Chapter Three
Ethan’s gaze travelled over his iPad screen, scrutinising the online reviews of the three prospective dog minders he was meeting with, all pre-screened by Lena. Which meant his job should be easy. All he had to do was pick one. Someone easy to get on with who would be more focused on his dog than they were on him. He was just zooming in on the photo of the woman he was about to meet with when she stepped through the door. He gave her a little wave. Her eyes saucered, her round cheeks instantly reddening. She looked down and studied her sneakers, then fussed with her hair, pushing a curl behind her ear, before looking up again, her flush deepening as she waved back with a girlish giggle. She was obviously a fan. He rolled his shoulders, breathing out a long sigh.
She approached his table beaming and blushing. Ethan stood to greet her, and as she put out her hand she swung her enormous slouch bag out of the way, hitting his water glass and sending it flying. Water splashed down the front of Ethan’s jeans and he leapt back with a shriek he really wished he’d held in.
‘Mr James! I’m so sorry!’ She reached out in an attempt to wipe down his crotch.
His hand shot out to stop her. ‘No, no! It’s okay!’
‘Sorry! That was automatic!’ Her face turned beetroot, practically pulsating with colour.
‘I’m fine. Everything’s fine. Maddy, right?
She nodded and squeaked, ‘M-hm.’
‘Hi Maddy, please call me Ethan. And don’t worry, it was only water.’ He smiled as reassuringly as he could. It was iced water, though, and it was quickly freezing its way through his jeans to his boxers.
The barista ducked from behind the counter with a wad of napkins.
‘Here you go, Ethan.’
Ethan kept smiling while he awkwardly dabbed at his crotch. Maddy was so embarrassed her blush was practically blushing.
‘I might just go to the bathroom and sort this out,’ he said before he humiliated either of them any further. ‘Grab a seat, I’ll be back in a minute. Order yourself a drink if you like. On me – though not literally this time.’ He flashed her some dimple and winked.
When he emerged from the bathroom, she was gone.
He stood in the middle of the cafe, frowning at the empty seat.
‘She left, man,’ the barista said with a laugh. ‘I guess she figured there was no coming back from that.’
‘Shit.’ Ethan dashed out the door and scanned the street, but the woman must have moved fast – she was nowhere to be seen. His shoulders slumped. His first interview and it had been a disaster.
He returned to his chair and dropped heavily into it, squirming at the chilly dampness between his thighs. He had forty minutes before his next appointment, with a guy name Cash, so he ordered himself a double-shot almond milk latte, briefly considering a beer before deciding that might seem unprofessional. While he waited, Ethan posed for a series of selfies with a family who popped in for some takeaway, signed a menu for the manager of the cafe, browsed the Tom Ford website, ordered himself three T-shirts and a pair of swim shorts, and read through the info on the next two candidates again.
Cash was a friendly, easygoing surfer type, not even remotely flustered by Ethan. He admitted to having seen one of Ethan’s Throne of Kings movies, but not Sit, Stay, Love. ‘Not really my thing, mate.’ Ethan was so relieved he nearly gave the guy the job on the spot.
‘You’ll have to meet Harry, of course,’ Ethan said. ‘He’ll be the one making the final decision.’ They’d just wrapped up a conversation about the test cricket match Australia had recently won. Ethan wasn’t much of a sports fan, but his media experience had made him an expert at enthusiastically bullshitting about anything. It was surprising how often the skill came in handy.
‘Got to make sure the little bloke likes me, right?’ Cash said as the two men shook hands.
‘Right,’ Ethan echoed.
When the third candidate arrived, he was absorbed in a long-winded email from his agent, still pitching the bestseller cow project.
Someone cleared their throat close by.
‘Ethan?’
His gaze lifted, drifting up and up as he took in the woman standing before him. The sunshine streaming through the cafe door gave her a golden glow, and she was tall – Ethan had to sit back in his chair to meet her eyes. His chest tightened, his heart missing a beat.
