Chapter 57 Ethan
Ethan
Silence stretches between us.
Too late, I realize that my words came out wrong.
But I can’t backtrack and pretend I wasn’t hired for this job.
I was. She has to know I was.
If she’d been the one to ask me, I could’ve turned the payment down and done it for free.
But she didn’t. And the money was already deposited into my account through the booking system before I even agreed to it.
“Could I have a water, please?” Tilda’s question is quiet. Timid.
“Yeah.” My reply comes out scratchy, and I decide we’ll share the water.
I loosen my hold on Tilda’s hand and reach into the back seat for a water bottle.
She doesn’t do it the second I let go.
She waits until my arm is stretched back.
Waits until I can’t stop her.
Then she slides her hand off my thigh and into her own lap.
That disgusting, guilty feeling that I’m beginning to associate with treating Tilda poorly slithers through my chest.
She doesn’t need water.
She just didn’t want to hold my hand anymore.