Page 21 of Enemies Under One Roof

‘You’re early,’ he said.

‘So are you,’ she shot back.

He frowned. ‘Only a couple of minutes. Everything okay?’ he asked, placing the tray down. Each day they took turns providing the refreshments and choosing the location of the morning meeting.

She shrugged. ‘I got a call from Ben this morning.’

His face hardened and he braced his legs apart. ‘What did your former colleague have to say for himself?’

When she’d seen his name flash up on her phone screen for the first time since they’d finished filming, she’d been sure he was finally calling her to apologise. It took all of five seconds to realise that was a fantasy.

‘To let me know the news was breaking today about him and Molly. And he was blaming me for leaking it to the press.’

His eyes held hers, and the memory of the photos from eight years earlier throbbed in the space between them. She pressed her spine against the cushions and swallowed against the bile at the ongoing ramifications of her actions.

‘Did you leak it to the press, Ivy?’ he asked grimly.

She straightened her shoulders. ‘I did not.’

She held her breath, waiting for him to contradict her, until he gave a curt nod and the air whooshed out of her lungs so quickly she placed her forehead on her knees.

He believes me, after everything.

Horrifying tears prickled and she frantically blinked them away.

How could she keep her barriers up when he behaved like that? Acting like he had her back? She’d practically worn a hole in the floor contemplating this conversation with Ethan. That he’d scorn her. Or they’d go back to being fierce enemies rather than what they’d become, something she didn’t have a name for, because it was beyond anything she’d had with anyone else.

An awareness that had ramped up even more after being on the tennis court yesterday, making her yearn for things that could never be, as he didn’t deserve anyone like her. And that terrified her all over again.

‘You look like you could do with this,’ Ethan said gently.

He poured her a coffee, adding just the right amount of cream to her morning treat, the ritual at the start of every one of their daily meetings.

She blinked again and brushed a fingertip against her lashes before swinging her legs to the floor to get up.

‘Stay there.’ With a purposeful stride he was standing above her in mere seconds. His eyes roamed her face making her wish she’d worn heavier make-up. Usually when scared, or sad, she’d go extra heavy-handed, but this morning she just couldn’t summon the energy to be ultra-Ivy. It had been like trying to push the proverbial boulder up a hill. In the end she’d assured herself it was a reprieve for one morning only, then this afternoon she’d reload her armour, and full-flight-Ivy would return. She’d have to.

Silently he held out the cup and saucer, careful not to touch her.

‘Thanks Ethan,’ she said shakily, and she meant for more than the coffee.

He stared for a beat too long, then spun on his heel and lightning quick picked up his own cup and sat in an armchair across from her.

‘What did he say when you told him? Wish you his best and ring off?’ Ethan asked, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

Despite herself she laughed, relieving the tension in her shoulders.

‘He conveniently didn’t believe me and turned vicious when I reminded him I was still waiting for his apology, since he and I had never been in a relationship.’ She shuddered, contemplating the heinous thought. ‘A fact he seemed to completely forget. And then he finished with a threat.’

His cup stilled on the way to his mouth. ‘I want to hear it, in his exact words.’

Ivy cradled her coffee between her hands, needing its warmth. ‘To watch my back,’ she said, unable to withhold the catch to her voice.

Ethan cursed and fury flashed across his face.

‘What if he finds out I’m here, Ethan? Does something, I don’t know, anything, to hinder what we’re trying to do? I wouldn’t put it past him.’

‘I’d like to see him try. Is there any particular reason he’d know you’re here? Did you mention this place, today or ever, to him?’