Chapter 10
Natalie Nolan
“Idon’t think so,” I replied, putting my sister on speaker instead.
I was too tired to even hold my phone. My head was killing me, so I sat down in the reading chair in the corner.
My one piece of comfort furniture in the studio so far.
My workstation was finally ready, and I’d stocked the kitchenette too.
I was itching to lose track of time here.
I just had to install the last spotlights and maybe buy a nice rug.
I definitely had enough blankets and fuzzy slippers for cold days.
“Then maybe it’s time to do something?” Chloe pressed gently. “You said it yourself, the situation’s getting out of hand.”
That was my fault. I was so fucking stupid. Who the hell started falling for their damn PT? It was pathetic!
“I don’t know how to act, Chloe,” I repeated, frustrated. “Whenever I try to be normal around him, he does or says something that throws me off, and I become a fumbling idiot. It’s gotten so bad.”
I’d lost my banter with Ethan, and I missed it every day. It was because of what Chloe had come to call Swipe Night. I’d broken down the day after and told her everything, about how I’d started liking Ethan a little too much, and I could no longer control it.
Enter Natalie Nolan on three glasses of wine. In a desperate attempt to regain some control, she created an account on Tinder, and a certain Ethan Quinn popped up almost right away. Stupidly, stupidly, stupidly, she accidentally swiped right on him.
It’d been an accident!
The same night, I’d gone down to the gym to get a sense of his behavior.
Like, if he’d possibly seen my profile, or…
I didn’t even know. Truth be told, Swipe Night wasn’t a huge problem, because the only reason he’d ever see that I’d “matched” with him was if he matched with me too, and that wasn’t happening.
The real problem was my own behavior. I’d stammered and been all flustered, and I’d come up with some bullshit about wanting to ask him if we could try boxing sometime.
And then Darius had shown up, and I’d fled the scene.
I groaned and palmed my face, having replayed that night so many times in the past two weeks that I was exhausted from the worry of Ethan finding out.
“And you’re absolutely sure this problem can’t be fixed by you actually asking him out?
” Chloe prodded further. Not for the first time.
“I know I’ve asked you before, but I worry you’re too blind to see what a catch you are.
You assumed you wouldn’t be his type based on the fact that he runs a gym, and I’m not sure that’s fair.
For God’s sake, you’ve made me warm up to him, and I haven’t seen him since Jayden’s birthday party. ”
I know, I know, I know.
“I’m kind of sure,” I said, not sure one bit. “He’s charming to everyone at the gym, Chlo. Men, women, teenagers, senior citizens, regardless of fitness level. It’s super easy to mistake that for flirting when you’re pining like a schoolgirl with NSYNC posters on the wall.”
“Will you stop bringing up my damn posters?” she griped. “I was young, and JC will forever have a piece of my heart.”
I gigglesnorted, but that just hurt.
I was cold too, so I grabbed one of the blankets and fanned it out across my lap.
“I think you should ask him out,” Chloe said firmly.
“Who, JC?” I teased.
“I swear! You can be a right menace, Nat.”
I was sure that was true. I bet Ethan thought so too, given the mental gymnastics I must’ve put him through lately.
My God, I’d been so awkward around him. But it was his damn fault!
He’d made me care. He was going through something too, and I wanted to ask him every single day.
Hell, I’d started stalking his Instagram for updates.
He dressed differently, he was more laid-back, I hadn’t seen his abs in weeks, but I sure caught him scratching his chest frequently.
More than that, he was just…fucking wonderful. I heard through the family grapevine how helpful he was. How generous he was with his time and energy. I’d sort of befriended his sister Elise, the one who ran Treats a few blocks away, a store filled with chocolate truffles and pastries…
I sighed.
I’d genuinely reached out to her for professional reasons.
I wanted a tray of chocolates for customers in my shop in the future, and she’d been more than happy to go so far as to design one just for me.
With my logo on it. But a couple of meetings had led to us becoming personal, since we’d first met at Jayden’s party and we had family in common.
Elise had a lot to say about Ethan.
“It’s easy to get stuck on that dumb, cocky exterior he’s put up, but I remember growing up with him.
We lost Jake in Afghanistan, and Ryan and Darius were military too—you know?
So, they were often gone. But Ethan stuck around to bridge gaps and help out.
When Mom got upset and worried about Ryan and Darius, Ethan calmed her down.
And when those two rotated home from deployments and assignments, Ethan was there once again to give them a heads-up about potential damage control they needed to do to get back in Mom’s good graces.
