Sooner than I liked, lunch was over.
“I miss spending time with you,” Gretchen said as we walked out of the restaurant. “We need to do this again.”
“We do.” I tried to smile, but it felt forced. “And you’ll come for opening night?”
“I will definitely be there.”
“Great. I’ll leave your ticket at will call.”
She wrapped me in an embrace. “Give him a chance. And tell him thank you for lunch.”
“I will, and I’ll try.”
We said our good-byes and Gretchen headed to the parking lot, while I turned to the front. Lewis was waiting with the car, ready to take me to rehearsal.
“Elena,” he greeted as he opened the door. It had taken me a while but I’d finally managed to convince Lewis to stop using my last name. I hated the reminder of Dominic.
Lewis pulled out into traffic and in no time at all, he was dropping me off at the stage entrance.
Rehearsals went smoothly; all thoughts of Ashton pushed to the back of my mind. But that only lasted as long as my attention was elsewhere. As soon as rehearsal was over, I began worrying about what Ashton might have to say to me.
By the time I got back to the house I was so jittery that I decided that a long hot bath was in order. The warm water soothed my aching muscles, the steam clearing my head. I lay back and closed my eyes.
As the temperature cooled, I knew it was time to leave my little cocoon and face whatever Ashton had to tell me.
Dressing, I went downstairs. The house was still quiet and none of the lights were on. Wanting the conversation over with sooner rather than later, I walked down the hall to Ashton’s office. Still nothing. He’d said he wouldn’t be late. Something must have kept him at the restaurant.
The sound of the garage door opening made the desire to sprint down the hall overwhelming. With a deep calming breath, I forced myself to walk slowly into the kitchen, but when the door opened, it wasn’t Ashton who greeted me.
“Miller. What are you doing here?”
“Ashton got stuck at one of the restaurants so I thought I’d keep you company.” He produced two takeout bags from The Bluewater Grill.
I laughed. “Let me guess, Ashton sent you over here with dinner so you could watch over me until he gets home.”
“Busted.” He set the bags on the counter and began pulling out plates and forks from the cabinets. “But can you blame him after what happened the other night?”
I cringed at how much he knew about my screwed up situation and went to the wine cooler to cover my reaction. I pulled out a Chardonnay that Ashton liked with seafood, along with two glasses. “Dominic has no idea where Ashton lives . . . but, no, I can’t really blame him.”
Miller opened the takeout boxes and placed each meal on a plate, throwing the containers into the trash. “Hungry?” He gestured to the food.
“Yes,” I said, taking a seat at the kitchen table. Ashton had sent my favorite dish: crab sautéed in a white wine sauce. “Delicious. He always knows what to pick for me.”
Miller smirked, which I decided to ignore. “Yes, he does.”
Miller dived right into his food. I might have been hungry, but it was hard to think about food when all I wanted to know was what Ashton needed to tell me. Pushing my food around on my plate, I didn’t notice Miller trying to get my attention until he tapped me on the arm.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “You haven’t touched your food. Ashton swore this was your favorite.”
“He’s right, it is my favorite. I’m just having a hard time pushing something else out of my mind and it’s stealing my appetite.” I wasn’t sure sitting there having a conversation about his brother was a great idea. How much would he tell Ashton?
“Come on, you can tell me. You won’t be able to stop thinking about it until you do.”
For a few minutes I sat there in silence, battling with my conscience while Miller looked on. What would be the harm in talking to him? On the one hand, he might tell Ashton everything I said. On the other, he’d known Ashton since the day he was born.
Deciding I needed to get it off my chest, I put it out there.
“Today at lunch, Ashton asked me to wait up for him because there was something he wanted to talk to me about and I’m afraid he wants to make sure I’ll be out of his life in two weeks, when the three months is up. I’m just not sure if I’m ready for that.”
Miller’s glass was halfway to his lips but he quickly set it down as he burst into laughter, the sound making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
I knew talking to him was a mistake.
Gathering up my plate and glass, I pushed away from the table to move to the dining room where I could sit and eat in peace, when Miller reached out a hand to stop me.
“Please don’t leave. I’m sorry for laughing.” He wiped at his eyes. “It’s just the idea of Ashton wanting you to leave is absolutely ridiculous.”
I placed my stuff back down on the table, but stayed on my feet. “Why would you say that?”
He shrugged. “I’ve never seen Ashton react to a woman the way he does to you. Take the night we all had dinner at my parents’ house. He threatened me more than once for looking at you the wrong way. He even punched me.”
“He punched you?” I asked, my eyes wide. “Why would he do that?”
“He thought I was going to make a play for you after you talked to Aunt Veronica. Which was just stupid. He was already falling for you then.”
My mouth dropped open. “What are you talking about? I’ve only known Ashton for a little over two months. And only because my husband can’t stop gambling.”
Miller smirked. “A husband who I hear will be out of the picture very soon.”
“How do you know that? I only told Ashton the other day. I haven’t even met with the lawyer yet.”
“Ashton told me the morning after you told him. He’s normally so calm and collected. He doesn’t let his emotions rule him . . . except with you.”
“But . . . but he . . . he doesn’t—”
His hand came up to cover mine. “Don’t stress. My brother cares more about you than he’s admitted so far. I’m sure he won’t be able to keep it in much longer.”
Miller’s words had me breathing a little easier. Could Ashton really care as much about me as I did about him? Only time would tell.
Lost in my thoughts I began to eat my dinner. Miller did the same.
“How’s the show coming along?” he asked between bites.
“Good. I really like working with Alan.”
He rolled his eyes. “The two of them have been friends for forever. Dumbasses got themselves into a lot of trouble growing up.”
I couldn’t help my curiosity. “Oh really?”
“Mmm hmm. The stories I could tell you.”
“Please do.”
Miller and I finished dinner. It took longer than normal since I had to stop multiple times to laugh at Miller’s stories of Ashton as a child. It was easy, yet hard to hear about him being so carefree. I’d seen glimpses of both parts of his personality, but I was starting to think I was one of only a few who did.
“Since you’re stuck here until Ashton gets home, should we watch a movie?” I asked, loading the remaining dishes into the dishwasher. Yes, Ashton had a housekeeper, but some habits just wouldn’t die.
“Sounds good to me.” Miller winked.
I followed him down the hall and watched as he selected a movie, moving around the room with an ease that suggested he had been here many a time and was more than comfortable in his surroundings. I tried to focus on the screen, but my eyes strayed to the doorway every so often.
By the time the movie finished, Ashton still wasn’t home. Miller put another one on and I curled up under a blanket on the couch, all the anxiety of the last few hours catching up with me. My lids got heavy but I fought to keep them open. I had to know what Ashton wanted.