A woman who’d bake him bread . . .
And even stranger that such a random excuse for a book topic had led him to recall his beloved girlfriend’s words in the first place.
A rush of panic and confusion flooded through him as the feeling settled. This was ridiculous, he thought. What was wrong with him?
‘Sleep well last night?’ Rachel asked and Ethan willed himself to snap out of it. ‘Yes, very well, thanks.’
‘So what are you up to today?’ she asked. ‘More research for your book, presumably.’
He nodded uncomfortably at the mention of his pathetic cover story. ‘Yes, well, as much I can, really.’
Earlier that morning at the hotel Ethan had passed some time Googling any practical knowledge that he should have if he were writing a book about the history of bread in other cultures. He now felt that not only could he list hundreds of different types of bread across the world, but he also had a working knowledge of symbolism, rituals and ingredients. Just in case anyone starting asking questions.
‘Well, as I said last night, if you need my help with anything in that regard, don’t hesitate to ask.’
He smiled. ‘Thanks, that’s very kind of you and I’ll certainly keep it in mind.’
There was a slightly awkward moment as the two of them stood there in the middle of the bistro staring at one another.
‘Oh!’ Rachel exclaimed, as if remembering. ‘Are you here to eat? You must be hungry. Here, let me get you a table.’
‘Thanks, but no, I had a huge breakfast at the hotel earlier.’ He looked hesitant. ‘Erm, I just wanted to pop in to thank you for a lovely evening. It was really good of you to spend your Saturday night off babysitting me.’
‘Not at all. I had a lovely time.’
‘Me too. But I just wondered . . . could I possibly have a contact number for your fiancé? I’d really like to talk to Gary today if I could.’
Was it his imagination, or did a shadow cross her face at the mention of him?
‘Ethan, again, I really have to apologise on his behalf. I don’t know what’s got into him lately, and it’s just not good enough that you should have to chase him. When are you going back to London? I’ll make sure he calls you today. If not, it’ll definitely be this evening.’ She pursed her lips. ‘Let’s just say Gary is a little . . . under the weather at the moment.’
‘I see. But I’d quite like to be able to get in touch with him myself, just in case it slips his mind again.’
Damn it, couldn’t she just give him the blasted number? Having her as the go-between was becoming tedious; irrespective of how much he enjoyed talking to her, it wasn’t getting him anywhere.
‘Believe me, I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen, but here –’ Rachel walked over to the bar area and grabbed a notebook ‘– this is his mobile number.’ She wrote down a sequence of digits, and Ethan wanted to punch the air.
Finally, he’d be able to talk to Knowles on his own, man to man.
‘Thank you.’ He put it carefully into his wallet, as if it were made of gold. ‘And again, best of luck to you both – with the wedding plans.’
Rachel met his gaze. ‘You too. Don’t wait too long to do the deed either. You don’t want your girlfriend to get tired of waiting,’ she added, laughing.
‘Believe me, I won’t.’ He went to shake her hand, but once again she stepped forward and engulfed him in a warm hug. Ethan felt almost dizzy as he breathed in the smell of her hair, and the scent of her skin.
‘Well, it was so lovely to see you again, Ethan. And please do keep in touch. You have my number too, and, as I said, if you ever need to know anything about bread . . .’
He smiled. ‘I know exactly who to ask.’ He looked at his watch, suddenly reluctant to leave. ‘I suppose I’d better get a move on. Lots to do today.’
‘I know what you mean. Weekends can get a bit mad around here.’ She smiled and ran a hand through her hair, and once more Ethan saw the diamond sparkle in the light.
‘Goodbye, Rachel,’ he said, but as he turned to leave the thought struck him that, having seen how well it suited Rachel, he was finding it increasingly difficult to picture it on Vanessa.
As she moved between tables, serving customers, Terri studied the encounter between Rachel and Ethan with interest. It wasn’t as though she was eavesdropping; no, it was more like ‘accidentally overhearing’.
