Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Aubrey
I didn’t know that Ethan would be here, or else I wouldn’t have come. Penelope never told me whose party it was, and I didn’t ask. If she had told me, Charles, I would have known that there would have been a ninety-nine percent chance that Ethan would have been here. It was awkward. I wouldn’t lie. Hearing his voice and smelling his scent again sent my pheromones into overdrive. He was nervous. That much, I could tell.
“I need to use the restroom,” I softly spoke to Penelope.
“I’ll show you where it is,” Ethan spoke as he lightly grabbed hold of my hand resting on the table.
Electrifying shocks traveled throughout my body at his mere touch. I swallowed hard as we both got up from our seats. He placed my arm in his and led me inside the house.
“Here you are,” he spoke. “The toilet is on the left.”
“Thanks, Ethan.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll be waiting outside the door.”
I washed my hands and felt around for a towel as soon as I finished. Once I dried them off, I opened the door, and his scent pelted me in the face—an ache formed between my legs as I placed my hand on his elbow. As soon as we made our way back out to the patio, we heard Charles starting to propose to Lexi. I couldn’t help but smile when she screamed yes.
“I’ll be damned,” Ethan spoke. “She said yes.”
“I knew she would.”
“Shall we go congratulate them?” he asked.
“Let’s.” I grinned.
After congratulations and hugs were given, Ethan escorted me back to the table where the servers were just starting to serve the cake.
“It’s chocolate,” Ethan spoke.
“Chocolate’s my favorite.”
“Mine too.”
“Can you describe my piece to me, please?” I asked.
“Of course. It’s chocolate cake with white icing, and two pink roses are on the side of your piece.”
Picking up my fork, I smiled, stuck it into the cake, and took a bite.
“Oh my gosh. This is so good.”
“It’s very good,” he spoke.
“The one thing you should know about me is that I’m a huge sweets eater. I love all kinds of pastries.” I smiled.
“I do, too. My housekeeper, Ingrid, makes the most amazing tarts.”
“What kind does she make?” I asked as I finished off my cake.
“All kinds. Lemon, chocolate, strawberry, cherry. You name it, she makes it.”
All of a sudden, I felt the soft touch of his finger against the corner of my mouth.
“You had some frosting there,” he spoke.
“Thank you.” I brought my napkin up to my mouth.
“Would you like to finish the walk we didn’t get to take last Saturday?” he asked.
“Now?”
“Yes. Now. I’m going to my parent’s house tomorrow for dinner, and my mom wants me to pick up a lemon cake from this bakery she loves in SoHo. I thought maybe you could come with me to pick it up, and then we can go for a walk.”
“Isn’t the bakery closed already?”
“Not this one.” He sighed. “They’re open until midnight.”
“Wow, really? That’s weird.”
“I know.”
Did I or didn’t I? I had just started to put Ethan Klein behind me. But there was something about him I couldn’t resist. I wanted to spend time with him, even though I knew he’d break my heart in the end.
“Sure. Sounds like fun. I’ll have to tell Penelope.”
“Tell Penelope what?” She walked up from behind and wrapped her arms around my neck.
“I’m going to leave with Ethan if that’s okay with you.”
There was a moment of silence because I knew she didn’t approve.
“And where do you two think you’re going?”
“To a bakery to pick up a cake and then for a walk.”
“Fine. Go on. Lexi asked me if I could stay a little longer because she wants to talk to me about painting her a portrait.” She kissed my cheek. “You, Mr. Klein, better watch out for her.”
“I will, Penelope. You don’t have to worry about that.”
I sighed as I got up from my seat, grabbed my purse, and held onto Ethan’s elbow.
“Don’t mind her. She’s been very protective of me since the first day I literally ran into her and knocked all her books out of her hand.”
“I don’t blame her. She’s your best friend, and best friends look out for each other.”
Ethan walked me to the limo and opened the door for me.
“It’s nice to see you again, Aubrey,” Harry spoke.
“It’s nice to see you too.”
Ethan shut the door and climbed in on the other side.
“To LuLu’s bakery in SoHo, Harry.”
“Let me guess. A lemon cake for Mrs. Klein?”
“Yep.” He sighed.
I couldn’t help but let out a light laugh. Being with him tonight was nice, and I was happy that I agreed to go to the party with Penelope. A part of me was still a little mad at him for not calling me, but the other part of me was happy to be with him. I still needed to be careful where he was concerned. My heart was okay, and I wanted it to stay that way. I wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about me being visually impaired, and I wasn’t about to let myself become too involved with a man like him. He was complicated, and I needed to find out more about him. That was a strategy I needed to play out very carefully.
The limo came to a stop, and Ethan announced that we had arrived at our destination. Getting out of the car, he opened the door for me.
“Take my hand so I can help you, " he said.
Placing my hand in his, I climbed out and then took hold of his elbow as he led me into the bakery. The minute he opened the door, the aroma of freshly baked pastries swept across my face.
“It smells so good in here.” I smiled.
“It always does.”
“Hello, Mr. Klein,” a man spoke.
“Hello, Thaddeus. Please tell me you have a lemon cake for my mother.”
“You’re in luck. I have one left.”
“Thank God. She would not be happy if I showed up empty-handed tomorrow.”
Thaddeus laughed. “Can I get you anything else?”
“Do you see anything you’d like?” Ethan asked. “Shit. I’m sorry, Aubrey.”
“It’s okay. Just tell me what they have.”
“Donuts, cupcakes, cookies, cream puffs, slices of pie, eclairs, cheesecake.”
“What kind of donuts do they have?”
“Glazed, chocolate frosted, vanilla frosted, strawberry frosted, cream-filled, custard, fruit-filled.”
“Vanilla frosted is my favorite.” I smiled.
“Give me two vanilla frosted, Thaddeus,” he spoke.
“Coming right up. How about two coffees on me to go with those donuts?”
“Do you want coffee?” Ethan asked.
“Sure, but only if you’re having one.”
“You heard the lady. Two coffees.”
Ethan handed me a bag.
“You can hold the donuts while I carry the coffee. There are some tables outside we can sit down at. Thaddeus, I’ll be back to pick up the cake when we finish.”
“I’ll have it waiting for you, Mr. Klein. Enjoy your donuts and coffee.”
I held on to his elbow as he led me outside.
“Hold on a second,” he spoke. “Let me set these coffees down.”
After setting the cups down, he took my hand, placed it on the back of a wrought-iron chair, and then took the bag with the donuts from me.
“Here you go. I set your donut on a napkin in front of you, and your coffee is to the right.”
“Thank you, sir.” I grinned as I reached for my donut.
“I have a question for you. It’s something that I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
“What’s up?”
“The night we met, in front of the painting, did you know that painting was there?”
I couldn’t help but let out a light laugh.
“No. That’s why I asked you what you saw when you looked at it.”
Ethan chuckled. “Ah. Okay.”