“I told you—” He sighed heavily, shaking his head. Women could be so exhausting.
“It’s fine,” she assured him, offering a less sarcastic smile that time. “We’re cool.”
“You don’t seem cool.”
“You don’t seem cool.”
Since he had absolutely no argument, he nodded his head. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—I was just surprised, I didn’t expect to see you.”
She nodded, seeming to accept his apology, her gaze drifting to the pumpkin carving kit. “Getting ready for Halloween?”
“Yep,” he replied, but inexplicably, he still felt a little sullen himself. Not that it was her fault, but seeing her with that kid reminded him of his own problems at home, which reminded him of not only the hotel, but the very start of all his fucking problems, and Willow was at the center of all of it.
Not to blame, but still the center of the storm.
Ethan sighed.
Willow frowned and stepped a little closer, putting a hand on his arm. “Hey, are you okay?”
Producing a slight smile, he said, “Your tricks won’t work on me.”
She laughed shortly. “Keep telling yourself that.”
There was no malice though—she actually winked at him.
Well, fuck. Seeing her just made him aware that he actually missed her.
He didn’t mean to say anything else—apparently he was doing and saying all kinds of things he didn’t mean that day—but he asked, “Why didn’t you ever text me again?”
She opened her mouth to respond, but then her gaze jerked up behind him and she released his arm, not moving immediately, but taking on a more demure smile and then shifting away much more subtly. “Well, tell her I said hi.”
That was an odd response—the kid had obviously dismissed him, he wasn’t going to be suspicious that she had stopped to talk to him. Hell, he could be anybody.
Then the kid returned to Willow’s side without a basket, and her mother—the fun one, at least—rounded the corner and said
enthusiastically, “Well, hello there!”
Fuck.
Pasting on a polite smile, Ethan turned and saw Lauren wheeling a cart in his direction, a few containers of fruit punch rolling around in the front.
“Hi,” he said casually, nodding his head. “How are you?”
“Great,” she said cheerily. “We’re just picking up a few things for Willow’s party—she’s having a Halloween party.”
“Oh, that sounds like fun.”
Smiling brightly, she bobbed her head. “We think so. I would invite you, but it’s kids only.”
“Mom,” Willow drawled, shooting her mother a look of annoyance.
“Sorry, sorry, not kids—he knew what I meant.”
The correct assumption, since he was an adult. He glanced at Willow, and she shook her head very slightly, clearly perturbed.
Well, sure. It was awkward when you knew what they knew. No way her mother would see them as peers.
“So, it was nice seeing you,” Ethan said, preparing to make his escape. “I’m glad everything’s…” He trailed off, but they both merely nodded. With a blanket wave, he turned and headed toward the milk.