‘Hazel?’ He bumped the table as he stood, grabbing his wobbling cup before it teetered to the floor. ‘Shit,’ he hissed, pressed a napkin into the slop of coffee before looking up with a crooked grin and a half shrug. She offered her hand, and as he took it, a jolt of something electric shot straight up his arm, as if she had a tiny joy-buzzer stashed in her palm. He blinked.
‘Should I…?’ She indicated a chair.
‘Huh? Oh. Yeah. Yeah, please sit.’ She met his smile with one of her own and its brilliance briefly stunned him. Then he dropped heavily into his seat, trying to gather the tatters of the cool he was supposedly known for.
‘Can I order you a drink?’ he asked. ‘Or are you hungry? Do you want something to eat? Lunch, or a cake or anything? Order whatever you like.’ He was obviously still searching for that cool.
‘I’ll just have a drink, thanks.’ She smiled again, then turned her attention to the chalkboard menu above the counter.
Ethan’s gaze flicked between Hazel and the photo on her online profile. Her hair was short in the photo, now it fell in soft waves to her shoulders, the blonde blending into pink at the ends. She was prettier than her photo, too. Not the cookie-cutter perfection he was used to in Hollywood, but an offbeat kind of pretty. She had to be close to six foot, willowy, with high cheekbones and an angular face that was softened by the creaminess of her skin. Dark, sculpted eyebrows framed her large eyes. Their colour reminded him of the ocean first thing in the morning; not quite grey and not quite blue, but so inviting he wanted to dive straight in.
The thin strap of her pink sundress slipped down her arm and she coaxed it back up, drawing Ethan’s gaze to a tiny tattoo of a cupcake on her toned shoulder.
‘Could I have a banana berry smoothie, please?’ She looked back to Ethan.
Her eyes held his for a moment before they darted away. He waved to the guy behind the counter and placed their order; a smoothie for her and a double-shot espresso for him, as if he wasn’t vibrating enough.
He glanced at his iPad again. ‘I wouldn’t have recognised you from your photo.’
‘It’s an old passport photo,’ she said. ‘They’re always hideous.’ Her gaze narrowed as she studied him. ‘Well, I guess yours probably aren’t. But in every other photo it looked as if I was partying.’ She quickly added, ‘I never party. I’m one hundred per cent responsible.’
‘That makes one of us.’ He smiled his best dimple-popping smile.
Her forehead creased, her brows pulling into a deep frown.
His smile dropped. ‘Um.’ His knee bounced under the table. ‘How long have you been minding dogs, Hazel?’ Her name felt good rolling off his lips.
‘A little over a month,’ she said. ‘I have a handful of regular clients whose dogs I walk, or mind if the owners are out for long days.’
‘And you’ve always worked with pets?’
‘No, I’m a chef.’
‘Is pet minding a side-hustle, or—’
‘It’s currently my full-time job.’
‘That’s a bit of a career change.’
She shrugged. ‘I suppose. I’m enjoying it, though. Lots of walks and runs in fresh air that doesn’t leave me smelling of food. No late nights, either. I actually get to bed at a decent hour. And dogs are friendly and happy. I have a cat and he’s neither of those things, so it’s been a good change.’
‘Right, Lena mentioned you have a cat.’
‘More like a demon spawned from hell.’ She sighed. ‘The woman I spoke to said your dog is fine with cats?’
His gaze lingered on the curve of her full lips, which were glossed and glistening. He rubbed the scruff on his chin.
‘Cats are fine,’ he said. ‘Not sure about hellspawn.’
Her long fingers clasped together tightly. ‘I was only joking. My cat is completely fine. He doesn’t bite or scratch, he just does his own thing – and his own thing doesn’t usually involve me or anyone or anything else. He’s unique.’
‘I kind of like unique,’ Ethan said. ‘And I was joking, too. Harry came from a shelter so he’s used to cats. Even demon spawn cats.’ He tried another smile on her.
Her gaze pinned him to his seat. He got the distinct feeling he was the one being interviewed, and that he was failing miserably.
‘I think I should confess something,’ she said. ‘In case it’s relevant.’ Her teeth grazed her bottom lip.
