Page 61 of Summer Romance
Lacey makes a note. Pete is silent.
“Hey, sorry I’m late.” Ethan is standing in the doorway. He’s in a dark blue suit and a crisp white shirt, and he looks breathtakingly handsome. I like that today is the day to drop the costumes. He takes the seat next to me and places his legal pad and pen on the table. I squeeze my hands together because I am afraid I am going to reach out and touch him.
“We just started,” I say, and try to refocus.
“That’s fine,” Lacey says for me. “We are just adding a few of Ali’s line items to the monthly expenses.”
Pete’s leaning back in his chair, and I know he sees something between us. I say, “Okay, let me see if there’s anything else.” I take my binder back from Pete and run through my summary page. I tick off line items as they match.
“She used to be an accountant,” Ethan tells Lacey. They’re quiet as I go line by line and then replace Pete’s numbers with mine and add up a new total.
“This is the right number,” I say, and slide the paper back to Pete.
“Is that your dad’s suit too?” he asks Ethan.
Ethan smiles. “No, it’s mine. Kind of a bore, I know.” He holds Pete’s gaze.
“You’re a weird guy,” says Pete.
“For sure,” says Ethan.
Lacey steps in. “Pete, can you agree to that number? Because if you can, we can move on to formal paperwork and I can get the divorce agreement filed.”
“Fine,” he says.
36
Ethan and I walk down to the street and into the parking lot, and he leads me to his car. Pete is right behind us, so we’re quiet. Pete’s Honda is parked next to Ethan, and we stand there and watch him root through his briefcase for his keys.
“See you tomorrow,” Pete says.
“Yes,” I say.
He looks at us over the hood of his car. He’s about to say something but just shakes his head and gets in.
When he’s gone, Ethan takes me in his arms and I rest my head on the lapel of his beautiful suit. “Do you feel good?” he asks.
I check myself for how I really feel. “I feel great,” I say.
“You were amazing. Like if the person you were in high school grew up to have superpowers.”
Yes, I think.That’s how I feel. I am Super Me.
“Let’s go celebrate,” he says.
“The diner?”
“Nope. Get in.”
We drive to the inn and walk through the lobby, but before we get to the deck, we turn into a long hallway that leads up a flight of stairs to a locked door. Ethan opens it and we are in a suite. It has a beautifully furnished living room, all blue and white fabrics against lemon-yellow wallpaper. There’s an antique writing desk and a wall of hardcover books. I stand there for a moment taking it in, the fact that I am the sort of woman that a man would bring to a secret suite for sex in the afternoon.
“It’s my grandparents’ apartment,” Ethan says. Okay, not exactly a secret sex suite. He walks through to the kitchen and pulls a tray of sliced chicken and Caesar salad from the refrigerator.
“Grab that?” he says, and eyes the bottle of champagne chilling on the shelf.
I grab it and follow him through the living room onto the terrace. We’re at the corner of the inn, looking out over the water toward the end of Beechwood Point. A dining table has been set for lunch, champagne glasses included. I take this in, the fact that I am the sort of woman a man would plan a surprise for.
I reach for his hand. “I can’t believe you did this.”
