He chuckled. “I was.”
“And how long did it take before you figured it out?”
“Not too long when I’m surrounded by people who love to read romance.”
Lily pulled a lip between her teeth. “She mentioned Mia helped you. Mia is Jackson’s wife, right? That explains why she called me Lillian. You’ve known for a while.”
Ethan smiled brightly. “I do not know what you mean.”
“Uh-huh.”
He pulled into the garage and parked the truck. They both stepped out, carrying the items they purchased, and as they walked into the house and to the kitchen, Ethan said, “So why the secrecy about who you are?”
“I don’t like the attention. I’m introverted, and it can be overwhelming.”
“That makes sense. Unfortunately, Mia is going to want to sit down and chat with you. She’s your biggest fan.”
Lily smiled. “I can do that. I’ll have to see when I’m free over the next few days before I head home.”
Ethan stopped as he pulled the ice cream out of the bag and stared at her. Of course he knew Lily would leave, but hearing her say it out loud had his thoughts screeching to a halt. It never occurred to him to ask her when she would leave town. And now he only had a few days left with her?
“You’re leaving soon?”
She looked up at him and shifted between her feet as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I think so, yes. I haven’t booked a return flight home yet, but I can’t stay here forever. Especially not in a hotel. It adds up.”
“So stay with me,” he said quickly, immediately realizing he just asked a woman he hadn’t known very long to move in with him.
If that didn’t scare her off, he didn’t know what would.
She blinked slowly at him as if he could see the wheels turning in her head.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Ethan. I just got out of a long-term relationship. We lived together and were more like roommates. I feel like I need to live alone for a while to get my groove back. And being at the hotel has been really refreshing.”
He nodded. “That’s understandable. I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to make you uncomfortable. It just slipped out. Not that I wouldn’t want you to live with me.”
She smiled and held a hand up. “You can stop. I get what you meant.”
Ethan rarely felt flustered, but he got tongue tied nearly instantly in that moment. He cleared his throat. “How about we have some dessert?”
