Page 28 of House of Clouds


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She laughed. “Pompeii. An inferno of a different sort. I could photograph Mount Vesuvius.”

He joined her laughter. “Wait for it to erupt, and you can get all that molten lava. What a photograph.”

She gave him a serious look. “Hmm. Maybe. I mean the shots would be amazing. And I could do so much with them. Create a series. Yeah, I think it could work. Thanks, Ethan.”

“What?” said Ethan, his expression filled with surprise. “You’re not serious, I hope.”

She elbowed him. “No, of course I wasn’t serious. Though don’t say a word to Giancarlo. He might like the idea and try to arrange for the volcano to spout off a bit of molten lava.”

Ethan frowned. “Really? He’d do that?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably not. His family is very influential, though. He might think it possible to get someone to seed it, or figure out a way. Or at least look into the timing of the next small eruption.”

“Wow.” Ethan was silent for a moment. “Your dad says that it’s serious between you two.”

“Yes,” she said. “I suppose.” The words of doubt slipped out before she could halt them. Was there a “suppose” about it? “I mean, we’ve been going out for a while.”

“Your dad says you share an apartment now. That seems pretty serious.”

She shrugged. “Yes, you could say that.”

“But you don’t? Say that?”

She bit her lip. “Yes,” she said, forcing a firm tone. “Yes. I do say that.”

“So, you’re happy.” His voice was soft, his eyes, searching.

She looked over to the lake just emerging as they reached the end of the path, the trees thinning to nothing. She took a deep breath, putting away the memory. It was only a lake. A narrow rocky shoreline was between them and the lake. She climbed onto one of the rocks that jutted out into the water, and from her new perch the expanse of the lake stretched out before her. It glittered in the sun, now at noon height, not quite overhead. She heard the soft lap of the water against the shoreline and let the sound soothe her for a moment. Max came up beside the rock and sat down, leaning his weight against her legs. Comfort. Reassurance.

She turned and looked down at Ethan. “Yes, I am. I owe Giancarlo so much. He’s helped me more than I can ever repay. My career would be nothing without him. He’s shown me so much. Taught me so much.”

Ethan nodded. “Good.”

The word was simple and seemed to imply approval, but it left Kate unsatisfied. She didn’t want to say anything more, though, because there was so much she hadn’t said. And the omissions hung in the air. She didn’t know why she hadn’t said the words that would confirm their commitment, their love. She was conscious, too, of the finger on her left hand that was still bare of Giancarlo’s ring.

“Are you in a relationship?” she asked. The words had come out, perhaps from a defensiveness, or perhaps something else, something she’d rather not consider.

“Me?” said Ethan. He shook his head. “I don’t have time for a relationship. I’m too busy.”

“Busy? Busy with what?” She gestured around her. “You don’t seem busy. Aren’t you a songwriter for a few bands?”

He frowned at her. “My work keeps me very busy. The band I write for takes up a lot of time. Studio and other things.”

“You only work for one band? Surely you have time to at least date.”

He shrugged. “I’m doing other things.” He cleared his throat and looked out to the lake, avoiding her scrutiny. “I’m writing a novel, if you must know. Well, trying to write a novel.”

She jumped down from the rock. “Really?” she said, placing her hand on his arm. “That’s great, Ethan.” She squeezed his arm and grinned. “See, you’re making much better use of your degree than I am. Writing lyrics and a novel. You even get the music too. Your degree major and minor.”

He looked down at her, a wry smile on his face. “Yeah, I guess.” He studied her face a moment. “Why didn’t you minor in music, Kate?”

The grin froze on her face. “Why would I have done that?” she asked stiffly. She turned from him and started to retrace their steps through the woods back to the house.

Ethan, grasped her arm gently, holding her back. “Kate. I’m not sure why that question made you angry, but I’m sorry. I just know that you’re extremely talented, have an amazing voice, and you obviously love music.”

She forced her anger back down. It wasn’t his fault. He knew some things, but not everything. She forced a neutral expression on her face. “No, it’s okay. I shouldn’t have lashed out that way.” She took a deep breath. “It’s a long time ago, Ethan. It’s just what happened. I don’t really play music anymore.” He raised his brows. “Well,” she amended, “I don’t normally play music. I have other things in my life. It’s just now, for Dad. I know he likes it.”

Ethan smiled. “I’d say it’s more than just your dad who likes it.”

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