Page 23 of Enemies Under One Roof

He nodded. Because whatever Ben’s threat entailed, as long as it didn’t impact WillowGlen, he supposed he didn’t need to know.

‘You ready for today’s session?’ he asked. ‘We can reconvene later on, or even tomorrow, if you’re not feeling up to it.’

Her lips trembled and he blanched, like a fist had landed in his gut.

He’d upset her?

She bit her lip and glanced away before turning back to face him, determination and defiance replacing her earlier sadness.

‘Thanks Ethan, I appreciate the offer.’ She lifted her chin. ‘But I’m not going to let a lying jerk stop us from what we’re doing here, even for a day. I’m ready when you are.’

He stared. It was like he’d cut through a chunk of Ivy’s armour and revealed Annie. His breathing eased, his posture loosened. He liked that, maybe more than he should, because the more he was seeing of Annie, the more he wanted. The integrity he’d never expected, but was very much evident in her response to Molly’s children. She could have easily thrown them to the wolves, but she’d chosen not to for purely altruistic reasons. The unexpected grief when she’d spoken about her dad and the fascinating insight into her upbringing with a father she’d clearly adored, forming a picture of Annie far beyond the superficial surface of Ivy.

But he couldn’t forget, not even for a moment, no matter what personality she showed or how vulnerable she might appear, that she was still an actress, one he was certain was still keeping something from him. He wouldn’t get entrapped by her, or by anyone. No matter what. Ever. He just needed to keep reminding himself of that. Even if it was proving harder to do so each day.

Chapter Seven

ONE WEEK LATER Ethan raised his face to the sun, which had finally made an appearance after days of constant rain, willing the rays to seep into his bones and override the chill that had taken up residence.

He winced and shifted in his chair, hating to admit that wasn’t the only thing that had taken hold. There was also an intolerable desire for Ivy that refused to be dampened by either the wintry conditions or his fervent attempts to douse it. Like it had wedged inside him and refused to yield.

They’d continued to meet each day to discuss WillowGlen, despite not being able to decide on anything. They’d constantly mulled over the options without one speck of genuine enthusiasm for any of them. It had been teeth-grinding, soul-crushing, because this was for Ruby. Would it have made a difference if it had been only him making the decision? Or him, Luc and Cam? Or anyone else? No, because they’d looked at it from every angle, tried every course, and none of them had produced the tingling feeling he got when he knew a project was right. He couldn’t blame Ivy, nor her lack of trying, as she’d come as prepared as him.

Afterwards they’d chat through upcoming meals, which morphed into recipe discussions as, to his great surprise, he’d discovered he enjoyed cooking and talking menus and food prep with Ivy.

She sat next to him on the patio in the walled kitchen garden, the most sheltered outdoor spot on the estate. With a pot of coffee and a teacake she’d made on the round metal table between them.

A woman he was so aware of he didn’t need to turn towards her to know she’d also lifted her face to the sun, eyes closed, soaking it in, as well as the scents of rosemary surrounding them. Despite the warmer conditions, she wore a black jacket and stiletto boots, with a red scarf tied around her neck that perfectly matched her lipstick.

She hadn’t been wearing lipstick at the tennis court.

Nope! Not going there. He shifted in his seat and forcibly deleted, frame by damning frame, the scene that was never far from the front of his mind.

‘I feel like we’re missing something, that Ruby wanted us to do something specific,’ Ivy said.

He turned towards her, blinking against the sun as black spots blurred his vision until she came into focus, and he corralled his attention to what was important.

WillowGlen.

Ruby.

Nothing else.

‘Like what?’ Frustration tugged at him.

‘Maybe we’re looking at it all wrong.’ Ivy placed her cup on the table and leant forward to rest her elbows on her knees.

‘Meaning?’

‘What was important to Ruby? What did she like?’ She rubbed at her nape as though she was at her wits’ end, like him.

‘Friends, family, community,’ Ethan said without thinking. They’d been Ruby’s pillars for as long as he’d known her. She never voiced it, but you’d only needed to spend five minutes with her to know they’d always been her top priorities.

Ivy straightened and turned towards him, nodding. ‘Yes, plus love and laughter.’

Her words struck a chord. That was Ruby to a T. A buzz of recognition snaked through him, but what else? He dug deeper.

‘The outdoors. Long, long walks in any temperature.’ He smiled at the inevitable memories.