Now that she was back on the project, Anna thought it best to set up a meeting with Ethan to go over the progress of the house. As she sat at her desk and waited for his arrival, she skimmed the screen in front of her. The master bath tile that she had worked on for weeks was now completely rearranged in a way that made her cringe. The design was an older style, nothing like Ethan, and didn’t line up correctly with the flooring. She only hoped that Beth hadn’t shown her work to Ethan. She was sure he would have fired her on the spot.
It was exactly ten o’clock when the front door chimed and Ethan walked in with a gleeful look on his face. Without even acknowledging the secretary, he hurried to Anna’s office.
“Anna!” he exclaimed, wrapping her in a tight hug.
“Ethan,” Anna replied a little surprised. “Someone is in a great mood this morning.”
He pulled back and flashed his pearly whites. “Hard not to be when I get to see your beautiful face today.”
Anna gave him a small laugh. “Flattery won’t get you anywhere, Mr. Sanders.”
He laughed heartily. “Well, at least I tried.”
“Please, have a seat.” Anna sat behind her desk finding herself a little confused with his enthusiasm. Beth had died and he didn’t seem to be affected by it. Melancholy still hung in the air like a thick fog and he didn’t seem to feel it.
“I’m so glad you were able to see me today, Ethan. There is much to do.”
“I agree. Beth had mentioned that you were no longer interested in the project, so I was surprised that you were back on it after her death.”
Anna did her best to keep a straight face. His last comment had no emotion in it, as if he didn’t have a care in the world for the woman he had originally hired for this job.
“I assure you that was not the case. Beth and I had different ideas, and she felt I wasn’t the right fit.” Anna lied. It was obvious he wasn’t aware that she was fired from the design firm and not just from the project. She was still confused herself as to why she was fired, but it no longer mattered. Beth was gone and she was back on the project, but she felt completely awkward about everything.
“Ahh, yes. With Beth out of the way, we can finally be together.”
Anna couldn’t read the look on Ethan’s face. The words ‘we can finally be together’ threw her for a loop and she tried to keep her composure.
“Be together?” She scratched her head. “What do you mean by that?”
“You know,” he said, waving his hand casually in the air. “We can finish this project together without interruption. Beth isn’t here to breathe over your shoulder and Cara isn’t here to complain about your impeccable work.”
“Cara? What happened to Cara?” Anna couldn’t mask the concern she had in her voice.
Ethan shook his head. “I had to let her go.”
He paused and Anna waited to hear more. When he didn’t continue, she asked in an anxious tone, “Why?”
He chuckled. “Relax. Everything is fine. The two of us finally realized that things just weren’t working anymore and called it quits.”
Damn, Anna cursed silently. Ethan had been a married man, and it was how she convinced herself that he wasn’t in to her. She knew where this conversation was about to head and she was freaking out about it.
Instead of asking how he was doing, Anna thought to continue talking about the project. “Yikes, Ethan. I’m sorry to hear. Maybe continuing with this remodel is a good idea then. It’ll be something to take your mind off things.”
She had prayed that her comment diffused the conversation about his impending divorce, but she was wrong.
“Oh, please. It’s nothing to worry about. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time now.”
Anna wasn’t sure if she should respond, but luckily he continued.
“She and I have been growing apart for years. This remodel began as a way for us to wipe the slate clean and start fresh, but it failed miserably.”
She regretted it when she said it. “Why did it fail?”
“Because I developed feelings for my interior designer.”
Anna quirked an eyebrow. “Beth?” It was a stupid question, but there was a shred of hope deep inside that it wasn’t her.
“Anna, come on. You know as well as I do that it isn’t Beth.”
She felt sick. “Ethan,” Anna whispered.
He shook his head. “Look, I know it seems crazy, but I have fallen in love with you!” He laughed. “There, I said it. I’m in love with you!”
Anna sat there in silence, unsure of what to say to him. She was looking at a very rich man who was used to getting what he wanted. He looked happy, excited, and she was about to break his heart.
“And now with Beth and Cara out of the way,” he continued, “We can finally be together.”
He once again paused in his speech for a reaction from Anna, but she continued to look at him with a puzzled look on her face. How was Beth ever in the way?
“I know I’ve just come at you with a lot. All that I ask is that you think about it. I’d love to take you to dinner tonight or tomorrow to discuss what could come of us.” Ethan emphasized the last word, causing a shiver to run down Anna’s spine.
“Ethan,” Anna finally managed to say. She had to clear her throat before continuing. “You know as well as I do that I’m seeing someone.”
He waved his hand in the air. “I can’t imagine that you’re serious about the relationship. You’ve only started dating the guy. You’ve known me much longer than that.”
Did he honestly think I shared the same feelings because I’ve known him longer than Ben? Anna pondered that thought for a moment and chose her next words carefully.
“Ethan, don’t you believe in love at first sight?”
He shook his head slowly.
