Chapter 13
Working with Ethan was… different.
Michael had never been interested in my work.
Had never asked questions.
Had never cared.
Ethan cared about everything.
He asked about my design choices.
My materials.
My vision.
He didn’t just want to build what I drew.
He wanted to understand why.
We spent hours going over the hotel plans.
Every room.
Every detail.
He challenged me.
Made me think.
Made my designs better.
And he was funny.
Genuinely funny.
The kind of man who could make me laugh in the middle of a stressful construction meeting.
The kind who brought me coffee exactly how I liked it without asking.
The kind who noticed when I was tired and told me to go home.
I tried not to read too much into it.
I’d just gotten out of a nine-year marriage from hell.
I wasn’t ready for anything.
Not even close.
But I couldn’t deny the way I felt when he was around.
Lighter.
Happier.
Like the world wasn’t such a terrible place after all.
The hotel opened six months later.
It was a smash hit.
Architectural Digest wrote it up.
Travel magazines called it the most exciting new hotel in the Midwest.
Bookings were sold out three months in advance.
The opening night party was spectacular.
Black tie.
Champagne.
Everyone who was anyone in Chicago was there.
I stood in the lobby.
Looking around at everything I’d built.
The marble floors.
The custom chandeliers.
The hand-painted murals.
Every single thing in this hotel had been designed by me.
Built by me.
Paid for with my money.
No one had stolen it.
No one had taken credit.
It was mine.
All mine.
“Penny for your thoughts.”
Ethan was beside me.
Holding two glasses of champagne.
He looked good in a tux.
Really good.
“I was just thinking… this is the first thing I’ve built in a long time that didn’t have someone else’s hand in my pocket.”
He handed me a glass.
“You should be proud. This is incredible. You’re incredible.”
I blushed.
Actually blushed.
Something I hadn’t done since I was a teenager.
“Thanks.”
He was quiet for a moment.
“Mari… I’ve been wanting to ask you something. But I didn’t want to do it while we were working together. Now that the hotel is open….”
He took a breath.
“Would you like to have dinner with me? Sometime. Not as a client and contractor. As… two people.”
My heart raced.
I wanted to say yes.
God, I wanted to say yes.
But I hesitated.
Michael had broken me.
I didn’t know if I could trust another man.
Didn’t know if I was ready to put my heart on the line again.
Ethan saw the hesitation.
“Hey, it’s okay,” he said gently. “If you’re not ready, I understand. No pressure. I’ll wait. However long it takes. I’m not going anywhere.”
I looked into his eyes.
They were honest.
Kind.
Nothing like Michael’s cold, calculating stare.
“Okay,” I said.
His face lit up.
“Okay?”
“Dinner. Tomorrow night. Seven o’clock. Pick me up.”
He beamed.
“Tomorrow night. Seven. I’ll be there.”
The rest of the party was a blur.
Clients came to congratulate me.
Reporters asked for interviews.
My family was there, beaming with pride.
But I barely noticed any of it.
All I could think about was tomorrow night.
Seven o’clock.
May you like
Ethan at my door.
Maybe… just maybe… there was something good waiting for me after all.
