No One Else (The Ladies Who Brunch 2)

“As long as you admit it, I can accept your behavior as an incorrect first impression and give you another shot.”

“Damn. Your heart may just be made of gold.”

“No, but it’s my job to believe in the best in people.” My mind instantly wonders if I even deserve that from her.

“Well, hopefully, I can redeem myself. And based on the other day, it seems you’ve already met my kid.”

“I have. At the gelato shop a few weeks ago. I didn’t know he was yours, obviously.” She drops her arms. “His dark hair…”

“From his mom,” I answer her question before she can finish the thought.

She nods in understanding. “And the woman with him?”

“My mom. She takes him to school and picks him up for me.” My hands start to shake just offering this information to her, but I’m trying to get her to see that I’m not a complete ass, just a man who handled a situation poorly. “Look,” I start, trying to steer this conversation back to the point of me being here, “like I said, I want to apologize.”

“For…”

“For making an uncomfortable work situation for both of us. I may not agree with what you’re doing over here, but that doesn’t mean that I need to demean your profession or assume that what you’re trying to accomplish isn’t actually helping people either.”

She tilts her head at me. “You don’t have to agree with what I do for a living to respect me, Ethan.”

“You’re right.”

Her lips curl up into a pleased grin. “Oh, my…how did those words taste?”

I can’t help but smirk back at her. “Like acid, but I know you deserved them.”

And her entire posture starts to soften. “Well, thank you. I hope you and I can both agree to stay on our separate sides of the courtyard.”

“If that’s what you want.”

Her smile drops. “Uh, yes. I do.” Her chin bounces up and down rapidly. “I think it’s for the best.” But her words don’t sound too confident, and now, I’m seeing an opportunity to push for more information. I want to know just exactly why she sounds unsure.

“So, how was your date with Brenden?” I ask, kicking myself once the words leave my lips but admitting that part of me really wants to know. And that’s why I got his name wrong on purpose—it’s a classic man move.

“You mean Brayden?”

I shrug. “Sure.”

“Um, it was nice. A very nice date.” She returns to searching through her files, avoiding my eyes. I take that as an invitation to move closer to her.

“Nice?”

“Uh-huh.”

“So I take it you’re not seeing him again?”

That has her head popping up and facing me again. “No, I am. We’re going out next weekend.”

I’m confused. “Why, if the date was just nice?”

“Because it was nice,” she emphasizes.

“You’re gonna waste your time on nice?”

“It’s not a waste of time. I like him. He’s good-looking, a doctor, available, and interested. Why shouldn’t I go out with him again?”

Her question lingers in the air between us that grows thick with tension. All we do is stare across the room at each other, waiting for someone to speak even though I’m dying to tell her that what I saw is not the promise of a relationship she should invest her time in.

But you aren’t willing to offer her one, are you, Ethan? So why are you hell-bent on steering her away from him?

Angry with myself, I retaliate without thinking. “You know what? You should. You can do whatever you want, Amelia. You’re a grown woman.” With a tight-lipped smile, I head for the door, irritated again and disappointed that the calm energy I managed with my apology has completely gone away in just a few seconds because I decided to be an ass again.

“That’s right. I am. And my dating life is none of your concern,” she calls after me as I reach the door. “So much for burying the hatchet, huh, Ethan?”

I turn around, ready to fight with her some more, but then the orchids I sent Friday morning catch my eye on the coffee table. “Nice orchids.”

Her face contorts with confusion about my change of subject. But she glances at the flowers and then replies, “Oh, thank you. They were from Brayden.”

“No, they weren’t.”

“What?” She flicks her eyes up to me.

“Brayden didn’t send you those.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I did.”

Shaking her head, she crosses her arms again. “I’m sorry, I’m confused. Why did you do that?”

“I wanted to apologize on Friday after what I said to you about hugging your clients the day before. But admitting I am wrong is not my forte, if you haven’t gathered that.” I drag my hand through my hair, ruffling it more than it already was this morning. “So I opted for these.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?”