Private Emotions – Invitations (The Private Emotions Trilogy) (17 page)

“How did you get this? This dress is not for sale because it already has an owner.”

“Let’s just say that I gave your boss an offer that she couldn’t refuse. I knew from the moment I laid eyes on it that it was the same dress you wore when we had dinner at Au Chanté. It was obvious that you had borrowed it from the store so I thought that you would appreciate the gesture of me buying it for you. It wasn’t easy to get your boss to hand it over but the look on your face made it all worthwhile.”

“I don’t care how persuasive you were, Ethan, it just doesn’t seem right that you got this for me when it was clearly meant for someone else. The woman who ordered this will either want another one just like it or something else to replace it. Do you know who is going to be saddled with that responsibility?...Me, that’s who. You just gave me extra work to do and I’m not sure that you even realize what you did was wrong.”

“I just can’t win with you, can I? I go out of my way to buy you a dress you obviously love and you turn it around and make it into something that I shouldn’t have done. You are an easy one to please, aren’t you, Emily?” He was being sarcastic and I really was not in the mood. “I’m leaving now but this is far from over. I will win your trust back by any means, and I mean by any means, so be prepared for the unexpected.” He stormed out of the apartment like a mad man on a mission. Shit, what the hell did he mean by ‘any means’?

I turned to the dress and couldn’t believe something this gorgeous was really mine. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around what he could possibly be thinking and what he was going to do next to win back my favor. Maybe it would have been best if I had just accepted his gift and forgiven him for his indiscretion. That probably would have been in my best interest because knowing Ethan like I did, it was almost a guarantee that he would continue to go over board until I relented and allowed him back into my life.

I went to work earlier than usual the next day so that I could complete the unfinished dresses. The fact that the dresses arrived only last night and the sale was today meant that I had to work at warp speed. As I approached the shop I realized that it was already opened. I was perplexed to see two women finishing up and on their way out. They nodded in my direction as they walked past me. My boss must have reluctantly crowbarred into her own wallet to afford the extra help.

The store opened on time and the shelves were lined with as many dresses as they could hold. My boss, Michelle, came in and said in a whisper to me, “Wow, you got all this done and all on your own. I have to say that I’m very impressed with what you’ve done here. I feel like I could retire tomorrow and leave this business in very capable hands.” Great, the one time that she praised me was the one time that it was not 100% my effort. Sure, I did the bulk of the work the night before and would have met the deadline in time for the sale this morning but it was not exclusively through my efforts. She was praising me for something that I hadn’t done on my own and I wasn’t sure that I was comfortable taking the credit.

All I could say at that point was, “Thanks, Michelle.” It was a dream of mine to own a place like this. I think I knew who I had to thank for pushing up the timetable. There was no way that I could possibly repay Ethan for what he had done for me. I slowly felt the cold freeze that I was giving him start to thaw.

“You are going well and beyond the call of duty, Emily. I just want to tell you how much I appreciate your hard work.” I smiled knowing that I was a hard worker. Although I had help this time, it didn’t mean that I was any less committed or deserving.

I looked towards the door and saw Ethan. He had two thumbs up but I did not acknowledge him. It was galling to know that he was responsible for all of this and I guess I would just have to get used to him throwing his money around to get my attention. I looked again at the spot where he was standing but he was gone. I shuddered to think what else he had in mind to persuade me to forgive him.

The sale was a big success. We made a lot of money from the dresses that were altered by me and those two other girls. Michelle was definitely in a good mood as the profits exceeded her expectations. This situation helped me realize that there was a lucrative market for my skills. Maybe I should give serious thought to opening my own boutique instead of waiting for Michelle to make me a partner in hers.

At lunchtime, a singing telegram came in and he belted out a tune from one of my favorite singers. Then he presented me with a box of chocolates and looked at me with a pitiful expression on his face before leaving to go on to his next assignment. I was lucky that my boss was out to lunch so she couldn’t witness such a display. If she had seen it, it would have made me feel so embarrassed that I would have to find a hole and die in it. Ethan was starting to get on my nerves. I felt like I had a stalker that needed to be put down like a rabid dog.

A few hours later, I left work only to find that my car wasn’t where I had left it. Instead, a new top-of-the-range compact SUV was parked in my space. It had a bow around the whole thing and my name was written with soap suds on the windshield. It was a magnificent vehicle that was crying out for someone to drive it and I was tempted to do just that. I probably would have just gotten into my car and left his gift where it was but my car was gone. I was about to walk away when a man came towards me with an envelope. It contained a picture and a note. The note said,

‘The picture is that of what was your old car so you have no choice but to accept my gift. Don’t worry, I cleaned out your old car and the contents are in the trunk of your new one.’

The ass had destroyed my old car and had turned it into a pile of scrap metal. It wasn’t like the car owed me anything and I would have gotten a new one sooner rather than later but it was the principle of the thing. I turned the key in the ignition and switched on the wipers to wash my name off the windscreen. It was a smooth ride back to my apartment and having the four-by-four option would make tricky drives to work a thing of the past. This car was loaded to the ultimate max. It had all the bells and whistles and I mean ALL the bells and whistles. There was even a remote starter and voice recognition door locks. How he was able to get me this SUV was beyond me. I wasn’t the most knowledgeable about cars but even I knew that this model would probably have a decent waiting list.

