Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 86808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
I aim to give Ethan additional assurances since Sylvie is truly the only thing the two of us have in common and he’s only focused on that. “I’ve been keeping my eye on Sylvie at school. She’s acclimating well and her teachers say she’s so bright and engaging. She’s actually ahead of most of the students.”
Ethan chuckles. “She very proudly told me some of the compliments she’s getting from her teachers. I’m thrilled she’s a good student because I don’t have it in me to fight with her over homework or attendance. So that’s one plus.”
I laugh. I’ll have to give Ethan that one. After all the stressors he’s been under the last few weeks, there is nothing wrong with him being grateful to have a small win.
The bartender appears, setting salads and glasses of water before us, breaking the conversation as we unroll our utensils. I busy myself cutting into the lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. In the silence, I try to think of more interesting things to say about Sylvie so we don’t lapse into awkward silence.
I’m reaching for the pepper shaker when Ethan startles me. “How long were you married to that asshole?”
I’m shocked at the change in subject from Sylvie to something personal in my life.
From a man who generally intimidates and flusters me.
“Married for four years and divorced about a year and a half.”
“Was he always an asshole or did that develop later?” I twist my neck to stare at Ethan. It’s an intrusive question, but God is it a good one. Whenever I try to evaluate where things went wrong, I replay the timeline of my marriage to see if I can identify if I was a fool from the start or if George changed over the course of our relationship.
“You know,” I reply after a pause to reflect, “I’m not sure. But when I think back on our entire history, one thing is clear… George was always self-centered. I think the problem was with me though.”
His eyebrows rise before pulling into a frown. “Why would you say that?”
“Because I let him treat me badly and I still tried to make it work.”
Ethan’s green eyes pin me in place. “So, you weren’t self-centered enough.”
I chuff a laugh. “That’s one way to look at it.”
Gaze never wavering, he says, “I think you’re the type of woman who gives a lot of herself without expecting anything in return. The problem was in not having a husband who should’ve wanted to give you all those things, despite you not expecting them.”
Something twists in my chest, reigniting every little hurt that George bestowed upon me over the years and I realize… it wasn’t just the things he said and did to drag me down, but also the things he never did for me. The lack of affirmations, acknowledgments or actions. George didn’t do anything for me.
I try to make light of it. “Lucky for me I found out he was a cheating bastard then, huh?” I turn my attention back to my salad. “Freed me of continued misery.”
“Doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt,” Ethan murmurs, and that amplifies the pang in my chest.
Wanting the spotlight off my relationship failures, I turn it on Ethan. “What about you? Ever been married?”
His lips curve upward, his face in profile to me as he stabs his fork into his salad. “Who says I’m not married now?”
“Because you distinctly have the look of a man not married,” I tease.
Ethan barks out a laugh as he brings his fork to his mouth, face turning toward me.
As he chews a bite of salad, his eyebrow lifts silently as if to say he needs more than that vaguery, so I provide it. “If you had a wife, I would have surely met her when I came over the night before last. Instead, your mom met me at the door. Do you all live in the house together?”
Ethan wipes his mouth and shakes his head. “I actually live in the house alone… well, now with Sylvie. My parents moved to a cottage on the farm, Kat lives in an apartment above one of the tack rooms and my brothers share a place in town.”
“Big house for just you and Sylvie.”
“Seems a lot smaller now that Sylvie is there,” Ethan replies and sips his beer.
“How come you live in the big house instead of your parents?” I ask, spearing a tomato.
“They’re fully retired and travel a lot now. I’m the CEO of Blackburn Farms and it seemed to make sense to them. I used to have a house in town, but I sold it and moved back into the homestead two years ago.”
“I can’t even begin to imagine what it takes to run the farm. It’s massive.”
He looks at me as if he’s appraising what I’ve said, before turning back to his salad. His gaze deepens when he says, “I’ll give you a grand tour sometime if you want.”