Ethan didn’t want to leave Faith alone with time to think and regret. He’d seen her withdrawing even before Kate showed up. He’d been blown away by what just happened between them too, but as he’d promised himself, he was finished running from things that scared him or that he didn’t understand.
He’d deal with his guest and as soon as Kate was gone, he’d sit Faith down and make sure things between them were okay.
He jogged down the stairs to find Kate waiting for him as he reached the bottom.
“What are you doing here?” he asked her. “I thought I was picking Tess up from the center. Speaking of Tess, where is she?” Ethan glanced over Kate’s shoulder, but his sister wasn’t standing behind her.
“Tess! Come here and face your brother,” Kate called to the open front door.
Tess didn’t appear.
“Uh-oh. What’d she do?” he asked, dreading the answer.
“I introduced her to a group of nice kids. I got called into a meeting and when I came out she was hanging out in the back of the building with a different bunch that we’re having some issues with, smoking cigarettes.”
“Tess!” He bellowed, and to his surprise the teen stomped into the house without his having to ask a second time.
“What? You’ve got a problem with cigarettes too?” she asked, glancing down at her feet instead of looking him in the eye.
He leaned against the wooden banister. “Apologize to Kate. She was nice enough to take you for the afternoon and you thanked her by giving her aggravation. Nice going.”
Tess set her jaw.
Silence filled the house, broken only by the sound of Faith’s footsteps on the stairs. He figured she’d caught the gist of what was going on because she didn’t say a word, merely stepped around him, to stand beside Kate.
A quick glance told him Faith had dressed and fixed her tousled hair, but it was obvious, to him anyway, exactly what they’d been doing. And from Kate’s raised eyebrows, she knew it too.
“Tess. Apology. Now.” Ethan folded his arms across his chest, forcing himself to concentrate on what mattered at the moment.
“Sorry.”
“Thank you,” Kate said to the teen. “I’m there every afternoon if you want to give it a try again.”
“Very generous of you,” Ethan said, acknowledging Kate’s offer with a forced smile.
Something had to give with this kid and soon. No wonder her sister had dumped Tess here. “Kate, do you happen to have the names of some child psychologists?” he asked.
“No fucking way am I talking to some stranger.” Tess wrapped her arms around herself, pulling her coat further around her like a shield.
“Yes, way. Did Kelly ever take you to a shrink?” he asked.
Tess shook her head violently. “No. She knew I wouldn’t go.” She raised her chin in a defiant gesture, sure she now had the upper hand.
She was about to find out differently. “Well, you now have three brothers who can pick you up and carry you into the office if that’s what it takes.”
Tess let out a choking sound.
Faith broke her mask of indifference for the first time and treated him to an approving smile, which helped release the vise that had been squeezing inside his chest.
Kate nodded in agreement. “I’ll get the numbers to you ASAP,” she said, surprise in her tone.
No doubt she thought Ethan wouldn’t know what to do with a kid like Tess. Maybe Kate even believed he wouldn’t care. Based on his past, he knew everyone figured he’d run at the first sign of trouble.
Well, they were all right about one thing only. He didn’t know what to do with Tess. He only knew what seemed right. What nobody had done when he’d been wild and out of control, he realized suddenly and filed that thought away for another time.
“I hate you,” Tess said, whirling past him and storming up the stairs, deliberately adding a loud stomp with each step.
Join the club, kid.
Kate sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring her back here and interrupt . . .”
“You didn’t,” Faith interjected, the desperation in her tone making a lie of her claim.
Kate shot her an I know better look. “I just thought bringing her right home would make a stronger statement than letting her stay and think she got away with something.”
“It’s fine,” Ethan assured her. “I appreciate the trouble you went to today.”
“It wasn’t trouble. I feel sorry for her. Therapy’s a good idea. Any way you can show her that no matter how much trouble she causes, it won’t change the fact that she’s your sister, should help. But it’ll take time.”
