger undisturbed for the next few hours. I would have liked to sit down, but my dress was so short that doing so would’ve given everyone a clear view of my underwear, so I stayed standing and pulled out my phone.

Rose had shared her location as promised. I briefly considered calling her, but then dismissed the idea. It was bad enough my night was a disaster—I didn’t need to ruin hers too. I opened my sudoku app. If it weren’t so pathetic, I might have laughed. I was in what was probably the most popular club of the night, and instead of partying, I was lurking in a dark corner, counting from one to nine in my head.

“You’re still here,” a familiar voice suddenly said beside me.

I looked up, and for the second time tonight, saw Ethan Darlington standing before me. My stomach did an unwelcome somersault, which I blamed on the alcohol.

“You too, unfortunately.”

“Not for long,” he said, nodding at the exit. “I was just about to leave. You?”

“Oh, I’m just standing around for fun,” I snapped, even though it wasn’t his fault I’d lost the ticket.

The lump in my throat, which I’d managed to swallow down earlier, returned. Don’t cry, I told myself. I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting to control myself. When I opened them again, Ethan was still there, watching me. I had no idea what he wanted from me. And why was he leaving this early, anyway? Shouldn’t he be in the VIP area, drinking overpriced champagne from some scantily dressed woman’s navel?

“What’s wrong?” he asked, sounding surprisingly concerned.

I didn’t know why I told him the truth. Maybe because I didn’t have the energy left to lie. “I lost my cloakroom ticket, and they won’t give me my coat without it. So now I have to wait until everyone’s gone.”

“But that won’t be for another five or six hours.”

“Thanks. I can tell the time.”

“Is it your favourite coat or something?”

“It belonged to Amy.”

“What does it look like?”

“Mustard yellow. Black lining. A bit scruffy.”

“Wait here,” Ethan said, as if I wasn’t already planning to wait for hours. He went straight up to the cloakroom counter, bypassing the line. Anyone else would have been reprimanded, but no one said a word. He didn’t need to say or do anything; his aura made it instantly clear he was someone important. Someone who played by different rules, in a totally different league than us mere mortals.

The cloakroom attendant who had turned me away before instantly rushed over to him. I couldn’t hear what Ethan said, but her smile didn’t falter. He handed her something before she hurried away and disappeared between the rows of coats. A moment later, she returned with two coats—one black, one mustard yellow.