“Back to me. We know I enjoy talking about myself.”
“You do.”
“When Blake came into the picture and we found out she was pregnant, I’d never seen Egan like that before. She settles himwhenno oneelse could. You can see how he feels around her and I was... jealous.”
“That’s kind of sweet.”
“Not a great feeling on my end, but there it is. I told myself it was possible to find that, but I had to be looking in the right direction. Or not looking, as my brothers hadn’t been.”
Now this was making more sense. “But you approached me at the bar.”
“I did. And I wasn’t there looking. I was there unwinding from a brutal week and feeling sorry for myself over the fact that Blair was leaving. I saw you at the bar and I thought, now there is a woman who knows how to carry herself.”
She burst out laughing. “You know how funny that sounds, don’t you?”
“Only to you. I sat next to you, we talked. I relaxed. It’s like being in your presence soothed me in a way it’d never happened before. There were no expectations. Nothing I had to do or prove. We were chatting and I knew if I got up and walked away, you’d do the same.”
“Your ego.”
“It was, but it was also freeing. You admitted you hadn’t planned on saying yes when I asked, just like I really hadn’t planned on asking you. I almost took it back thinking, no way she’s what I’m looking for if she says yes.”
And there she was again with her actions getting her in trouble. “Great. One more thing to carry.”
“Stop. You know how I feel about that night. I told you I had intended on getting your number in the morning and seeing where this could go. Do you know how many women linger around waiting for that?”
“I can imagine.”
“No, you can’t,” he said. “Let me give you some examples of the women I’ve dated. They want fancy trips and dinners. Noshocker there. We went to a wine tasting one night, she pounded six glasses of wine to my two. She wanted them to keep coming. It didn’t take me long to realize that after six glasses in two hours and her still on her feet that she had a high tolerance and that was her life. Drinking and partying. Having fun.”
“Yikes.”
“That didn’t last long. Other women... let’s say they’d offer other things to me to stay on. Or try to prove their worth. Or that they were all in when deep down I didn’t feel the connection to them I should. Or what I could see my brothers had.”
“Don’t go there, Ethan.”
“I’m being honest. They didn’t last either. Never once have you tried to be anyone other than yourself with me.”
“Except that night.”
“No. You keep saying that, but I don’t believe it. The only thing different that night was you saying yes to my joke and ending up in bed with me. The rest of it is the same. You’re friendly. You’re well-liked by senior management.”
“Not by those under me, so I wonder if it’s because of my father that the others do.”
He laughed. “Having Norris as your father is a reason for peoplenotto like you. Sorry, but it’s true.”
She believed that. “What else is the same?”
“Your quiet confidence. You don’t need to showboat. I think deep down, you’ve always been confident in your ability but have been afraid to show it to anyone feeling as if they’d mock you. Maybe ask why you thought you were better than them. Am I right?”
Funny how he was and no one else ever saw that. “I think so.”
“Not think, know. Where you got strong was your inner self saying you didn’t care if they didn’t like that you knew what you were doing. You didn’t care if they didn’t like you as a person. You were there to do what needed to be done. Didn’t mean youwere a bitch or that you were causing problems. You just did your best.”
She smiled. “Thank you. I still have this tiny bit in me that likes to be told I’m doing a good job even if I know I am.”
“That’s human nature. And you’re doing agreatjob. And I’m not saying that just because I see you naked.”
She laughed and shoved his arm. “Thanks for that.”