And I don’t think Ethan’s gotten enough credit for that. ”
At one point, Ethan had also wanted to join the military, I’d learned. But their dad had asked him not to. He’d said three of his boys risking their lives had already been three too many, and he couldn’t bear a fourth doing it.
Easy to love.
“Tell me what you’re thinking, doll,” Chloe murmured.
I sighed and rubbed my forehead. Why was it so cold in here?
“I think I’m in love with him,” I confessed.
She let out a breath. “Well. My baby sister’s always been honest. I think you owe it to yourself to talk to him.”
Oh, but I didn’t want to! Honesty was easy when my heart wasn’t on the line.
Honesty was easy when Ethan and I were bantering or talking about health and lifestyle changes.
This, however, could wreck everything. It wasn’t as if I could avoid him when he shot me down.
We were going to see each other for birthday parties and holidays.
“Is there a way to break up Gray and Darius?” I joked. “I feel like our families merging isn’t really working for me anymore.”
Chloe laughed. “That’d be something! Darling nephew, please end things with the love of your life so that I don’t have to see your brother-in-law at family dinners.”
I grinned tiredly and fell back in the chair, ready to shut out the world and nurse whatever the hell I’d contracted. So far, it was mostly the sense of something’s off. I was tired and felt all…out of sorts and heavy and blah. The headache could fuck off as well.
“Perfectly reasonable,” I chuckled. “Kidding aside, I should invite Gray out for coffee so he can give me the ins and outs of what it’s like to be too hooked on a Quinn.”
“Mmhmm, or…we go with my suggestion—you actually talk to Ethan.”
Urgh.
“Your suggestion sucks,” I mumbled. “I think it’s best I just hide my feelings.”
“Bless your heart, what a genius idea.”
I rolled my eyes and yawned.
“I have to go, honey,” she said next. “Talk to Ethan. I’m gonna set the table. Our lasagna is almost done.”
Great, now I was jealous. I wanted lasagna too. Mine, though. Not hers. Despite being raised on Southern cooking, her lasagna was all zucchini and other vegetables. Which was fine on any other day, but not when I was getting sick.
“All right. Talk soon, love you.”
“Love you too, doll!” She ended the call.
I let out a long sigh and rubbed at my eyes.
Why had I come here tonight? I’d known from the first ten minutes of shopping with Isla today that something was up. I’d slept poorly, I’d been tired most of the day, I hadn’t been able to concentrate through work calls, and I’d craved comfort food from Panera.
“Natalie?”
“Holy fucking crap.” I gasped and sat up straight. I heard it was Ethan, but Jesus Christ, text first! “Ethan?”
He appeared between the counters in the shop and walked closer, holding a takeout bag.
He paused in the doorway and wrinkled his forehead. “Didn’t life in New York teach you to close and lock the door?”
Oh shit. I’d forgotten to close it. The shop still smelled like paint…
Fuck me, he was hot. It was difficult to focus on much of anything other than him.
If I didn’t know any better, part of the changes he was going through included becoming comfortable with his age, and that was just so damn sexy.
“I’m trying to air out the paint smell,” I said. “What’re you doing here?”
“I was on my way home for the night.” He leaned against the doorway, a faint smile playing on his lips. “I thought you were just playing hooky when I saw you were working.”
Oh. I chuckled. “I wish.”
“Yeah, you look…”
I raised a brow.
He smirked. “You look like you’re enjoying that blanket a whole lot.”
I snorted softly. I bet I looked like a train wreck. Almost no makeup, hair up in a messy bun, leggings, a too-big button-down with paint on it, and whatever virus was currently taking up residence in me.
“I promise you, if I need a day off the exercise regime, I’ll tell you.” I’d done it before. “I don’t want to get you sick, though, so you might wanna keep your distance.”
He cocked his head and observed me. “What’re we talking here—Ebola or the sniffles?”
Damn him, he always knew how to make me laugh.
“I don’t know yet. It’s just been an off day. Headaches, sensitivity… I’ve missed my bed since lunch.”
He nodded once. “Probably not Ebola, then.”
I grinned.
“Well… Have you eaten?”
I squinted. “Um, I had an egg white omelet with spinach and chicken for my first meal,” I said. “Then I had a bagel when I dragged my butt out to shop with Isla—you know her?”
He inclined his head, his sexy greenish-blue eyes taking on some mirth. “I went to school with her man.”
Right. They probably all knew each other around here.
“Also, I was mainly asking if you’ve had dinner,” he said.