“Which tells me everything I need to know. If there was nothing to tell, you’d be telling me everything.
”
“That makes no sense.” It felt strange keeping something this big from her twin. If they’d still been sharing an apartment they would have talked about it. But things had changed, and not just because Fliss wasn’t living with her anymore. Harriet bent to tug Madi’s nose out of another snowdrift and reminded herself she was capable of making a decision without her sister. If they were walking to a restaurant a block away, she’d wear jeans and boots. Casual. Then he wouldn’t think she was getting the wrong idea. “To answer your question, he has not put his healing hands all over me and no, I haven’t seen him naked.” She straightened and saw Ethan standing next to her.
Oh holy crap.
How long had he been standing there?
Her face flamed so hot she expected the snow around them to melt and turn to floodwater. Where had he appeared from? Had he heard? If he’d heard, she was doomed. “I have to go.”
“Why? We’ve only been talking five minutes. Don’t go. I promise to stop teasing you. If you don’t want to talk about Dr. Sexy, we won’t talk about him.”
At least she hadn’t put her sister on speaker.
“I’m freezing. Need to get inside. I’ll call you later.” She tucked the phone in her pocket and braved it out with a smile, although she didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Hi. You’re early.” And now she sounded like a wife. How was your day, dear? Can I fetch your slippers? “I mean, no accidents today? Everyone in New York City is happy and healthy?”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” He took Madi’s leash from her. “That was your sister on the phone?”
“Yes, we were catching up.” Had he heard? He must have heard. Should she apologize or ignore it and pretend it hadn’t happened? Ignore it. Definitely. “I haven’t seen her in weeks. We have business to discuss.” And sex, and all the other topics Fliss always insisted on covering.
Ethan brushed snow out of her hair, his touch gentle. “You couldn’t have found somewhere a little warmer for your business discussions?”
No, but they could have found somewhere a lot more private.
“I’m well wrapped up.” No silky lingerie for her. When she was walking around the city in winter she wore layers that wouldn’t have let her down in the Arctic. “I wasn’t expecting you home for a while.” Still sounding like a wife, Harriet. Like she’d been watching the time and the window, waiting for him to come home. To his home. It wasn’t her home, even though she felt more comfortable in his apartment than she did in her own right now. “I meant home as in your apartment, obviously.” Finally she looked at him and realized he was unusually pale. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Just a bit tired.” He swayed slightly, as if it was taking all his effort to stay standing up. “Let’s get inside.”
“If you’re tired, we could always get takeout.” And part of her thought that might be easier.
“Am I that intimidating? We’ve been eating together and talking all week. How is this different?”
Because they were going out. Just the two of them. It was intentional, instead of incidental.
And because it wasn’t a date.
How could she explain that this whole thing felt even more awkward than usual? She fully expected to stammer her way through the evening. But it seemed simpler to say yes and get it over with. That was one advantage of moving out on Monday. However embarrassing tonight was, she’d never have to see him again.
The date was today’s Challenge Harriet.
Back in the apartment she tended to Madi first, and then went to shower.
In the privacy of her bathroom, she changed her sweater three times. Black? No. White? Definitely no. She’d spill something down her front. In the end she opted for a pale cashmere sweater in a soft shade of heather that had been an early Christmas gift from a client who owned a boutique. She put her hair up and decided it looked as if she was trying too hard so took it down again. She wasn’t really a hair up type of person.
And it didn’t really matter what she wore, did it? This wasn’t a proper date. It was dating practice. Not the same thing.
Taking deep breaths, she walked out of the bedroom downstairs.
Madi was chewing her toy happily but there was no sign of Ethan.
Harriet selected one of his books from the shelf and sat down with it but she couldn’t settle. She felt as if she was in the doctor’s surgery waiting for a consultation she didn’t want to have.
Ten minutes passed. Then twenty.
There were no sounds from upstairs.
After thirty minutes she put the book down. If he’d changed his mind he would have said so, wouldn’t he?