Ethan placed his elbows on the table and leant forward, closing the gap between them. As their eyes met, he noticed a ring of deep green around her irises. Her eyes were all the colours of the ocean, the place he felt most at peace and grounded.
‘I haven’t seen your movie,’ she said. ‘I meant to, but I didn’t get around to it.’
‘That’s okay.’ He bit back a smile. ‘It’s not compulsory.’
‘I know, but I wanted to make sure you knew. I know there are people who would love to work with you because they’re actually into you.’
At least he didn’t have to worry about her being a fan. He swallowed over a stab of disappointment.
‘I’ll confess something, too,’ he said. ‘My dog’s been a nightmare lately. I’ve been travelling a lot and it’s freaked Harry out. I’m hoping a few months of me coming home to him every day will help him settle down and he’ll start to understand I’ll always come back. But until then, you might want to hide your shoes, cushions, definitely socks – basically anything you don’t want buried or chewed.’
Her brows pinched, her eyes narrowing. Oh, he was so failing. She laughed, and it the sound reverberated in his chest like a bell ringing, the kind that sounded in a brand-new day.
‘Lena mentioned that Harry is a Jack Russell?’ she said. ‘I would have thought someone like you would have a big dog, a German shepherd or an American Staffy.’
‘Someone like me?’ Before Ethan could ask what she meant by that, a good-looking young man with alabaster skin, a mass of black curls and arms covered in tattoos placed their drinks down, his dark eyes fixed on Hazel.
‘Where’s Barbara today?’ he asked her.
‘She’s at the beauty parlour getting her hair done, so next time you see us she’ll be pretty. Unless…’ She turned back to Ethan. ‘I might be taking care of Ethan’s dog, Harry.’ She looked down at her smoothie, stirring it a few times with her straw, then took a drink.
Ethan’s long lashes fluttered as his gaze locked onto Hazel’s lips wrapped tight around the straw. A depth bomb detonated deep in his gut, a hot boom that exploded outwards, sending heat rippling to all his extremities. His eyes ricocheted away in pure panic, then he slowly looked up at the guy still standing beside their table, beaming down at Hazel with hearts in his eyes. Ethan’s brows knitted.
‘Hey, thanks bud,’ he said. ‘We’re all good now.’
A hint of colour lifted in the young man’s cheeks. ‘Right. Good luck, Hazel.’
Hazel flicked Ethan a biting look. ‘Thanks, Eddie,’ she said as she smiled up at him. ‘I’ll catch up with you later.’ She turned back to Ethan with a frown that bordered on a glower.
‘Are you a regular here?’ he asked.
‘I sometimes swing by to see Eddie.’
‘Is he a… friend?’ Whoa. What the fuck? He sounded like a jealous boyfriend.
He gave his coffee a quick and noisy stir then sat back in his chair with an expression he hoped resembled the indifference he wasn’t feeling.
‘He’s been listening out for jobs for me,’ she said. ‘He knows a few people in the hospitality industry. Barbara is a giant poodle, by the way. She’s at the groomers’ – I have to collect her after this.’
‘Right. Got it.’ He glanced at Eddie, who was wiping down a nearby table. The young man met his eyes, a worried look darkening his face, then he grabbed an empty glass and quickly disappeared behind the counter.
‘Are you aware the job with me would be exclusive?’ Ethan asked, slowly bringing his attention back to Hazel. ‘So, no Barbara. It’s a three-month contract. Does that work for you?’
She nodded. ‘That works for me. When I moved up here I took out a lease on a house and I have a few months to go on that.’
‘You’re not from up here?’
She shook her head. ‘Sydney.’
‘Me too. Whereabouts?’
‘Northern Beaches,’ she said.
He nearly laughed. Was the universe fucking kidding him?
‘Same as me,’ he said. ‘What are the odds.’ He wiped his unusually sweaty palms down his jeans.
She studied her smoothie, spinning the straw around in the glass, then looked up and nodded.
