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Hours later, Nelly and I are still at the dinner table talking about the company, and her laugh fills the air, making me enjoy every moment of our time together. She sips her drink and licks the droplets off her lips before propping both hands on her cheeks and pinning those eyes on me again.
“This casserole was amazing,” I compliment, loving how she beams. “Your mom’s recipe?”
She nods. “You know, she always teased me about not knowing how to whip up a decent meal, and we always laughed about it. But I put in a lot of effort into learning while she was alive, and now, whenever I miss her, I just make something I know she would love to eat.”
“That sounds really …” I trail off, and add when she tilts her head to one side. “… sweet.” I sniff and avert my eyes because looking at her leaves me with too many confusing sensations.
I want to pull her close and kiss her. I also want to run away from her because I can’t handle the thought of what these feelings mean.
“Ethan …” The murmur of my name on her lips is enough to fill me with another shiver. Every other sound fades into the background, and it’s just me and her. The longing is enough to drive me insane, but I need to hold myself back for both our sakes.
Her phone rings and snaps us out of the intense moment. She sniffs, picks it up, and turns away from me before clearing her throat.
“Hi, Joe,” Nelly says. I instantly stiffen and my chest tightens.
Why is Joe Storms calling her at this time?
I glance down at my watch—it’s past 11:00 p.m.
“No, Joe … I told you I don’t need your help. I’ve got it covered, and the … Joe, just listen to me, I got it covered with Everhart, and the merger is in a few weeks … No, I’m not accepting your offer, Joe”
Nelly is pacing now, and my right hand tightens into a fist. I can’t bear listening to her argue with that jerk Storms, and the longer she argues with him, the harder it is for me to sit still.
She groans again and stomps a foot on the ground. I spring into action, marching over to her and snatching her phone.
“Back off, Storms. The lady told you to back off.”
Joe bursts into a laugh on the other end, and that riles me up even further. “Look Storms, she doesn’t need your help, so whatever it is that you want, just back off.”
“Oh, I will,” Joe answers. “I’ll back off, but you two are going to need my help come morning. This will be fun, Everhart, getting to see your grumpy face in every meeting.” He laughs, and I nearly slam her phone to the ground.
“Whatever it is you’re talking about, Storms, I don’t care, so get lost.”
Nelly snatches her phone from me when I end the call. “What was that? You don’t get to intrude on my calls, Ethan. That was rude.”
“I know, I’m sorry.” I draw in a breath before closing my eyes. My temples pound, and my vision blurs a little because talking with Storms always leaves me tense and full of pulsating anger.
“Joe was trying to help with the settlement before you agreed to step in. He offered a buy-out, but I really did not want to give up my company, no matter how much money he offered me. ”
“It’s never a good deal with Storms. You should stay away from him, Nelly. He’s manipulative, and lying is his second nature. We go way back, so trust me, I know all about him.”
“Seems like you have a grudge against Joe. Did something happen between the two of you?” Her question comes out softly. Her eyes penetrate mine, and it’s like she peels back every layer to get deep inside me. “Ethan …”
“It’s nothing,” I cut in, shaking my head. There’s no way I’ll tell Nelly about my history with Storms and let her into the deepest parts of my heart.
“You can tell me what the story is, Ethan,” she says in the softest tone, but I know opening up to her will only make it easier for me to forget why I should keep my distance.
It’s tempting to confide in her, and it takes an effort to pull my gaze away from hers. “Joe Storms is not someone I like to talk about, so we don’t need to get into that.”
Nelly doesn’t follow me out of the kitchen, and after taking a long, hot shower, which failed to ease my nerves, I lay wide awake in bed and stare at the ceiling for a long time.
Nelly’s smile during dinner comes to mind, and it helps me relax. I never talk about Storms and what he did with Julia, how they both betrayed me. I never think about it either.
Tom’s the only one who really knows how hard it was for me to get over Julia. After that experience, I’m determined to never fall in love again.
But it’s hard to relax with Joe sniffing around Nelly. Even though nothing is going on between Nelly and me, I still need to protect her from Joe.