Chapter Sixteen
Hazel turned just in time to see Kevin tap her half-drunk coffee off the edge of the kitchen island. She winced as the mug hit the floor, spraying black liquid and ceramic shards across the timber boards. Kevin peered down at the chaos he’d caused, then gently licked his paw, as if nothing had happened. This was not how Hazel wanted her weekend to start.
‘Kevin, why are you like this? I was beginning to think you didn’t actually hate me. But you do, don’t you?’ The cat meowed as if in answer, then jumped down and sashayed across the room, his tail flicking. Hazel stared at him, her face collapsing into a miserable pout.
‘I bet you wouldn’t do something like that to Ethan,’ she muttered as she grabbed a roll of paper towel. She let out a breath as she stared at the broken mug. Meredith had bought it for her. It was covered in tiny pink and gold cupcakes, and she’d adored it.
‘I saved you from certain death, you know,’ she called to Kevin as she began to clean up. ‘Without me, you would have starved. You need to remember that.’ She looked up to see him indifferently lounging in his hammock. ‘I don’t know why I love you, you shithead. But you’re lucky I do.’
As she was wrapping the last pieces of broken china in paper, downcast at the sight of the shattered cupcakes, her phone dinged with a message.
Ethan: Is that a bear behind you?
She frowned and automatically checked over her shoulder.
Ethan: That was code for: are you up for that run we talked about?
Oh, right.Between the mess of that night and the mess in her brain since, she’d forgotten all about that.
Ethan: Did I make you look?
She laughed out loud and dropped onto a kitchen stool. She’d been planning on trying out some of Chef Max’s recipes to prep for the trial shift he’d agreed to give her, but Kevin had destroyed her mood.
She tapped out a message.
Hazel: Are you spying on me?
Ethan: Ha. Knew it. Meet me at the coastal trail car park in an hour? We can get hot and sweaty together.
Hazel tried not to gawp at an already glistening Ethan as he jogged to her side.
‘Did you run here?’ she asked. Her gaze roamed across the sweeping span of his shoulders.
He checked his watch, puffing as he nodded. ‘Yep, and in pretty good time, too.’
‘That’s a fancy watch.’ She grabbed his wrist, yanking it towards her. He shuffled forward with his arm outstretched.
‘It’s the Apple Ultra, GPS, titanium model. It was a gift at this German award show I hosted.’
‘You speak German?’ Realising she still had her fingers wrapped tightly around him, she released her grip, her hand dropping to her side with a slap.
‘No, I don’t,’ he said. ‘But apparently I’m big in Germany. They love the Throne of Kings movies, so I guess they were happy to overlook that. Anyway, are we going to talk or run?’ He waggled his eyebrows, flicked down his sunglasses and sprinted away.
Hazel admired his gait as he loped easily up the path, long, strong legs stretching out in an effortless stride. He spun around, jogging backwards and called, ‘Are you coming or not?’ She blinked, then bolted after him, her own long legs moving rapidly.
‘You’re fast,’ he said, when she fell in beside him.
‘I used to compete a bit at school.’
‘What, no basketball?’ He smirked.
‘Not even netball.’
They jogged around a family and up a small incline.
‘I thought we could run as far as the lookout,’ he said, ‘then maybe stop for a swim on the way back.’
‘I didn’t wear my swimmers.’
‘Me neither.’ He loped off, laughing.
They ran single file as the rough, stony track became steeper and more narrow. Hazel was enjoying the view. Not just the shimmering coastline dotted with tiny bays, or the towering gum trees that hid koalas, but also Ethan’s golden back, the muscles between his shoulder blades flexing and bunching with each sure footfall. His shorts were black and snug around his arse, hugging the tops of his thighs. Her gaze traced the length of his powerful legs, all the way down to his taut, sculpted calves. A pink scar wrapped around the back of the right one. She frowned, then caught a hint of another peeking out from below the hem of his shorts. She sped up a little to get a closer look. They were old scars, but serious enough that the one on his calf was slightly indented, as if a piece of his flesh had been completely removed. He’d obviously had some kind of accident. She wondered if she could ask him about it, or if that was too personal. Then again, was anything too personal for Ethan?
‘How’re you going back there?’ he asked, glancing over his shoulder.
‘Don’t worry about me, zaddy,’ she said. She picked up her pace and sprinted past him, revelling in his laughter.
They ran on, changing positions several times, challenging each other as the track became steeper and more treacherous, dappled sunlight flickering across them as they continued to climb. Hazel hadn’t been running with anyone in years. She usually ran to clear her thoughts and focus on the day. But today she found herself enjoying the company and the competition.
They reached the top of the lookout and jogged to a stop, puffing as they took in the endless span of sky and sea before them.
‘Well, this is fucking spectacular,’ Ethan said. ‘We need a photo.’
He snapped his phone from his armband, pulled Hazel into him and casually slung his arm around her shoulder. She reached behind him and quickly mussed up his hair.
