Page 23 of The Wedding Planner's Manny
“I hadn't noticed,” I lied. Problem was, Nick always knew when I was lying. I had no idea how he called me out each and every time, but he was really good at it.
So it didn't surprise me when he called me out this time too. “You totally noticed! Oh God, you like him, don't you?”
“I don’t like Ethan!”
“You do! I knew it!”
Trying to keep my composure, I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Please don't make a big deal out of it.
This isn't going anywhere and I'm not doing anything about it.”
“Why not?”
Did Nick really have to ask? “Because I'm working for him,” I said with emphasis.
“So what?” Nick said and I could just hear the shrug in his voice. “You wouldn't be the first guy to date his boss. Some people might even consider it hot.”
Why was I even talking to Nick about this? What I needed was an adult. “Actually, I have to hang up now. The kids need me. Talk to you later, okay? Bye.” Another lie, and Nick could probably see through this one too, but I didn't give him enough time to respond before hanging up.
A sigh escaped me. Now Nick knew that I was crushing on Ethan. Great. But not the worst thing, right? I had other stuff to worry about. Bigger stuff. Like the baby growing in my belly and the divorce I had to finalize. But I could think about all that when I was off work. For now, I had plates to clean and a child to care for.
Or rather, two children.
I was reminded of this fact when I turned around at the sound of footsteps and spotted Nathan walking by in the hallway. When had he even left his room? How long had I been on the phone?
Time to get back to work.
Resolving not to let myself get distracted anymore, I ran hot water over the dirty dishes in the sink and added some lemon-scented dish soap into the mix. Even though I knew starting anything with Ethan was out of the realm of possibility, I still wanted to keep my job here—which meant I had to apologize for what I’d said.
I needed to show him that I could behave properly.
If my time in Crystal Bay had taught me anything, it was that.
Mind made up, I scrubbed at the dishes in the sink. I never got all the tomato stains from the plates before a noise coming from upstairs stopped me dead in my tracks.
Was that abark?
Thatcouldn'thave been a bark. Ethan didn't have a dog. I was pretty sure I would have been told if there was a dog in the house.
But I also knew what I'd heard.
Time to go investigate.
Briefly, I checked on Caleb—who was still absorbed in his favorite movie—and then I climbed the stairs to Nathan's room. If there was a dog in this house who shouldn't be here, I had a pretty good guess who was responsible for it. Once I reached the top of the stairs, another bark reached my ears, and now I could locate where it was coming from. Not Nathan’s room, but the room at the very end of the hallway.
When Ethan had shown me around the house initially, he’d briefly mentioned that his wife used to use that room and left it at that. Cautiously, I turned the doorknob now, not at all sure what to expect.
Behind the door, I found something that looked like an artist’s studio. Canvases of all sizes covered the walls and nearly every other inch of space. Some had paintings on them—of landscapes and fruits and other inanimate objects—but most were empty. And in a corner of the room, in front of a closet, sat Nathan, wrestling with a small black dog. Apuppy.
What the…?
Evidently, he wanted the dog to go hide in the closet, and the dog wasn't a fan of the idea.
“What's going on here?”
Nathan was so busy with the dog, he hadn't even noticed me come in, but once I spoke, his attention snapped to me. I could tell he knew how much trouble he was in by how wide his eyes became.
“Don't tell my dad!” were the first words out of his mouth. His eyes turned pleading. “He'll take him away! He'll takeallmy pets away!” He made it sound like it would be the end of the world.
