“Well, you are an idiot if you can’t see what’s right in front of your face. That man is so into you it’s unreal. I’m pretty sure he was just about to tell you so when you were interrupted.”
My mouth popped open. “No he wasn’t.”
“Oh, babe, he was. At some point you’re going to have to realize you can be loved without being hurt, otherwise you’re going to push everyone away and end up alone.”
Alone.
I’d been alone for a long time. Living with someone who didn’t spend time with me, only talking to me when they had to was possibly more lonely than actually being on my own. My nerves were shot and if we continued the conversation, I was likely to puke all over the table.
“Can we just drop it for now?” I pleaded.
She nodded and set her glass down. The meal continued with us both avoiding anything to do with Ashton, although, I did find my gaze straying as we talked, trying to get a glimpse of the man who occupied my thoughts.
The waiter brought our dessert over without us ordering: chocolate mousse cake. Ashton knew it was my weakness and the fact that he’d known to send it over made more questions swirl through my head.
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.”