An hour later, after Logan had finished his set, he thanked everyone for coming out and then hopped off the stage. Amy took a deep breath. It was time to make a decision. Logan gave her another wink as he approached. “We’re having a few people back to my loft if you’d like to come,” he said. “It’s a few blocks from here. I can drive you back up to the lodge in the morning.” Logan ran his hand across his chest as he gave Amy a wink. “Scout’s honor, I’ll help you figure out what you want.”
Amy froze for a moment and wondered what to do. She knew Ethan would be landing at some point soon, but she hadn’t heard from him in hours. She knew she should politely decline and find some way to get back to the lodge, but a little bit of her wanted to see where the night was going. It had been years since she had stayed up all night for anything other than work. It definitely had an appeal.
As she wondered what to say, Amy felt a firm hand on her shoulder. “Thank you, Logan, for looking after her while I’ve been gone,” Ethan said. Amy felt a rush of adrenaline, like she had just been caught doing something very bad. As she waited for either Ethan or Logan to say something, Amy could feel the guilt building in her stomach. Why should she be upset about this? Ethan wasn’t really her husband, and she hadn’t even done anything wrong. Ethan leaned in and gave Amy a kiss on the cheek. Even though she couldn’t see it, Amy knew he was staring Logan down.
“Hi, honey,” Amy said. “I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to show up.” She looked at Ethan and then back to Logan.
“Come on,” Ethan said. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 9
As Ethan drove along the moonlit roads to Hank’s lodge, Amy placed her forehead against the cold glass of the passenger side window and stared out at the mountains in the distance. She could tell Ethan was angry, but she just didn’t want to deal with it. She wanted to climb into bed and wake up back in DC, in her old life, the life where she was in charge and she didn’t have to deal with so many goddamn feelings.
Amy could almost feel the silence in the car. It was heavy and tense, and she felt like she could reach out and run her hands through it. Ethan had been so angry back in town. If she hadn’t known better, she would have sworn he was jealous. Amy couldn’t help but laugh at that idea, Ethan being jealous that she was giving attention to someone else. He probably had spent the past two days with some girlfriend out west.
“I saw the way he was looking at you,” Ethan said. He gripped the wheel tight as he turned onto the road out of town.
“You mean with interest?” Amy said. “I had forgotten what it was like to have someone look at me like that.”
“He was interested in you the same way a jackal is interested in its next meal.”
“And what if I like that fact? Do you think I can’t handle myself?”
“You’re not the one I’m worried about.”
“Jesus, Ethan, you sound just like Hank.”
“Hank saw the two of you together?”
“No, he was just telling Logan to behave himself while showing me around town.”
“You get that this isn’t a game, right? What you do here has real consequences. I know I told you to let loose and live in the moment, but seriously, Amy, this isn’t like you.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll get what you want. I won’t endanger your precious deal by letting someone be interested in me.”
“I don’t want you around him,” Ethan replied.
“I already told you not to worry about the deal.”
“You think I’m worried about the deal?” Ethan said, raising his voice. Amy had never seen him upset like this. He gripped the wheel even tighter and let out a long sigh. “He’s wrong for you. He’s selfish and inconsiderate and has the attention span of a gnat.”
“Sounds like someone I know,” Amy replied. Was Ethan seriously going to lecture her on what constituted an upstanding guy?
Ethan turned and stared at Amy for a moment. He lowered his voice and said, “Don’t ever confuse me with him.”
“Tell me one difference.”
“To start, I care about you. He sees you as a trophy, another rich man’s wife to seduce, another story he can tell to his other trust-fund buddies.”
“A rich man’s wife. Isn’t that exactly what you want me to be, someone to show off who wouldn’t embarrass you in conversation? If you really care, why don’t you find some way to show it?”
“Maybe I will,” Ethan said. He ran one hand through his hair. With the other, he turned the car onto the long driveway to Hank’s house. After a long pause, he added, “Why do you have to make everything so hard?”