And whatever the words, judging from Ethan’s enraptured expression and Rachel’s coquettish laughs, there was little doubt that last night’s dinner had had quite an effect on both of them.
Which of course went a long way towards explaining why Ethan hadn’t told Rachel about the mix-up.
If Ethan behaved like that every time Rachel smiled at him, how would he ever be able to confess the truth about the ring? And how was Rachel ever going to see the light about Gary?
Terri bit her lip. She didn’t want to interfere in her friend’s business, but at the same time this was a tricky one. Knowing Rachel, she would continue to go about planning this farce of a wedding, while at the back of it all her knucklehead fiancé was just playing along for the sake of it.
They were supposed to be going out shopping for dresses soon but there was no way Terri could allow her friend to spend another cent on a wedding that by rights should not happen.
And on top of that, Ethan really needed to wake up and tell Rachel once and for all about the entire fiasco. He knew what had happened yet was still dragging his heels. And what was all that nonsense he’d been spouting to Rachel about being here in Dublin to research some book? Did he really expect people to believe it was all about
bread
?
Terri shook her head. She was a baker and had no interest in reading such a thing, so where was the market for that? What a sorry story.
She took off her chef’s cap and shook out her hair. Obviously this was going to need some interference, she decided, heading for the front door. And it looked like she was the only person qualified to help the process along. After all, if she left it up to Ethan the situation would hardly be resolved before the next century.
Ethan was almost halfway down the street when she caught up with him.
‘Hey there,’ she called out cheerfully and he turned to look at her, surprised. It was only then that she noticed he had a mobile phone to his ear and a piece of paper in his hand.
‘Yes?’ he replied, quickly shoving the paper into his pocket.
‘Hi! Remember me from yesterday?’
‘Well, yes, of course. Terri, isn’t it? I must admit I almost didn’t recognise you with that hair hidden under your chef’s hat. It’s extraordinary,’ he said, almost under his breath.
‘Sorry to interrupt, I didn’t realise you were on the phone.’
‘No need to apologise. I was just about to call someone . . . in London,’ he added mumbling.
Probably the girlfriend, Terri thought, and wondered if she too knew about the problem with the ring. Not likely; otherwise the woman would have come here in person to get it back, and no doubt taken not only the ring, but the hand off Rachel too! Terri certainly would anyway. She still couldn’t believe that this guy was so soft that he hadn’t managed to sort this out. But English people could be like that, couldn’t they? All manners and not wanting to upset people. Admirable traits but maybe not with a diamond that size at stake.
Anyway, Terri was convinced that there was now a lot more to it than just good manners where Ethan was concerned. He had clicked with Rachel and clearly didn’t want to hurt her. It was plain to see that he had hugely conflicting feelings about what he should do and what he wanted to do. Terri was impressed; in her experience it was rare to come across a man – never mind a complete stranger – who actually cared about someone else’s feelings, rather than just stomping all over them in order to get what he wanted. And of course it was Ethan’s consideration for his fellow man that had got him into all this trouble in the first place, wasn’t it?
So what would his next move be?
‘I see,’ Terri said. Well, unlike Ethan, she believed in straight talking, so she decided to come right out and say something; unless she did, nothing would ever be resolved. ‘Do you mind if I talk to you for a moment?’ she said, and his gaze shifted nervously from side to side.
‘To me?’ He looked perplexed, clearly wondering what she could want with him.
‘Yes. I know why you’re here.’
Ethan’s face grew wary. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I know that your visit here this weekend has nothing whatsoever to do with research for a book.’
His stared at her, wide-eyed. ‘I really have no idea what you’re talking about.’
Terri smiled and shook her head. ‘Sweet, but that whole big blue eyes thing isn’t going to work on me. I know everything. I know about the accident in New York, and I know about the mix-up with the engagement ring. I know you bought an expensive diamond from Tiffany’s, but that your girlfriend ended up with a silver charm bracelet.’
