Page 22 of The Secrets We Treasure

She felt a rush of satisfaction at being able to tell him like it was. “Joan said they wanted me on the show but you turned the position down and said that I was going in a different direction.”

His eyes rounded to circles. “That’s absurd!”

“Is it?” she flung back.

“Why on earth would I turn down something like that? It would be the Holy Grail of opportunities.”

“Because you were planning on proposing and didn’t want any competition.”

He made a face. “That’s crazy! You and I both know how the show works. Those contestants wouldn’t have been a threat to me.”

Ethan’s righteous indignation was making Treasure second guess the accusation.

Disgust overtook Ethan’s features. “I know what’s happening here. Joan was covering her tracks.”

“What do you mean?”

He grunted. “Think about it. She didn’t want to be called out on national TV for discriminating against a woman.”

“Joan is a woman,” she retorted, stating the obvious. “How could she discriminate against her own sex?”

“When it comes to money, I wouldn’t put it past Joan to discriminate.”

Treasure wanted to believe Ethan. He sounded so convincing, but there was still a trace of doubt niggling at her. “So you’re standing by what you told me originally … that the producers of the show decided in favor of a man?”

“You’d better believe it. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

She looked him in the eye. “Did you do as I asked and actually have a conversation with Alyssa McKenzie’s people about not bringing up the topics of the break-in or Tray in the interview, or did you just tell me you had the conversation?”

He threw his hands into the air. “Of course I had the conversation. What’s this about? Why’re you so suspicious of me all of a sudden?” He searched her face. “After all we’ve been through, I would think that you would trust me by now.” Hurt simmered in his hazel eyes.

A ball of confusion rolled inside her. “I’m not sure what to think,” she said quietly. “When you put me on the spot with that proposal, and then when I got the call from Joan …” Her voice dribbled off as she shook her head. “Tray had a meltdown last night when he saw the interview and thought I was engaged. I’ve been fielding calls and texts all morning. I got chewed out by my mom. Kevin and Helen were totally confused.” She pushed out a hard laugh. “The whole thing is a nightmare.”

Remorse flashed through Ethan’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I made a mistake.”

“A huge mistake,” she fired back, glad to see Ethan taking responsibility for his actions. Maybe they could work this out. Had Joan lied? Ethan’s explanation certainly made sense. And yet, Joan sounded like she was on the level. It was hard to know what to think right now. Everything was too muddled and coming at Treasure so fast that she couldn’t make sense of it.

She clenched her teeth, needing to get the rest of her angst out. “You should’ve listened to me,” she seethed. “I knew it was a mistake to do that interview. Alyssa bringing up Leo Clark and then mentioning Tray’s name … it’s bound to cause me trouble. I can feel it.” A sense of foreboding gripped her.

Ethan caught hold of her hands. “I’m sorry,” he uttered. “I never meant to hurt you.”

Moisture rose in her eyes. She blinked fast to stay it. “Well, you did,” she croaked, removing her hands from his.

“It won’t happen again.” He took in a halting breath. “I swear to you.” When she didn’t answer right away, he continued, “Please, give me a second chance. I won’t let you down. I promise.”

The ache in his voice got to her. Of all people, she knew what it meant to want a second chance. What she would give to unburden her soul from the guilt and have another opportunity with Greer. Maybe she would get another chance. Fate seemed to be smiling down on her in that regard. She’d not had a moment to process her conversation with Greer, but things were looking up. He’d invited her to spend a few days with him on Honeysuckle Island. Probably not the best idea … too many chances of her secret being revealed. Thankfully, she didn’t have to worry about that. The trip to Disneyland had gotten her off the hook, and then Greer would come here. Anticipation trickled through her veins. Ever since reconnecting with Greer, she’d nurtured the hope of something blossoming between them. She’d prayed for an opportunity to somehow right the past. Now, a window was opening. Surely, she could extend the same courtesy to Ethan. She sucked in a long breath. “Okay.” She gave him a stern look. “Just so we’re clear. You’re my manager.”

“And friend.”

She waved a hand. “That goes without saying. You’re my manager and friend. But that’s as far as it goes.”

Several emotions she couldn’t discern pinged in his eyes.

“I mean it,” she said sharply.

“I hear ya.” He forced a smile. “Friends it is.”

Was that a faint note of irony she detected in his voice? Even if it was, there was no need to beat Ethan up about it. She couldn’t exactly fault him for having feelings for her. Not when she’d carried a torch for Greer since they were kids. Eventually, Ethan would find the right woman for him. And then he would thank her for turning him down. Treasure didn’t like confrontation and was glad to have gotten the unpleasant conversation out of the way. It had gone much better than she’d hoped. Her thoughts moved to practical matters. “Now that we have that established, let’s talk about what to do about our social media platforms that are blowing up. I’m not sure how we should respond to all those offering congratulations.”

“I’ll talk to the team. For now, we simply thank them. As I said last night at your car, we need to keep things at status quo to preserve your image. A couple months down the road, we’ll announce that we broke off our engagement and will continue to be friends.”

She let out a long sigh. “I guess you’re right. I just hate to deceive my fans.” Also, she didn’t want to be tied to Ethan by some fake engagement, but there was no sense in beating a dead horse. She’d made her position crystal clear.

“It’ll be okay.” He placed a hand on her arm. Err … at least she thought she’d been clear. She looked down at it and then back up at him, raising an eyebrow.

Quickly, he removed his hand. “I got the message.” He held up both hands in the air.

She didn’t so much as flinch. Her words came out hard and unyielding. “Good. Because I don’t want to have to keep repeating myself.”

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