Page 14 of Enemies Under One Roof

Parking his sports car in front of the supermarket, which didn’t look like it had changed at all, he grabbed a rickety trolley and walked the aisles—something his team would no doubt find hilarious. It wasn’t that he couldn’t fend for himself—he could—but still, this was not his usual Wednesday afternoon activity.

Nostalgia hit hard, reminding him of the times they’d been sent here on an errand, real or invented, as a means of keeping three active and competitive boys occupied.

Filling the trolley with the wide variety of goods Ivy had requested, he realised that, despite his stereotypical assumptions based on his mother’s fanatical diets, none of their upcoming meals would be excessively low fat nor bland.

He grabbed the ingredients for Spaghetti Alla E, his never-fail signature dish. He certainly wouldn’t expect Ivy to cook every night, even if she’d insisted she wanted to.

A familiar face caught his attention. Ivy, pictured alongside Ben, was splashed across the front of numerous tabloids. He knew better than to believe their lies, but still he scanned them in mounting anger as he dismissed the headlines and homed in on the photos taken yesterday at Heathrow. The American, Ben Price, had arrived in England alone.

Despite his bone-deep mistrust of Ivy, Ethan believed her when she’d said that they were no longer together. What then was Ben doing in England? Trying to get her back?

He grimaced, imagining Ben succeeding. Picturing that scumbag anywhere near Ivy. Not that it was any of his business who she chose to date, but something hot and unsettling roared through him at the thought of them getting back together. Ever being together. Of Ben being the one to make her laugh, seeing her tousled and sleepy as she drank her morning coffee, baking him biscuits.

He tugged at the neck of his jumper, which was suddenly too tight, as he tried to fight off the foreign feeling assailing him. Was it jealousy? Never! He didn’t do that, and certainly not in relation to Ivy. She wasn’t his. She was nothing to do with him. Other than in relation to WillowGlen.

That was it! Relieved, he rocked back on his heels and reasoned he was so off balance and furious because he didn’t want Ben anywhere near WillowGlen.

He snatched up a handful of the newspapers. If Ben thought he could come and visit or stay, he could think again; it would never happen on Ethan’s watch. Ever.

Chapter Five

IVY STRAINED HER EARS.

Silence.

She was alone, totally alone.

Up until the last month, she’d worked solidly for the past eight years, constantly busy and surrounded by people. The only time off she’d squeezed into her jam-packed schedule had been two-day visits to Ruby. But even then, she’d read scripts, memorised lines. And the last month at Alison’s had hardly been quiet, the twins had made sure of that. Guilt beat at her; Ruby had known where she was and had Alison’s landline if she needed her, but as Ruby had appreciated letters, not calls, Ivy hadn’t rung her. Ruby obviously hadn’t told anyone her whereabouts, not even her trusted team at WillowGlen. Protecting her like she’d always done.

She pressed her palm against her heart. Oh, Ruby.

Now she was here for the next six weeks.

Alone, with Ethan.

Because as much as she needed people around her, he unsettled her. The large house and grounds seemed too small for both of them, thanks to a hyperawareness of him she couldn’t dislodge.

Earlier today, after a moment of shared understanding, she’d even had to call on Ivy’s persona to protect herself from the feelings he evoked.

She shook her head; she wasn’t going to think about him.

With more difficulty than it warranted, she pushed him from her mind again and recalled the virtual meeting with her assistant. She’d organised clothing and other essential items to be sent to her under the strictest of confidences; no-one was to know her whereabouts, not even her agent, nor her publicist, whom she’d contacted as well.

She’d informed them she was out of action, and luckily it hadn’t involved any major rescheduling, due to the cancellation of the movie she was meant to be filming.

Kirstin, her publicist, had tried coaxing her to find out her whereabouts and had been incredulous when Ivy wouldn’t tell her. Ivy had learnt from experience that the fewer people who knew, the less chance there was of any leaks. Kirstin had reminded her, in case she could ever forget, that the studio would want her at the movie premiere in six weeks, because all eyes would be fixed on the red carpet to see her and Ben. It was the typical all-publicity-was-good-publicity mindset.

A mindset that set Ivy’s teeth on edge.

She’d always found premieres excruciating, but the one for When Hearts Break would be a million times worse. The press had predictably had a field day with the film title and the comparison to real life. Not that she’d been doing the heartbreaking, but the film’s publicity team and her own publicist would undoubtedly be fuelling it.

Kirstin had become her publicist in the wake of the folly pictures. Ivy had appreciated her experience and guiding hand but was feeling increasingly disconnected, as though Kirstin was keeping her being someone she wasn’t. Despite her acting skills, it was getting harder and harder to fake.

She sighed. She’d just have to keep herself busy here. Not working, as per Ruby’s request; instead, she’d cook and decide on the best possible option for WillowGlen. And then she’d leave and go back to her normal life.

Her shoulders slumped. She should be excited at the prospect of going back to her frantic schedule, because her agent had informed her of an influx of new offers. But Ivy couldn’t bring herself to be interested in what was essentially the same role repeated constantly, where she was always the bad girl. Regardless of her desire to keep her schedule packed, she was filled with dread at the thought of playing, even once more, the one-dimensional, conniving woman who’d stop at nothing to get the man she wanted.

Despair pressed down on her, but she didn’t know any other way to live than pushing herself to the point of exhaustion. She didn’t know who to be if she wasn’t Ivy Flame. The only thing she did know…