“I hear you.” Ethan ran a hand through his hair, wondering how he’d get through it. “I was also thinking I’d have Dare take her on a tour of the jail and juvenile detention facilities. Scare her a little. Because right now, she doesn’t seem scared of a helluva lot.” Which frightened him to no end.
Kate raised her eyebrows. “Another good idea. Maybe I misjudged you,” she allowed, her expression softening.
He laughed. “You wouldn’t be the first and you won’t be the last.”
His gaze slid to Faith, who was still antsy, moving from foot to foot and unwilling to meet his gaze. That wouldn’t do.
“I should get going,” Kate said.
“I’ll go with you. Can you drop me off at my place?” Faith asked, taking him off guard.
“I can take you back as planned,” he said.
“That’s okay. We’re . . . finished and Kate’s going now.”
Finished. Ouch.
But he heard the desperation in her tone and knew even if she stayed, he wouldn’t get anywhere with her now. Better to give her breathing room. And if he were honest with himself, he could use some too. To deal with Tess and to process what the hell had gone on between them upstairs.
Because he’d had sex many times in his life. And that hadn’t been just sex.
Faith remained tigh-lipped on the car ride home, and Kate, good friend that she was, didn’t push. She dropped Faith off at her apartment because she had to get back to the center, and Faith was grateful for the time alone.
Not that she wanted to think. She didn’t. So she threw herself into her to-do list, starting with buying a new car. She no longer wanted to be on anyone’s schedule but her own. Ironically, she’d need Kate to take her to a dealership to look for a vehicle, but then she’d have wheels and freedom.
Feeling the beginnings of a headache coming on, Faith realized it was almost dinnertime and she hadn’t eaten anything in hours. She called Tony’s Pizzeria and ordered up a small plain pizza for delivery. An hour later, she’d eaten, showered, and watched some mindless television. By ten o’clock, she could no longer avoid the inevitable and she let her mind wander to this afternoon.
To Ethan.
At sixteen years old, she’d wanted him. She just had no idea what that really meant. At twenty-seven, with boyfriend experience and a marriage behind her, she thought she’d been prepared. But how could she have anticipated anything like the explosive chemistry they’d shared? She’d never craved any man like she did him. No man had ever made her bold enough to ask for what she wanted in bed. None had made her scream out loud. And none had ever taken her to such unbelievable heights of passion. He was alternately tender and giving, strong and demanding, taking everything she had. And she’d willingly complied, both emotionally and physically.
What in the world has happened between us?
She wasn’t sure, but she knew it threatened the very fragile, new foundations of the life she was building for herself. And that she couldn’t allow.
Her phone rang, rescuing her from herself, and she eagerly picked up the receiver. “Hello?”
“Hello, princess.”
It was as if she’d mentally connected to him and he called. Her stomach curled with warmth and pleasure while her mind rebelled against wanting something that frightened her so much. Just a few short days ago, her independence had been all that mattered to her. Jumping back into another relationship had been the last thing she planned because in her mind, relationships equated to giving up pieces of herself and her needs for someone else. Until she’d cemented who she was, she couldn’t let a man distract her.
“I just thought I’d say hi,” he said.
His sexy voice blanked out every objection she ought to have.
She swallowed hard. “Hi. How’s Tess?” She grasped for a safe topic. “Did she like her room?”
He let out a groan. “Tess is Tess. And I have no idea how she feels about her room. She’s not speaking.” She heard the frustration in his tone. “But I didn’t call to talk about her.”
“Oh.” Faith’s mouth went dry. “What did you call to talk about?” Please say your house, furniture, something safe, she thought.
“Us—as if you didn’t know.” His low laughter reverberated in her ear.
Us. With that one word, heat washed over her body in undulating currents.
“And before you say there is no us”—she figured the man must be a mind reader—“let me assure you there definitely is.”
His rich voice oozed through her like maple syrup on Rosalita’s pancakes, warm, gooey, and delicious, one taste making her crave so much more.
“Ethan—”
“Don’t worry. I’m not asking for a lifetime commitment. I’m not even asking for that pesky relationship you don’t want. I’m just saying it’s pointless to lie to yourself and say there’s nothing when whatever it is was so damn good.”
