"So, what’s going on with you and Sam?"
I gaped at Ethan. "What do you mean, what's going on? He's building a club up the street from me that could put me out of business. He spent the last couple of weeks casing the Sea Siren, pretending to be helpful, when in fact, he's been scoping out his competition."
"Are you sure he hasn't been hanging out here because of you?"
What was it about my friends and my brother that they kept taking Sam’s side of things?
"You know that quote about once bitten, twice shy, right? Aren't we supposed to take people as they present themselves to us? Sam told me he loved me and then left."
Ethan stared at me for a moment. It made me uncomfortable.
I hated pity. "What?"
He shrugged. "I told you how he showed up a few months after he’d left, desperate to find you. In my office the other week—"
"He was in your office?" What the hell?
He looked down for a moment as if feeling guilty.
"Zach contacted me wanting a referral for a commercial real estate agent. I accepted the meeting knowing he was talking about Sam's venture. I wanted a chance to feel Sam out, learn what his intentions were with you.”
I shook my head. “This isn’t the eighteenth century. I don’t need your help in my life.”
He ignored my comment. “I'm telling you, Kate, he seemed sincere."
"I thought he was sincere when he told me he loved me and wanted to spend his life with me, but look how that turned out."
He nodded. "I guess I can see it from your side. Well, if you still want to use dirty tactics, I did tell him that if he hurt you, I’d put him out of business."
My lips twitched upward, liking the idea of doing nefarious deeds to make sure Sam and Max failed. At the same time, I knew Ethan was right and that cheating would sour my victory. The best way to get my revenge on Sam was to do it through my own success.
Ethan looked at his watch. "I've gotta run. I have a meeting with Dane and his old man." He stood, and I rose with him.
"I thought you were in charge of the place now."
"I am, but Mr. MacLeod the Elder likes to have updates. I don't get the feeling that he's worried that I'm going to run the business into the ground. I think he likes to have something to gloat about when he goes to his weekly bridge game."
I laughed. “Does Grandfather still go to those? God, I hope so. I wish I could be there to see his face when Mr. MacLeod starts bragging about how you’re making him money hand over fist."
He flashed a grin. "Well, since it's a men's only club, that might be hard." He arched a brow. "But I could go. You're right. It would be fun to see that."
He pulled me in for a hug, holding me for a long moment. "I'm proud of you, Kate, for all you've done."
I leaned back, looking up at him. "Why do I feel there's a but in this comment?"
He reached out, cupping my face sweetly. "I just worry that the wall you've built up will keep out happiness. You deserve happiness."
I put my hand over his on my face. "You and Lucy and the kids are inside my wall. And Iamhappy." Content, anyway.
He leaned forward, giving me a kiss on the cheek. "You are stubborn, Sis."
I grinned up at him. "And you love that about me."
He laughed. "Only sometimes." He reached over, picking up his suit coat and slipping it on. "Lucy keeps talking about getting together with you and the other girls. Sometimes, she loses track of things chasing after the kids, so maybe you could give her a call."
I nodded. "I will." Then I watched as he left the club.
I gathered up all my notes and took them back to my office. I pressed the spacebar on my computer to wake it up and began searching for local bands that I could hire to play at the club.