‘I like the idea of helping you and your dog find a routine. I could happily do that for a few months,’ she said, as if deciding he’d passed her interview. ‘If you want me, that is,’ she added. And with her eyes still on Ethan, she wrapped her lips back around the straw, her cheeks hollowing as she took another long suck.
Something twitched below his waist that shouldn’t have been twitching. He froze.
Fucking fuck.
‘Okay then,’ he said, in a weirdly high voice. ‘I think I have everything I need. Do you have any questions?’
She thought for a moment, her full mouth scrunching to the side.
Ethan curled his hands into fists beneath the table. His heart was racing; this felt like when he’d had a crush on his brother’s girlfriend in Year 8.
‘Say I needed to pop to the shops for something,’ she said. ‘Can Harry stay home, or does he need constant supervision?’
‘As long as it’s not for too long. According to my friend, short stints alone will do him good. Though it might not do your furniture good.’ He smiled. She didn’t.
‘And how many other people will you be interviewing and how soon will I know if I’m successful?’
‘There’s one other person I’m considering at this stage. I start shooting next week, so it’ll be a quick turnaround. You should hear something by later today or tomorrow morning.’
Her dress strap slipped off her shoulder again, and his gaze followed her hand as she lifted it back into place. He got a brief vision of his own fingers dusting across her skin, gliding up her arm, over her collarbone, to her cheek, his thumb resting on her full bottom lip until she opened her mouth and took him inside. An uneven breath shuddered from his lungs.
What the hell was going on? He needed to get out of there while he could still stand without embarrassing them both. He closed the cover on his iPad.
‘Any other questions,’ he said, ‘just contact Lena.’
Hazel piled Barbara into the back of her car, giving the poodle a scratch behind her coiffured ear, then checked her phone in case she’d missed a message about the job with Ethan James.
The movie star hadn’t been as bad as she’d expected, even if he was a bit too perfect. His stubble was exactly the right amount of neat and his hair exactly the right amount of messy, which made her wonder if he had someone putting him together. He definitely looked put together. Or maybe he just woke up that way. Insanely beautiful. Far more beautiful in real life than in any of the photos she’d seen online, and surprisingly low-key for a famous person with a face like his.
Not that she knew any famous people, but she’d come in contact with a few at one of the restaurants she’d work in. That was why she’d quit the place. She’d experienced how difficult even semi-famous people could be. Well, one person really. More famous in his mind than in real life, but that didn’t stop him acting like a privileged arsehole. She shuddered.
Shaking off the memory, she tethered Barbara in the car and headed for the dog’s house, tapping her fingers on the wheel to the beat of the music. Ethan was everything she’d never found appealing in a man in one big, shiny, gym-sculpted package. Flashy, square-jawed, tanned and muscly with a smile so dazzling and dimples so deep she felt attacked every time he flashed them at her. Hazel preferred her guys on the quieter side. Lean and pale and, ideally, sporting a bunch of tattoos. She’d been that way ever since her first love, Axel Walker, a graphic artist who’d done the wall art at one of the first restaurants she’d worked in.
For Hazel, it had been love at first sight. The head over heels, can’t think of anything else, can’t breathe without him kind of love which, sadly, was not reciprocated. It turned out pale, tattooed, quiet Axel liked a fake-tanned, petite, bubbly blonde waitress with boobs that were constantly trying to escape her top. Not the bizarrely tall, flat-chested girl with dyed black hair who was so into him she could barely bring herself to make eye contact. Big surprise there. But Hazel still found his type hot, and towering, bronzed Adonis-like movie stars were definitely not that type. Even ones with eyes as blue as the sky on a hot summer’s day.
‘Come on, Barb,’ she said as she guided the dog out of the car.
With looks as spectacular as Ethan’s, she was sure there’d be an ego to match. Maybe that’s why the pay was so good – because the guy was difficult.
As she opened the gate to Barbara’s backyard, Hazel’s phone dinged in her pocket. She nervously fished it out. Having had time to consider how three months of regular money would relieve the pressure on her chest, she’d realised she badly wanted this job.
Her heart raced when she saw the text was from Lena Rose. But as she read the words, her face crumpled.