That did it. Liquid fire settled between her legs and she squeezed her thighs together, only serving to heighten the tension, not ease it.
He was right. Whatever it was, was damn good and too potent to ignore. They were both adults who could indulge and walk away when it was over.
“I know you’re there. I can hear you breathing,” he said lightly.
She clenched the receiver tighter in her hand. “I’m here.” Adult, she reminded herself. Go with it. “You’re right,” she said to him. “It’s something.”
He exhaled hard. “Good.”
She nodded. “Good.”
“Night, princess.”
“Night,” she said, a lump in her throat, but she didn’t know why.
He’d offered her exactly what she could handle at this stage in her life. She ought to feel good. Then why did she feel so empty and abandoned inside instead?
Faith awoke the next day, determined to keep building her life. She and Kate went car shopping, resulting in her buying a white Volkswagen Jetta. The car fit her new lifestyle and didn’t put a major dent in her savings, especially thanks to Ethan’s house job. She frowned at the notion. Everything came back to Ethan. Her thoughts, emotions, and now even her financial state.
No more.
She picked up her new car a few days later and her first stop was the newspaper office where she intended to purchase an ad for her business. The classified editor recognized her name and tried to push for information about her father’s time in prison, something Faith wouldn’t know anything about. She still hadn’t spoken to her father and didn’t intend to. Nor did she plan on filling this little weasel in on her personal life.
The editor in chief, upon learning she was in the building, came out to attempt to coax her to sit for an interview about being the daughter of the town’s most well-known felon. Again, she declined to comment. He wasn’t happy.
Nobody appreciates the high road, Faith thought.
After dodging the small-town press, she managed to take out an ad for Faith’s, hoping to drum up business.
Next she distributed her business cards to local shops like April’s Consign and Design, asking her to recommend Faith to people who came into her store.
She called Kate and informed her that she wanted to join her monthly book club and then headed to the coffee shop to let Lissa know in person that she’d better accept her because Faith wasn’t going anywhere. Lissa seemed to appreciate Faith more when she was outspoken than when she meekly allowed the other woman to verbally abuse her. So a wary truce was formed, and Faith felt like she’d taken a further step toward inserting herself into the fabric of Serendipity.
A few days later, an older woman walked into Faith’s. Since it was the first person who’d come in off the street, Faith took heart. Although she hadn’t been in business long, it seemed obvious the people in town weren’t flocking to Faith Harrington’s new venture.
As the woman came closer, Faith recognized her. “Mrs. Bretton!” Faith rose from her desk where she’d been busy planning the schedule for construction on cabinets and wall units in Ethan’s house.
The dark-haired woman had been a friend of Lanie Harrington’s for as long as Faith could remember. Unable to have children of her own, Caroline Bretton had been one of Lanie’s country club friends who busied herself with tennis, golf, mah jong, and whatever other social activities could keep her busy.
“Faith, dear, welcome back to town,” Caroline said.
Faith smiled. “Thank you.”
Faith was surprised to see her. These days, she didn’t know if Caroline was one of the women who’d abandoned her mother or whether Lanie had just frozen her out as she had her daughter. Her mother was tight-lipped about her postscandal personal life.
“So what are you doing here?” Faith asked.
“I saw your ad in the paper. It just so happens I’m ready to redecorate my family room. I thought I’d give you a chance!”
Faith blinked, stunned. “Really? That’s wonderful. Thank you!”
“If it works out, I’ll hire you for the rest of the house.” She patted Faith’s hand.
Faith’s heart beat faster inside her chest. “I don’t know what to say.” Faith was grateful for the other woman’s generosity.
“I know you haven’t had an easy time. It’s the least an old family friend can do.” Caroline smiled.
So her mother’s friend hadn’t turned her back on the Harringtons. Lanie just hadn’t informed her that Faith had opened her own business. Faith was hurt but not surprised. Her mother had already made her feelings on Faith’s business clear.
“I hope my mother knows what a good friend you are.”
