Hearts Ablaze (Courageous Hearts Series Book 2), стр. 3
So bright and early Monday morning, I knocked on Ethan’s door, Derrick holding my hand like a behaved child. It was a perfectly placed disguise, as he had emptied the toothpaste into the toilet less than a half hour ago. That adventure was preceded by him spilling the entire bag of dog food up the stair and into his room. He accomplished his goal of creating an irresistible path so Derrick Jr. wouldn’t get lost on his way to visit Derrick.
As soon as the door opened, I sighed. “I’m so sorry I’m late. We had a few… accidents this morning while getting ready, and the daycare wouldn’t accept him for another week because of a stupid waiting list.”
I could have rambled all day, but Ethan’s smile stopped me dead in my tracks. It showed an entirely different mood than the one I had witnessed the day before. “I have nowhere else to be,” he promised, stepping aside and allowing us entrance into his beautiful home. “Plus, I imagine this will be quick.”
I didn’t know where to look first. His house was huge and structured beautifully. Though it resembled a bachelor pad more than an expertly decorated home, the bare, untouched walls and wooden floors had loads of untapped potential. I wanted to explore the remainder of the house, but I forced my feet to remain stationary as I examined the most intriguing thing in the room.
Ethan stood tall in dark jeans similar to the ones he wore the day before. His tight black T-shirt exposed the same rigid dips in his torso as the shirt yesterday. He clutched a white coffee mug in his hands and stared intently at me and the bag slung over my shoulder. Derrick, standing at my side silently, held my coffee mug in his hands carefully. He knew not to drop it. Mom without coffee was a different breed of irrational impatience.
Derrick followed behind Ethan as he led us to a kitchen area. A center island expanded the entire length of the kitchen. I wanted to drool at the size of his kitchen, but I refrained from embarrassing myself. Aside from a knife block, there was nothing that could be considered decorative in the entire place. It had more untapped potential than any place I’d ever decorated.
I pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and sat Derrick down carefully. He placed my coffee mug in front of him and pushed it toward me. He eyed the fruity and sugary assortment of cereals atop the stainless-steel fridge. “Mommy, I have a secret,” he said. I leaned down, and he grabbed my hair to nuzzle his lips near my ear. “Can I have the red cereal?”
His whisper was audible throughout the entire kitchen. I shook my head and handed off my phone. It distracted him quickly, but I knew it wouldn’t last long. I turned and looked at Ethan, who appeared amused by our interaction. “Okay, so I brought a lot of selling points,” I promised, holding my satchel bag in the air for him to see. “Ready to start?”
He nodded and looked down at the counter where his phone rested. It vibrated and he smiled. “Garrett should be here in a minute. He’s running late, too. Probably not as good a reason as yours,” Derrick said, clicking his phone off.
“Garrett’s coming, too?” I asked. Garrett and Ethan were the infamous Jones brothers. The third, Lance, took off and joined the navy after finding a knack for computers, but Garrett and Ethan stayed local after college and started a family business. They were co-owners of Jones’s Luxury Estates—the rentals and the apartment complexes in town. Talking to each of the owners, brothers who I’d known for years, had my excitement growing.
“If we’re going to hire someone, we need dual approval.” My phone clattered to the table and I whipped around. Derrick winced, glanced at me, gave his award-winning smile, and continued playing his game. Ethan snickered. “He’s trouble, huh?”
I groaned. “This morning, he poured all of Derrick Jr.’s food in a straight line through the house to lead him to his room.”
“Derrick Jr.?” his laugh rumbled through me. The smile was electric. It came as no surprise that Ethan hadn’t grown any less attractive over the years. The smile proved it
“I told Derrick he could name the dog, and he wanted that name. He wouldn’t hear of it when I gave other suggestions. It had to be Derrick. He was three, so reasoning was out of the picture.” I rolled my eyes as the front door slammed shut and rushed footsteps echoed through the hallway and into the kitchen.
Garrett entered the room, bagged eyes and bloodshot pupils. When he saw me, his expression changed in a millisecond. “If it isn’t Miss. New York City, Elena Brookes. I’m humbled to be in your presence as always,” he said with a mock bow.
While I felt entirely different around Ethan, more hesitant and unsure of how to approach a relationship with him, Garrett was a different story. “If it isn’t mister rich and handsome, Garrett Jones,” I mocked.
Garrett strode toward us and elbowed his brother in the side. “You didn’t tell me we were interviewing Elena for the gig. She’s hired,” he said with a wink. Garrett looked down at Derrick, and Derrick looked up, his little eyes taking in the huge man who hovered above him. “What’s your name, little dude?” Garrett asked.
“I’m not little,” my brazen son argued, giving his best scowl. “I have a secret.”
Garrett reached down, and Derrick said in an attempted whisper “can you reach the red cereal on the fridge?” he asked, side-eyeing me as if he wanted to ensure I hadn’t heard.
Garrett swooped Derrick from