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“Just that she’s kinda… well, she’s got an attitude. I asked her how her gallery thing was going, and she called me a jerk.”
Ethan’s expression softened somewhat, though his eyes remained guarded. “That’s because her gallery failed. She had to walk away.”
Mike’s blood ran cold. “Geez, really?”
“Yeah, really.” Ethan sighed. “It’s hitting her hard, too. She’s in a bad place.”
Dragging a hand down his face, Mike looked away. Well, dang it! Now he felt bad. Granted, he hadn’t known about what was going on when he’d brought it up, but after she’d been so nice, he couldn’t help but feel the need to track her down and apologize.
Mike let out a whistle. “Did you by chance see where she went?”
And just like that, Ethan’s whole demeanor changed. “If she’s mad at you, I’d suggest leaving her alone.”
“Come on, Ethan. I want to tell her I’m sorry. No one told me that her gallery didn’t work out. How was I supposed to know.”
Ethan huffed, crossing his arms, his muscles twitching. “I know what you’re doing.”
He groaned. “Not you too. Sheesh. What is it with the Boones and their assumptions? You can’t know what I’m doing if I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m still trying to put my life together.”
“All the more reason to leave her alone.”
“I just want to tell her I’m sorry. What’s wrong with that?”
“She’s not in the right mindset for dating. You need to just leave her be so she can feel better on her own.”
Mike gaped at the man who used to be his closest friend—Ethan had been one of the good ones. Apparently, not even Ethan was immune to the gossip that had surrounded Mike’s past mistakes. “You must have a pretty big head if you think I’m so desperate I’d chase after a girl who just yelled at me.”
“What did you say?” Ethan snapped.
Another groan escaped Mike’s throat and he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I didn’t mean it that way. Anyone would be lucky to have your sister interested in them. She’s attractive and she’s smart.”
Ethan lifted a single brow.
“Geez, I can’t win, can I? Look, I’m being honest. I’m just trying to clear the air. Rose is the first nice person I’ve come in contact with since coming back to town. I don’t want her thinking that I was poking fun at her failures.”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed.
“Dude, can you just tell me where she went? We used to be friends.”
“Exactly. We used to be friends. Then you abandoned everything you should have stood for.”
Mike’s whole body tensed once again. His muscles ached from the strain and his jaw tightened until his teeth creaked. He moved to get around Ethan, but his old friend blocked his path.
Ethan let out a sigh. “Just leave her alone, okay? Take the hint. She’s not going to date you.”
Shaking his head, Mike couldn’t bring himself to pretend to be nice any longer. “Do you seriously think so little of me? I know the code. I’d never go after your sister.”
Mike continued to stare at Ethan, not sure what he hoped would happen next. If Ethan allowed Mike to go past him to track Rose down, then he’d have a whole other problem to solve. Part of him didn’t mind if Ethan refused.
To his credit, Rose’s big brother played his role perfectly. He didn’t look the least bit convinced. “I’m not going to let you talk to her. Just leave her be. If she was so mad she yelled at you, take it from me, she’s not willing to listen to anything you have to say.”
“Will you at least tell her that I’m sorry? Or that I didn’t know about the gallery?”
The look on Ethan’s face was enough to make it clear he had zero interest in giving Mike anything. “If it comes up, I’ll tell her.” He jerked his chin toward the wranglers’ cabin. “You should probably go.”
Their battle of wills resumed, but then Ethan blinked. That was all it took for him to turn away and head back to the party.
It didn’t matter which direction Mike craned his neck, he couldn’t get a good view of the partygoers, and he definitely couldn’t catch a glimpse of Rose. At this rate, he might as well cut his losses. If he didn’t have any interest in Rose, what did it matter if she thought he’d intentionally hurt her feelings? Ethan had made a good point.