The older woman shook her head and met Faith’s gaze. “No. She doesn’t. But you knew that already.”
Faith sighed. Her mother hadn’t had many real friends that Faith could recall, just people who had wealth and status in common, but she remembered Caroline had always been different. She’d called the house, seemed interested in Faith whenever she saw her, and even her mother knew she could count on Caroline. Lanie didn’t know how to return friendship any more than she knew how to be a real mother. Yet Caroline had seemed to accept her mother for who and what she was, and apparently that hadn’t changed.
Maybe I ought to take a lesson from her, Faith thought. “Mrs. Bretton—”
“Please, call me Caroline. We’re going to be working closely together, after all.”
Faith nodded. “Caroline, how is my mother really?”
“In complete and utter isolation. Yes, most people in our social circle ostracized her, thinking she knew about your father’s illegal activities or afraid they’d catch the scandal by breathing the same air. But there were those like me, who knew better. Your mother was too concerned about her lifestyle to worry or think about where that money came from.”
Faith bit the inside of her cheek and nodded. “That about sums her up,” she agreed. “I don’t believe she knew either. Which isn’t to say she shouldn’t have, but like you said, she wouldn’t look too deeply as long as her life was going along the way she wanted it to.”
“Exactly.” Caroline’s hazel eyes bored into hers. “I always liked your mother. Despite the fact that she could be so superficial, she was also smart and honest. I respect a woman who tells it like it is. And give her one martini and she became an excellent listener. Just not anymore. Now she’s holed up in that house on the outskirts of town, refusing to have anything to do with real friends like me.”
“So she has no one?” Faith asked, surprised and a lot guilty.
She’d reached out to her mother, but it was superficial, doing her duty as a daughter, Faith admitted. A phone call here and there to tell herself she was trying.
“No, but that’s her own choosing,” Caroline said. “Don’t beat yourself up over it.”
Faith disagreed. How could she not? She was an adult, but she still viewed her mother through a child’s eyes. Instead, she should have looked deeper, should have made an effort to push herself into her mother’s life, to see what was going on.
“I appreciate your honesty,” Faith said. “I know my mother is who she is, but I’ll try harder to reach her.”
Caroline fingered her overly large pearls. “Just don’t expect too much or you may be doomed to disappointment. I still call her weekly, but she shuts me down and never returns the gesture.”
“I’m sorry.” Faith didn’t know what else to say.
“Oh, no. Never apologize for someone else. She’s your mother, but you are your own person. You don’t know how much I admire that. If I had a daughter, I hope she’d be as strong as you.” Caroline’s voice softened.
Warmth spread inside Faith. It surely wasn’t a sentiment her mother had ever thought about her. But Faith realized she had to be more like Caroline, accepting Lanie for who she was instead of being angry at her for her inability to be who Faith wanted her to be.
“That’s one of the nicest things anyone’s said to me,” Faith told Caroline.
“I’m sure since your return there haven’t been many pleasant things said to you at all. Our set of friends don’t know how to rally around someone when they’re down.”
“I appreciate you saying that.”
Caroline straightened her shoulders. “Well then, back to business! When can you come over and look at the room? I have some ideas I’d like to discuss with you.”
Faith was grateful for the subject change and returned to her desk. She pulled out her appointment book. They agreed on a date and time and Caroline walked out.
She’d given Faith a lot to think about where her mother was concerned. Lanie was the only family Faith had. And while Faith was watching Ethan’s struggles with his family first hand, she’d been ignoring her own. In Faith and her mother’s relationship, Faith was more the adult, Lanie more the child. If anyone was going to make a true overture, it had to be Faith.
But right now, Faith had something else to think about and celebrate. A new client.
“Woo hoo!” She hung her head back and let the blood rush to her head, spinning around in her chair. She understood the importance of Caroline’s offer. If Faith got this job right, a reference from Caroline would open all sorts of doors.
Faith had wanted independence and now she was on her way.