‘Now you actually look like you’ve been running, movie star.’
He laughed, and the smile that stretched across Hazel’s face was so wide it ached.
His arm was solid and warm across her back, and he smelled of deodorant and clean laundry and something else, something purely Ethan.
He chuckled and took the photo.
‘Are you okay if I post this later?’ he asked. ‘I’m getting dragged for not posting enough on social.’
‘I guess so?’ she answered uncertainly.
‘I used to post a lot more, but I got out of the habit. When a picture of my abs gets thousands more likes than a post linking to a great review of my performance…’ He shrugged. ‘I do like checking out the fancams though, and I have been known to look myself up. Make sense of that.’
‘I’m not even going to try.’ Laughing, she walked to the edge of the lookout and put her hands on top of her head, closing her eyes and breathing in the salt spray. The gusty wind blew her hair around her face, cooling the sweat on her cheeks, but not the warmth radiating from her chest.
‘It’s stunning,’ she said.
‘Beautiful,’ Ethan whispered from behind her.
On the way back they stopped at a small bay for the promised swim. They sat beside each other on the sand, quietly puffing as they took off their shoes and socks and stuffed their phones and keys inside. Hazel slipped off her tank top, stripping down to her running crop, while Ethan tugged his tank over his head. Hazel glanced up at him, all sculpted and glistening, and he beamed down at her.
‘Shall we do it?’ he asked, with a glint in his eye.
The question felt so loaded, all she could do was nod.
They floated side by side as the cool water lapped around them, Hazel lost in a mire of thoughts and feelings she hadn’t been expecting and wasn’t quite sure what to do with.
Ethan exhaled long and low beside her. ‘My family is coming up for the weekend. My brother and his kids.’ He paused. ‘And my mum.’
Hazel glanced at him. His eyes were closed, his face turned towards the sun.
‘It sounds as if that might not be a good thing,’ she said.
‘No, it’s good. I invited them. Though I think they may have agreed to come more for the house and the location than for me. It’ll definitely be nice to see my niece and nephew, though. They’re twins and growing like weeds.’
‘But not to see your mum and brother?’
He lay back, dipping his hair in the water, then ran a hand down his face.
‘That’ll be nice too I suppose,’ he said. ‘I haven’t seen them for a while. It can be a bit tricky sometimes. They’ve never really got on board with the whole acting thing. My mum was disappointed I didn’t go to uni and become a lawyer like my dad and my brother.
‘Lawyer?’
He flicked her a look. ‘You sound surprised.’
‘No, of course I’m not.’ She was a little, and she was ashamed of that.
‘I dropped out before I started. Mum still goes on about it. I’m her big disappointment. Chris is her favourite son, no question.’
‘Is your dad…’
‘Oh no, he’s fine. He’s just not coming. I think he’s probably happy to have the house to himself. And Janet, my sister-in-law, has a girl’s weekend. I think that’s probably why Chris jumped at the invite, so he’d have some help with the twins.’ He sighed. ‘What about your family? Other than your sister – you know, the one who’s hot for me.’ A grin split his lips.
‘Violet is three years older than me, and she’ll kill me for telling you that. I also have a younger brother, Ash. He’s the baby. A late “whoops, we thought we were done” kind of surprise. He’s fourteen. My parents are great, super supportive of my career and my choices – even the ones they might not agree with. Violet likes to tell me what to do, but I think that’s the only time we ever argue. We genuinely like spending time together. She’s probably my favourite person.’
‘That sounds amazing. I’m a bit jealous. And you grew up on the Northern Beaches?’
‘In Freshwater. My folks still live there.’
‘Nice. I grew up in Narrabeen. But my folks and my brother moved awhile back. They’re up the coast. A little over an hour away. Just far enough that visiting means planning. For me, seeing family is like stepping into some long-running soap opera. My brother doesn’t like me much.’ He smiled, his lips tight. ‘We’ve had a couple of issues. Well, one really. Over the years I’ve tried to build a relationship with him, but I don’t know, he doesn’t seem interested. Maybe one day.’
‘Do you all fight?’
‘No. I wouldn’t mind it if we did, to be honest. At least then I’d know they gave a shit.’ He gazed at her, his cheeks still pink from the run. His hands moved below the surface of the water, keeping himself in place. One grazed along her thigh and they both quickly pushed away.
‘Sorry,’ he muttered. Then, ‘I should probably head back. I need to check the house is sorted for the impending visit. Dun dun duuun.’
As he stood, water cascaded down his body, rippling over his abs and out of his thigh-suctioning shorts. Hazel slowly took all of him in, until she reached his eyes, which were fixed on her, his gaze intense.
He reached out his hand.
‘I might stay here for a bit,’ she said. She needed to be away from those eyes and everything that went with them so she could think straight again.
‘Talk later?’ he asked.
She nodded, and he smiled, and for the first time since they’d met, Hazel thought he looked unsure of himself.