Page 25 of Enemies Under One Roof

‘Do you see much of your uncle?’

‘Not a lot. He’s very low key and would rather cut off his foot, stew it and eat it, his words not mine, than attend any kind of movie event with me.’ She huffed out a laugh, with no trace of bitterness. ‘These days our main interaction is sending each other cat memes, and due to a never-ending supply, it’s basically daily contact.’

‘Cat memes, huh?’ His lips twitched.

‘Yep, that’s me. If you’re ever after any, let me know,’ she said, slanting him a mischievous look.

‘Good to know.’

‘Do you have many relatives?’ she asked.

‘None. Mum and Dad were both only children, and all the grandparents were gone before I came along, so there’s only ever been Ruby.’ He shuddered to think what his life would have been without her.

‘Both of us parentless. Do you think that’s why she left us WillowGlen?’ Ivy massaged her temple with her two forefingers.

He’d spent too many hours trying to unpack why Ruby had done what she had. Maybe this was the obvious answer, but he’d been too consumed by grief and confusion at her request to understand it. Not to mention too blinded by anger at Ivy’s involvement and what he was sure she must have done to make that happen, although he’d had no evidence to support the concept, and now he was sure she’d done nothing of the sort. No, the truth of their breakthrough couldn’t be ignored; when they worked together as a team, this was the result. He had to find a way to work with Ivy.

‘I doubt I’ll ever understand her reasoning, but I think she’d be happy with what we’ve identified,’ he said, his relief clear to hear.

‘Same here,’ she agreed.

‘Helping people out, creating a haven is a broad remit, but at least it gives us a starting point,’ he continued. Like they were entering a new phase, excitement beat through him and he couldn’t help but smile.

* * *

Ivy stared at Ethan and jammed her eyes closed, desperately needing a reprieve from constantly trying to compartmentalise her attraction to him, forever arguing it was only because of the amount of time they were spending together.

But it was more, as much as she tried to pretend otherwise. Ethan’s flash of outrage that Ben had blamed her for the recent leak to the press had opened a chasm in her barriers she’d been unable to slam shut. Ever since, she’d been plagued with thoughts of telling him the truth about the folly photos, and no amount of debating could convince her otherwise. She wanted him to know, as they still had weeks of working together, yet buried under every plausible excuse was the knowledge that she could no longer stand that he thought of her that way.

She sighed and pressed a hand to her throat. It absolutely wouldn’t change anything between them, because the ramifications of what she’d done to her parents was lifelong, and he deserved a whole lot more than someone like her could ever offer him. She massaged her nape, trying to ease the tension in it, because she knew she couldn’t ever dismantle Ivy, even though the longer she was in Ethan’s presence, the more she struggled to keep up the pretence of someone who wasn’t her.

But she could keep it up until she left WillowGlen. She had to.

She tugged at the collar of the black silk shirt she’d paired with black pants and heels. It was getting harder each day not to put on jeans or a cardigan and dress like she really wanted to. Like she would at home, when no-one was around.

But someone was around.

She turned to Ethan to find his eyes fixed on hers, the strangest expression on his face, until he blinked.

Quietness descended around them, except for the pounding of her heart.

It was now or never.

Taking a long, ragged breath, she expelled it and crossed her legs to stop them trembling. ‘There’s something you need to know,’ she said in a rush.

His brow furrowed.

‘I was never behind those photos.’

‘What photos?’ His voice lowered to something dangerous.

‘The ones in the folly,’ she answered with a hateful wobble.

Surprise. Suspicion. And a fleeting flash of vulnerability crossed his features.

His jaw tightened. ‘Really? Why did you pretend otherwise?’ His obvious scepticism was expected and understandable, but still her tummy dropped.

‘Because once it started, I didn’t know how to reel it back in.’