Page 10 of The Secrets We Treasure

Ethan’s jaw hardened. “Good grief, Treasure. It’s just for appearances. Don’t worry, I won’t try to take any liberties,” he sulked.

“No, you certainly won’t,” she muttered. The two of them caught eyes. “I’m serious. We can never be anything but friends,” she reiterated.

He smirked. “I got that loud and clear. Are we done here?”

She lifted her chin. “We’re done.”

He nodded curtly. “I’ll see you tomorrow. We have much to discuss.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“For the business,” he said smoothly. He reached around and opened her door, brushing her arm in the process.

She drew back, flattening herself against the car. “What’re you doing?” Having Ethan so close was an intrusion into her personal space, especially considering the current circumstance.

He pushed out an exasperated breath and looked at her like she was a moron. “Helping you into the car. Can I not at least do that?”

“I’m perfectly capable of helping myself into the car,” she countered firmly. “Good night.” With that, she scampered in and closed the door. As she pulled out of the parking lot and drove away, she glanced in the rearview mirror. Ethan was watching her with a tight expression. Something about the determined set of his shoulders sent a trickle of unease down her spine.

For all her straight talk, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Ethan still hadn’t gotten the message. What was it going to take for him to realize that they could never be anything more than friends?

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