Ethan smiled at that thought.
Jess was an enigma and the greatest challenge in his life. Ethan had always gone after what he wanted. He wasn’t a man that sat around waiting for things to happen, he made them happen. Except for when it came to Jess.
They shared undeniable chemistry and the attraction between the two of them was indisputable. He would’ve initiated a relationship years ago, but she’d made it clear that was not on the table. So he’d waited.
He’d thought that part of her reluctance to give them a shot was because her health had been so precarious for so many years. But she was two years out from a heart transplant, and from all accounts the healthiest she’d ever been and she still acted like he was a fly at the picnic of her life.
She was always swatting him away, and if it were any other person, he’d take the hint and move on. But this was Jess, and she had a habit of lashing out when she felt unsure or out of control. He knew that she had to feel something for him. He saw it in the way her eyes dilated and her skin would flush whenever she saw him. He felt it in the way her eyes would seek him out whenever they were in the same place, which he orchestrated more than once. He had zero interest in the ballet, art festivals, or movie nights on the lake, but if he knew Jess was going to be somewhere, he went. And as much as she acted like she didn’t like him being there, there was always a moment of disappointment in her baby blue eyes when he said he was leaving.
He lived for that moment.
His phone buzzed again.
“Steele.”
“Why do you always answer the phone like that? If people are calling you, don’t you think they know your name already?”
His smile widened at the other woman in his life that could get away with murder. “Hi, Nana!”
“Am I interrupting something? You sound out of breath.” His grandma’s voice sounded hopeful as she stage-whispered, “Are you with someone?”
“You think I’d answer the phone if I were with someone?”
“If it’s me calling, yes.”
She wasn’t wrong, but he didn’t tell her that. “I’m out on a run.”
“Oh, good. I think I noticed some love handles hangin’ off your six-pack,” she teased.
“Are you back on dry land?” His grandma had been on a three-week cruise to the Bahamas. It was his eightieth birthday gift to her. She’d always talked about wanting to go on one, but he knew that she’d never pull the trigger, so he did it for her.
“Yes, sir. We docked an hour ago. I just checked into my hotel.”
“Did you already grab the lotions and shampoos?”
Daisy Steele took frugal to an art form. He couldn’t remember her ever buying condiments, she “collected” them from fast food restaurants and dedicated an entire drawer to store them. She also had “good plastic” that she washed and stored like it was fine china, also collected from fast food establishments.
“Of course I did. I’m not going to have to spend a dime on toiletries for the next six months thanks to this vacation.”
“It’s the gift that keeps giving.”
“Yes, it is. In more ways than one. I met someone.”
Shock caused Ethan to slow to a stop. His grandfather had passed over four decades earlier. And even though she’d been single all of Ethan’s life, never once had he heard his grandma mention anything about dating again. “You did?”
“Yes. She’s-”
She’s?!
“-thirty and a doctor and lives in Chicago. She’s the spitting image of a young Patty Duke. You’re going to love her.”
Ah, that made more sense.
Ethan had no idea who Patty Duke was, but it didn’t matter. His grandma could be setting him up with Emily Ratajkowski, and he wouldn’t be interested. Because Emily and Young Patty Duke weren’t the woman he was interested in. They weren’t Jess.
“I told her my handsome U.S. Marshal grandson was picking me up and she is excited to meet you.”
“Really.” Ethan’s tone was flat, and his lack of enthusiasm was evident.