For Ethan, the weeks after he’d slept with Faith were all about Tess. Both his business and his personal life took a backseat to settling the teenager into his life and finding a routine. He followed up on Kate’s recommendations and narrowed down the list of therapists, calling each and choosing the one he thought sounded like a good fit for Tess. Ethan met with the doctor by himself first to make sure his phone impression held up to real life.
He liked Dr. Tina Sinclair. About his age, she was young enough that Tess would be able to relate to her and seemed “with it” enough not to turn the teen off with too conservative views. That set, he took his silent, fuming sister for her first appointment.
Dr. Sinclair’s first suggestion? Ethan and his brothers needed to form a tight-knit unit, setting up a schedule and a family the teenager could rely on. Easier said than done, Ethan knew. Yet his brothers were coming tonight for their first family dinner, cooked and served by Rosalita. His housekeeper had reacted to hearing about Tess just as Ethan expected.
She’d folded her arms across her chest and huffed. “You’re a bad boy, Mr. Ethan. I’m not surprised you have a bad sister.”
But this time Ethan thought he caught a twinkle of amusement in her eye, then decided he knew better. She still hated him.
“Tess is misunderstood, like me. Give her a chance,” he’d said.
Rosalita had agreed, the woman having more integrity than to judge a child by her looks. Rosalita had extended her hours, coming in around ten and staying until dinner was served and the dishes cleaned. Of course, his housekeeper and Tess had gotten off to an expectedly rocky start, arguing over everything. But like Faith had promised, Rosalita dealt with the angry teen just fine, and her firm hand was exactly the help Ethan needed.
Then there was Faith, whom Ethan had given a bullshit line to about not wanting a relationship when everything in him screamed in protest. He damned well wanted something more than casual—because, so far, casual meant Ethan hadn’t seen or heard from her since the night he’d found heaven in her body.
Except for an e-mail exchange about fabric and colors in the family room, she’d gone silent. So no, casual wasn’t working for him. As soon as he survived this family gathering, he’d turn his focus to bringing Faith back into his orbit.
Ethan didn’t kid himself that his brothers’ willingness to come over meant they had forgiven him. But other than his promise to stick around, he was at a loss how to handle them. Just like he was at a loss how to handle Faith. Or his business, since Franklin had called earlier with the news that Ethan’s onetime partner, Dale Conway, was sniffing around Amelia, Ethan’s executive assistant, in his Washington, D.C., office. Since Amelia handled all the government contracts—sensitive information—transferred from the office in New York City to D.C., Ethan knew he was in trouble. The PI was now monitoring Amelia and promised to report back soon.
The doorbell snapped him out of his thoughts and brought him right into the present.
His brothers had arrived.
Ethan had instructed Rosalita to bring them right into the kitchen. No sense pouring drinks when they didn’t want to give Tess the idea that they approved of drinking. Not to mention the fact that it would only lead to three men standing around, glasses in hand, in awkward, angry silence. Might as well have an awkward, angry meal instead. Though hopefully Nash and Dare would bury their real feelings for Tess’s sake, he was about to find out.
He met them in the kitchen. Like Ethan, who’d dressed in jeans and a crew-neck shirt, Dare too was casually attired in worn, faded jeans and a New York Yankees T-shirt. Nash, the professional, wore a pair of khakis and a short-sleeved polo shirt. They couldn’t look more different, but they stood shoulder to shoulder, facing Ethan.
“Thanks for coming,” he said to them.
“We’re here for Tess,” Dare said.
Didn’t Ethan know it.
Nash nodded. “DNA tests confirmed it,” he said, repeating what he’d already told Ethan on the phone. “Where is she?”
“Miss Tess right here.” Rosalita gave the girl a not-sogentle nudge in the back, forcing her into the room.
“Hey, watch it,” Tess muttered.
“You need to learn how to speak to people,” Ethan said. “Thank you, Rosalita.”
The other woman nodded and headed to the working side of the kitchen.
Dare walked over to Tess. The more casually dressed of the brothers, he’d have more of a shot of relating to Tess on an overall looks level—except that she knew he was a cop. Ethan doubted she’d cut either brother any slack.