It was a long day and as I climbed the stairs to my apartment all I wanted to do was to have a shower and go to bed. “What the fuck?” There were six packages blocking my door, three large and three small ones. “Aaarrggghhh. Ethan Sterling!” The boxes were labeled one through to six so I guessed that was the order in which I was supposed to open them.

Box number one was quite long and slim and I had a bit of difficulty getting it open, but when I did, I saw that it was a pair of skis and ski poles. Box number two was quite heavy so I decided to just rip it open on the spot. That box contained a very expensive pair of ski boots. The third box had two beautiful ski suits. Only the three small packages were left to open. The forth box contained some sort of certificate that entitled me to get five hours’ worth of ski lessons and three days accommodation at the chalet where we holidayed with Ronnie and Mark. The fifth box contained a gift card to purchase anything that I wanted in the antique store where Ethan had bought me my heart locket. There was only one more package to open now and I was really nervous but excited at the same time. I felt like it was Christmas. I looked around at all of my gifts. So far he had it completely covered. What else could he possibly have purchased? I raised the lid of the box slowly to reveal an open plane ticket to the ski resort. There was also a note in the final package. I thought about taking a couple of aspirin for tension headaches but instead I opted to read his note.

‘You said on our holiday that you had forgotten how much fun you could have in the snow. These presents are given so that you’ll never forget. Ethan.’

Fuck, he was good. Actually he was better than good. Damn. I think that I would need three aspirin now.

“Ronnie, if he doesn’t stop this soon, I think that I’m going to go crazy.”

“Get over yourself, because we both know you love it. You have him wrapped around your little finger and you know it.”

“Just a minute, I agree with Emily. He should just back off and let time be the thing that heals the wounds.” Mark was wrong. He didn’t know what I was really thinking but at least he was on my side.

Maria said, “I know that he’s bothering you but his heart is in the right place. Just tell him to back off and I think that he will. Most men know how to take a hint so I doubt he will be any different.”

“He’s not backing down and I always have one eye over my shoulder, thinking that he is going to do something that I’m not going to like.”

“Who are you trying to fool? Us or yourself? All of us here know that you have feelings for this man and the attention that he’s giving you is fueling a thrill that you can’t describe. We can tell on your face that this is exactly what you’re hoping for and you have nobody to blame but yourself. Ethan is a proud man and you should know by now that men like him don’t go out of their way unless they truly feel something for the woman.” I looked around the table and saw everyone nod their head in agreement and I felt like they were ganging up on me but they were only telling me things that I already knew.

“Even if that is so, it doesn’t mean I enjoy being embarrassed whenever the mood suits him. There has to be a way to get him to back off a little and just give me time to breathe.” This dinner was supposed to be a celebration for Barry and Maria and the fact that Barry was now co-owner of Woody’s Tavern. Somehow, things took a wrong turn and I ended up being the main topic of conversation.

Maria said, “I agree with Ronnie and even though I just met her today, I have to say that she is spot on with her assessment of just what is going on between you and Ethan. If you really want him to stop then you know what you have to do.” Both of the girls had thrown in their two cents worth but I had yet to hear anything from Barry.

“What do you think of all this, Barry?” He seemed to be deep in thought and we all turned toward him to see what he was going to say.

“Well, I think this is all a bunch of games and when you finally drop all the pretenses then you can get down to the real work. We all know that the heart wants what the heart wants, but it’s up to each of us to decide if that relationship is worth all the heartache and frustration that comes with it. You have a big decision to make. You have to decide if you can forgive him or not and he has to decide just how far he wants to go to win you back. Something tells me though that you’ll both be willing to go the extra mile and this thing that is between the two of you will be worth fighting for. Just stop the games and be real with each other.” For a guy, he was remarkably attuned to what made a relationship work and I suppose it was because of his own relationship with Maria.

“You sure know how to cut to the chase and get rid of all the nonsense that is in the way.” No one around the table could disagree with what he had said. It was apparent that they were all a little taken aback by how easily he read the situation.

“Well, looks like I have a keeper here. I must’ve trained him right.” We all laughed at Maria’s comment. We raised our glasses for a toast to Barry, chatted for a while longer and then left Woody’s Tavern to go our separate ways. I still couldn’t get over how Barry was almost an expert at feeling things out. His sage advice would benefit me greatly.

Ethan was idle in the apartment parking lot. I wasn’t ready to see him, even though I had learned to love my new car in a short period of time. “Look, you can’t keep doing these grand gestures. Hasn’t anyone ever told you that it’s the little things that make the most impact? Learn that lesson and maybe you might have a chance to lure me back.” He smiled and drove away. Knowing him, he would probably rethink his whole strategy and this would lead to who knows what. Fuck, I had just given him more ammunition. I was even more nervous now as to what his next move would be.