Page 32 of The Restaurant on Plum Island
“Sure,” Ethan agreed, giving Harriet a tight smile. “Go ahead and enjoy.”
“Harriet!” Dawn admonished and turned to Ethan. “Thank you, but it’s already been taken care of.”
“Carly, could we talk?” Ethan barely heard what Dawn had said as his eyes once again collided with Carly’s.
Carly’s eyes narrowed, her posture stiffening. “Sure, come by the restaurant in the morning. I’ll be there by ten.”
Ethan shook his head, desperation seeping into his voice. “Please, Carly, it’s important we talk now.” He saw her eyes dart toward Harriet and Dawn. He knew without looking at his two friends that he’d gotten their attention with his plea.
“Whatever you have to say to my client,” Harriet piped up, “you can say in front of us.”
Ethan glanced at Harriet, who smiled sheepishly, letting him know she would pry into this later.
“Really, Harriet?” Dawn hissed at her friend again. “I think we should go and give them some space.”
“No way.” Harriet chuckled. “This I have to see and hear.”
“Harriet!” Dawn hissed more forcefully. “Let’s take the champagne and celebrate on the deck.”
“It’s okay, Dawn,” Carly said, rising to her feet. He could see she was feeling awkward. “Ethan and I will go talk outside.”
“Are you sure?” Harriet grabbed Carly’s hand, giving it a supportive squeeze. “We’re here for you if you need us.”
“Thank you,” Carly said with a grateful smile. “But you can keep a glass of champagne for me.”
“Of course,” Harriet and Dawn promised in unison.
Ethan led Carly out onto a secluded part of the deck, where the cool, salty sea breeze teased her copper curls and cooled the anger that had raged inside him since he saw Alex disappear into Liam’s office with Carly. His brain immediately thought Alex was about to give a repeat performance of three years ago, and Ethan had been right in thinking that.
He gestured to the large covered porch swing, a silent invitation. Carly hesitated for a moment before sitting down, her body tense andguarded. Ethan took a seat beside her, and they sat in silence for a few moments. He gazed out over the ocean that teased the shore.
Carly’s soft voice broke the silence. “I know your brother impersonating you today wasn’t your fault,” she admitted, and his eyes locked with hers. “That was my fault for not being able to tell the two of you apart when you’re not side by side.”
Ethan released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. It wasn’t much, but it was a start, and it was sweet of her to be the one extending the olive branch when it should have been him doing that.
Ethan knew he had to choose his words carefully to find a way to break through the walls she had built around her heart, and she wasn’t even trying to hide the mistrust shining in her eyes.
“You’re not the only one who can’t tell us apart,” Ethan assured her with a warm smile. “Even my parents struggle after fifty-one years.” He snorted. “Only my sister, my closest friends, and my daughter seem to be able to do that.”
“I find it amazing how the two of you are identical in so many ways yet completely different in others.” Carly’s eyes scanned his face and became clouded with doubt. “It just makes me wonder how many times I’ve actually mistaken Alex for you when we were becoming friends four years ago.”
The word friends stung as Ethan felt they were becoming a lot more than just friends back then, and he knew he’d seen it in her eyes that she’d felt it too. Ethan wasn’t the bad character Alex made him out to be. As a director, Ethan had a shrewd eye, and he could tell acting from the real thing. That’s another reason Ethan still believed his brother was a pawn in whatever the bigger plot was three years ago and not the mastermind.
Ethan wanted more than anything to reveal to her the truth about what happened at Blackwell Production three years ago, but he’d promised Sam and Harley he would say anything until they had more information.
“Carly, I know you have no reason to trust us—“ Ethan pursed his lips and changed his words. “Me, to trust me.” His eyes held hers. “And there is so much I need to tell you—explain…” His voice trailed off, and he blew out a frustrated breath. “You deserve to hear the truth, but right now, I can only offer an apology for believing what I did about you.”
Ethan saw her eyes darken with pain. Her voice trembled as she struggled to convey the weight of her emotions. “An apology won’t fix what happened,” she said bitterly. “It won’t answer my questions or ease my constant uncertainty.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, and Ethan could see she was trying to calm the turmoil within. “I’ve tried to move on and create a new life, but I can never relax because my fragile facade could crumble at any moment.”
“Carly, I—“ Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose, his heart clenched at the pain in her voice. He reached out, his fingers grazing her cheek with a feather-light touch. Carly’s breath hitched, her eyes widening at the unexpected contact. “I can’t explain everything in detail right now.” He looked at her and wished more than anything he could take the pain radiating from her eyes away. “All I can tell you is the only time I know for certain that Alex impersonated me during our time together was three years ago.”
Carly’s brow creased as she stared at him questioningly. “What are you saying?”
“I’maskingyou to believe me when I tell you that I would never in the past, now, or ever, do anything to hurt you,“ Ethan told her cryptically, hoping he’d gotten his message through without breaking his word to Sam and Harley. He reached out and took her hand, his voice gruff. “I couldn’t.”
Her eyes widened, and he saw realization dawn in them, but within an instant, the mistrust was back as she said softly, “Ethan, I want to believe you. But you’re not giving me a good enough reason to. Why should I believe you or trust you after what you—your family did to me?”
“Because…” Something inside Ethan snapped, and his emotions bubbled up inside him.
