I scoffed. “Need from you?” I shook my head, though of course, my mind immediately jumped to sex.What the hell?Why did I have to be attracted to her? She was annoying as fuck.
“Actually, there is something I could use,” I said.
“What’s that?”
If she was offering, I was going to take her up on it. With her intent on selling the house, this might be one of my last opportunities to finish what Scott and I had started, to fulfill one last promise. To pay my debt.
“Your dad and I were slowly updating the house and making it more energy-efficient. The parts I ordered for the master bathroom finally arrived. I’d like to finish the project, and I left some tools behind that I need for work.”
She seemed to consider it a moment before finally saying, “I don’t know. We should probably discuss a fair price for your services before you start.”
I gnashed my teeth. “I appreciate your concern, but not everything has a price tag.”
“I’m not—”
Gwen squealed Audrey’s name, running up to her. Emerson and Grant weren’t far behind, and I took that as my cue to leave.
“Ethan, wait…” She placed her hand on my arm, forcing me to stay.
I glared at her hand, hating the way her touch sent a shock wave rippling through my body.
“Come by tomorrow. You can get your tools, and we can discuss the master bath project.”
I yanked my arm out of her hold. She didn’t call the shots. I’d been nice so far, but she seemed to have forgotten that we owned the house—together. In equal shares. I had just as much of a right to be there as she did.
“Sure. Fine.”
She tilted her head, her eyes appraising me. I ignored her and turned for my car. “Come on, girl,” I said to Max.
“Hey,” Grant said, intercepting me on my way out. “Everything good with you and Audrey?”
I kept my eyes homed in on the exit. “Just peachy.”
He lowered his voice. “Ethan?”
“It’ll be fine.” But it was a lie. We could barely agree on anything, let alone what to do with the house. And both of us refused to give up without a fight.
Chapter Seven
Pain shot through my back like a lightning bolt. I hissed through my teeth, gripping the banister for support. Nope. I shook my head. This was not happening. Not now. Not again.
And then, the pain was gone. Just like the past few days—a strike, then retreat. Much like my relationship with Ethan. We’d lash out at each other with a hurtful comment, then retreat to our corners.
That said, our last interaction had remained civil. Well, relatively civil. He still didn’t trust me—that much was clear. But he’d asked to come work on a project, and I’d agreed. It wasn’t much, but it had to count for something.
When I was convinced the pain was gone, I continued up the stairs until I reached the top. I grabbed my clothes and headed for the bathroom, switching on the hot water. There were few things better than a long, hot shower after a punishing run on a cold, dreary day. Though Sunnyville wasn’t nearly as frigid as Boston, there was still a chill in the air.
I stepped over the side of the tub, relishing the feel of the hot water beating down on my skin. A muscle twinged in my back, but I knew the heat would help. I shampooed my hair, debating my next move in my “charm and disarm” campaign, as Ben called it. I was definitely going to have to up the charm if I was going to get Ethan to let down his guard and see reason about selling the house.
I dropped the soap and bent over to pick it up, andoh holy shit.“I’m stuck.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, panting as the pain stole the very breath from my lungs.Shit. Shit. Shit.
I waited beneath the stream of warm water for it to pass, but it didn’t. A few moments later, it was still very present. Very painful. And when I tried to stand—my body forced me to my knees with a groan.
Okay. Okay. Think, Audrey. This is going to be okay.
But it wassonot okay. And the pain reminded me of when I’d thrown my back out during law school finals. At the time, I’d been pushing myself too hard. Not getting enough sleep, sitting for long periods, while still running miles every morning in an effort to clear my head.
