Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ethan
As I was walking down the stairs, the smell of Belgian waffles put me in a halfway decent mood. I really didn’t have time to sit and eat breakfast, but today, I would make an exception.
“Morning, Ingrid,” I spoke as I walked into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee.
“Good morning. Is that safe to say today?”
“Yep, and it’s only because I could smell those Belgian waffles all the way upstairs,” I smirked.
“Ah, seeing you in a better mood is good.”
“Well, I’m really not. But I’m working on it.”
She set the plate of waffles down in front of me, and I immediately dug into them. As I was enjoying every last bite, my phone rang. It was my mother.
“Hello,” I answered.
“Good morning, son. How are you?”
“I’m fine, Mom. How are you?”
“Good. Good. Listen, I’m coming into the city today to do some shopping. How about taking your mom to lunch?”
“I would like that. What time?”
“You tell me. You’re the one who has the hectic schedule.”
“Why don’t you come to my office around twelve thirty, and we’ll go to that little French restaurant you love.”
“Twelve thirty it is. I’ll see you then.”
“Bye, Mom.”
I took the last bite of my waffles and pushed the plate forward.
“Taking your mom to lunch?” Ingrid smiled.
“Yeah.”
“How’s Aubrey doing, Ethan?”
Even though I never told Ingrid what happened between us, she could sense something had, and she was brave enough to ask.
“Aubrey told me never to call her again. She wants to forget she ever met me.” I sighed.
“Oh boy. I’m not even going to ask.”
“Good, because I don’t really want to talk about it. I’m working on things, Ingrid.”
A small smile graced her face as she looked at me.
“I’m happy to hear that.”
“I have to get to the office. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Have a nice lunch with your mom, and tell her I said hi.”
“I will.”
Climbing into the limo, I shut the door. A perplexed look took over Harry’s face as he looked at me.
“What?” I asked.
“You didn’t slam the door today. That’s a good sign.”
“Just drive, Harry.” I sighed.
He let out a chuckle and pulled away from the curb. When I arrived at the office, I noticed Holly wasn’t at her desk.
“Lucy—”
“Bathroom,” she spoke without even letting me finish my sentence.
I turned around, headed to the bathroom, and opened the door.
“Holly, are you okay?” I asked.
“I will be, Mr. Klein. I’ll be at my desk in a second. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t rush. Take your time.”
I walked back to my office and found Charles sitting at my desk.
“Good morning. Are you into stalking your employees in the bathroom now?” He smirked.
“Very funny. Get out of my chair,” I spoke as I set my briefcase down. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”
“I had a meeting this morning, so I figured I’d drop by before heading to the office.”
“What time was your meeting?” I looked at my watch. “It’s only eight o’clock.”
“It was at six. It was the only time a new and very wealthy potential client could meet. So, what’s going on with you?”
“What do you mean?” I sat down and leaned back in my chair.
“You’ve been distant lately.”
“I’ve been busy,” I spoke as I shuffled some papers on my desk.
“Too busy to tell your best friend what’s going on in your life? I mean, come on, Ethan, what’s up with Aubrey?”
“She hates me. Told me never to call her again. End of story.”
“I see. Nothing new there. A lot of women tell you that all the time. But this time, it’s bothering you.”
“Not really.”
“Come on, Ethan. Jesus Christ, it’s me you’re talking to. What the fuck is going on in that head of yours?”
“I’m losing control,” I spoke through gritted teeth. “I’ve developed feelings for Aubrey and can’t stop them.”
“Bro,” he spoke in a low voice. “It’s okay. You’re human. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“I don’t do feelings. You know that.”
“You used to. But since Sophia, you’ve closed yourself off to everyone. At first, I understood and figured you’d get over it. But as the years went by, you got worse. Your company became your obsession. It’s all you live for, and it’s not healthy.”
“It’s the way I like it.”
“I’m not buying that bullshit anymore, Ethan. And neither are you. Because if you did, you wouldn’t be in such a shit mood 24/7 over a girl you barely know. Now,” he got up from his chair, “you know I love you like a brother. We’ve been through some serious shit together. But I can’t stand by you anymore when you’re like this. It’s time to put the past to rest. There was nothing you could have done, and if you can’t accept that, then I no longer feel sorry for you. You’ve created an image for yourself. Do you really like people calling you The Iceman? Damn it, you can’t let one person ruin your entire life and change the man you used to be. I have to go.” He shook his head as he walked out the door.
Picking up a pen, I threw it across my desk.
“Excuse me, Mr. Klein,” Holly softly spoke as she popped her head through the door.
“Come on in, Holly.”
“Umm—” She looked down and folded her hands.
I let out a sigh. “Just say whatever you have to say.”
“I have a doctor’s appointment first thing Monday morning. I tried really hard to get a later appointment, but they were all booked. So I wanted to ask you if it’s okay that I come in a little late. If not, I understand.”
I sat there and watched this girl tremble from head to toe before my very eyes. She was scared to death of me, and I couldn’t blame her, judging from the way I treated her over the past two years.
“It’s fine, Holly. Just come in when you can.”
“Really?” Her head popped up.
“Of course. Your doctor’s appointments are important. I understand.”
“Thank you, Mr. Klein.” She smiled. “I promise I’ll be in right after. It shouldn’t take very long,” she spoke with excitement.
“You’re welcome.”
She turned and headed for the door. “Thank you again.”
“By the way, if you and your husband are still planning that trip to Hawaii, you can have the time off.”
Her face lit up, and a wide smile splayed across her face.
“Mr. Klein, are you sure?”
“Yes. You should go celebrate your one-year anniversary in Hawaii. Hopefully, your morning sickness will be over by then.”
“I don’t know what to say except thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“You’re welcome.” I smiled. “Go call your husband and tell him the good news.”
I was making my way back to my office after a meeting, and Lucy informed me that my mother had called. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I noticed I had two missed calls from her.
“Ethan, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you.”
“I’m sorry, but I was in a meeting. Is everything okay?”
“Yes. I need to change our lunch to dinner. Will that work?”
“Why?”
“I got a late start and just got into the city about a half hour ago. I have a million stores I need to go to, so that should give me plenty of time.”
“Dinner is fine. Say, around five o’clock? Where do you want to meet? That French bistro isn’t open for dinner.”
“I know. Let’s meet at Benihana over on West 56th Street. I’m in the mood for some Japanese food.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you there.”