His face went white. ‘How could you possibly—’
‘And I also know that you’ve been trying to tell Rachel the truth but for some reason have come up with this random story about researching a book.’
For a moment he looked as though he was about to argue, but it was as if he couldn’t find the words.
She rolled her eyes. ‘A book about the history of bread? Sounds tantalising!’ She was gratified to see a slight smile break through his facade. ‘Anyway, I know all of this because I got Gary drunk last night and, as they say in the movies, he sang like a canary.’
Ethan’s head shot up. ‘He admitted to stealing the ring?’
‘Not exactly. Look, take it from me: Gary Knowles isn’t the sharpest tool in the box. In fact he’s so stupid that the thought the ring might have been someone else’s never even crossed his mind.’
Ethan’s eyes widened. ‘He didn’t know? Honestly? Well, I must admit that’s a bit of a relief. I’d thought he was avoiding me on purpose.’
‘No, I’ll give him that much; he honestly didn’t have a clue.’
‘Then why did he give it to Rachel?’ Ethan demanded, those blue eyes now flashing with irritation. ‘And why ask her to marry him when it’s pretty clear, to me at least, that he had no intention of doing so?’
‘As I said, he’s an idiot. And Gary was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth.’
‘Still, it’s a horrible thing to do.’
‘Which, I take it, is why you haven’t said anything to Rachel about it?’ she enquired gently. ‘That’s the real reason for your visit, isn’t it? Or was, at least.’
He nodded, and exhaled a deep sigh. ‘Believe me, I’ve tried to tell her a number of times. But for some reason I just can’t bring myself to do it. It would be a terrible thing to find out that your engagement is all a big mistake, and from what I can tell it
was
a mistake, wasn’t it? He never intended to propose at all.’
‘Unfortunately for Rachel, no.’ Terri was again touched by the guy’s obvious concern for someone who was a stranger to him. You just didn’t get that these days. And for this reason, perhaps more than any other, she found herself wanting to help Ethan Greene even more.
‘Anyway, I didn’t think it was fair to put this on Rachel, not when it’s Gary Knowles who caused the problem.’ Ethan held up his mobile. ‘I was about to phone him just now but, to be frank, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I really can’t believe he had no idea how it happened.’ He looked at Terri. ‘Where on earth did he think it came from?’
She rolled her eyes again. ‘Who knows? From the great ring fairy in the sky?’ She grinned. ‘But the fact is that now he does know, as do I, so what are we going to do about it?’
Ethan looked surprised. ‘We?’
‘Yes. The truth needs to come out. Gary’s a liar and ultimately a thief, if we’re really being honest. He also seems to think that he can manipulate Rachel to the hilt and I can’t stand by and watch him do it.’
‘Well, that’s really none of my business.’
‘Ethan, please. I’m also guessing that you haven’t said anything to Rachel for another, slightly more personal, reason?’ she suggested gently and Ethan’s cheeks flared pink.
He lowered his gaze. ‘I have no idea—’
‘Don’t be embarrassed; it doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. Rachel’s amazing and I think it’s wonderful that you two got on so well.’ But, oddly, Terri felt slightly deflated that this lovely man seemed to have fallen hook, line and sinker for her friend. Not that anyone who knew her could do otherwise . . .
Then he cleared his throat. ‘This is all so surreal. The only reason I came here was to get back what’s rightfully mine, but . . .’
Terri smiled kindly. ‘But you’ve got a little more than you expected?’
Ethan was silent again, clearly lost in thought and Terri could only imagine the internal struggle he was having. He might have been all set to propose to his girlfriend but he was undeniably taken with Rachel.
‘Look, I just didn’t expect to be in this position,’ he admitted, sounding baffled.
‘I’m sure you didn’t and it’s not your fault. You were being a nice guy, helping Gary out, and he should have been honest with Rachel about the ring, but he’s a prat.’
‘Did he really admit everything to you?’