“So, how are you doing?” Dare asked Tess.
She folded her arms across her chest, which had the effect of hugging that damned jacket closer around her slender body. “What’s it to you?”
Ethan was about to reprimand her, but Dare shot him a warning glare, accompanied by a shake of his head. A silent Stay out of it.
“You taking your coat off for dinner?” Dare asked, ignoring her attitude.
Ethan hadn’t seen her remove the old surplus jacket ever.
She merely glared.
“Chicken and potatoes,” Rosalita said, rounding the counter, arms laden with dishes.
Grateful for the diversion, Ethan grabbed a seat and everyone followed. Ethan sat at the head and Nash and Dare united on one side of the small rectangular table across from Tess on the other.
Rosalita served them and they all began to eat in uncomfortable silence. Ethan didn’t know where to begin to break the ice.
“So how come you didn’t invite your girlfriend to this gig?” Tess asked, having no problem finding a subject to discuss.
“What girlfriend?” He decided to play this deliberately obtuse.
She rolled her eyes. “Faith Harrington. Unless you’ve got another girl on the side?”
“Of course not!” He gritted his teeth, unable to believe what a challenge this kid was.
“I thought Faith Harrington was just a friend.” Nash’s disgusted tone indicated what he felt about Faith having even that status in Ethan’s life.
Girlfriend wouldn’t go over well. And Tess knew it, the little stinker, Ethan thought, catching the evil gleam in her eye. Of course it was hard to be sure with the black liner circling her lids, but Ethan was certain she was playing them, using the information she’d learned the one and only night they’d all been in the same room together. The night Tess had arrived.
“I thought tonight was about family,” Ethan said. “And all of us getting along. That can’t happen if we’re making digs and deliberately bringing up subjects to piss one another off.” He snagged Tess’s gaze once more.
“Sounds to me like she fits right in,” Dare muttered under his breath.
“What the hell did I do?” Tess asked, shoveling chicken into her mouth. “I’m just making conversation since none of you wanted to do it.”
She’d picked up on the obvious.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Dare said. “And watch the language. We’re here, so let’s make the best of it.”
Ethan appreciated Dare’s take on things, but his brother refused to meet his gaze so Ethan could acknowledge it or tell him so. Fine.
“How have you been keeping busy?” Nash asked the teen.
“He sends me to the community center to hang with other juvenile delinquents,” she said, gesturing to Ethan with an elbow.
Ethan groaned. “The community center has good programs for teens. She’s been working with Kate Andrews.”
“She’s Faith’s best friend,” Tess said between gulping her drink.
Ethan ignored her. “Tess and I met with a therapist,” he said to his brothers. That particular appointment had been extremely enlightening and he needed to share the information, since helping Tess would be a group effort.
Without warning, Tess threw her silverware onto the table, the fork and knife hitting the plate with a loud clatter. “I’m outta here,” she said, rising from her seat. Apparently she didn’t like the tables being turned and her being the focus of discussion.
“Sit down now,” Ethan said, taking charge of this fiasco.
“Hell, no,” she said, and stormed out of the room, leaving the brothers alone.
Dare and Nash looked at one another, some silent understanding passing between them that left Ethan out in the cold.
“What?” Ethan spat, annoyed.
Nash wiped his mouth on the napkin. “She follows orders just as well as you ever did.”
Dare’s mouth lifted in a grim smile.
Ethan blew out a long, frustrated breath. “Don’t you think I’ve grown up since I’ve been gone?”
Nash rose to his feet. “I don’t know. Have you?” he asked in definite challenge.
With Tess gone, the gloves were apparently off.
Ethan pushed his chair back, and stood, meeting his middle brother’s angry gaze. “Maybe if you came around more, you’d find out.” Ethan was finished tiptoeing around his past mistakes.
Nash shoved his chair beneath the table hard. “Tess aside, give me one other good reason I’d want to be here. Because it sure as hell wouldn’t be to get to know you. You gave up being our brother the day you left.”
Without being asked, Dare silently stood, standing beside Nash, united against Ethan in every way.