“Well then, I’m sorry for you. Believe it or not, it exists. And I know this because it’s happened to me. I fell in love with Ben and he is in love with me.”
Anna watched many emotions flash across Ethan’s face. It started with anger and then faded to sadness. He unexpectedly looked like an empty shell of a man. He seemed so lost, Anna almost reached out to console him, but fury lit in his eyes and she suddenly felt afraid.
“Ethan?” she asked when he didn’t respond.
He swallowed hard. “I’m sorry you feel this way, Anna. We could have been great together.”
Anna cocked her head to the side. “I don’t even know what to say, Ethan.”
He stood and buttoned his suit jacket. “Not to worry, Anna. Your lack of words speaks loud enough.”
He walked towards the door to her office and paused. “Maybe it’s not a smart idea for you to proceed with my project. I’d hate for our personal differences to get in the way.” Ethan took another step and stopped again. “I’ll leave it to you to tell your new boss what has transpired between the two of us.”
He left in a hurry and Anna regretted their meeting. She wished she had never asked him to come and realized that exchanging emails would have been the smarter choice.
Stupid, stupid, stupid, she repeated as she pounded her fist against her forehead. And now she was responsible for telling Tiffany that she failed to keep her dead mother’s reputation intact. Anna stared at the screen in front of her. When it began to blur, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, she looked around the office, suddenly feeling sad that her dream of opening her own interior design firm was over.
Even if Anna was to get another job in a design firm, the likelihood of her obtaining a job as big as the Sanders home was slim. It was unusual for the owner of the firm to give the big projects to their associates. The only reason Anna had acquired the Sanders project was because Beth had become lazy and was expecting to steal Anna’s thunder when the project was done.
She slowly closed the laptop and unplugged it from the wall. Anna stood and sauntered towards Beth’s old office where Tiffany now sat reading through a stack of papers. She knocked on the frame and Tiffany looked up.
“Anna, please, come in.” She waved her in and Anna sat down. “What’s up?”
Anna frowned. “I’m afraid that I won’t be able to finish the Sanders project.”
Concern formed on Tiffany’s face. “What happened? Is everything okay?”
“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call him firing me okay.”
Tiffany’s eyes widened. “Why?”
Anna went into detail about what had transpired between her and Ethan and then paused for reaction.
“What an asshole!” her new boss exclaimed. “He actually expected you to throw caution to the wind and give yourself to him?”
Anna was a bit taken aback by Tiffany’s reaction to her story and instantly regretted it, feeling terrible for assuming she was just like her mother.
“You have nothing to worry about, Anna. My mother’s reputation is one thing, but I’d never ask you to go as far as giving yourself to a man just to preserve it. F him.”
Anna laughed. “I’m happy to hear that. Honestly, I don’t think your mother would have had the same idea as you.” She bit her tongue as soon as she said it.
The barking laugh coming from Tiffany made her feel better. “Now that’s the truth! My mom always did what she could for the job. And that’s a fact!”
“So, what happens now?” Anna asked.
“Unfortunately, your work here is done then, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “It seems so.” Anna stood. “Your mother wasn’t all that bad, Tiffany. She did have some moments where I really thought I could like her.”
Tiffany smiled. “I know she did. It’s just too bad she didn’t see it that way.”
“Take care.” Anna smiled softly and turned to leave.
“Anna?”
She turned to look back at Tiffany.
“I like you. If you ever want to get a drink together, let me know. I think we could be great friends.”
Anna nodded. “I agree.” And with that, she left the office and met Jarrod at the car. He opened the door and helped her inside. Once he entered the vehicle, he looked into the rearview mirror and asked her where she wanted to go.
“I’d like to go to my house, Jarrod.”
He frowned. “You know that’s off limits, Anna.”
“I know. But if I’m to keep my sanity, I need to collect some of my personal things. My life has become a shit show and I feel like I’m slowly losing my mind. Living in another man’s house and no job. I’m forgetting who I am!”
Jarrod held up his hands. “Okay, okay. Quick stop.” He glared at her. “Anna, I mean quick! If anything is to happen, Ben would kill me!”
Anna was both happy and surprised that she won the argument with Jarrod. Not wanting to annoy him further and risk him changing his mind, she nodded and pressed her lips together. As they drove to her house, she wondered if she should keep their little detour a secret but opted against it. If she knew Jarrod like she thought she did, Ben probably already knew where they were going. The thought made her smile.
Anna pulled out her phone and sent Ben a text.
Please don’t be mad but I talked Jarrod into taking me to my house for some things. And please don’t fight me on this. If I’m going to be staying with you for a while, I’ll need more clothes and such.
She clicked send and waited for a reply. When his response was a simple “Okay,” she sighed with relief. There was a lot going on and she didn’t want to upset him further.
As her house came into view, Anna smiled brightly.
“Home,” she breathed when Jarrod pulled into the driveway. She didn’t wait for him to open her door. Anna pushed it open and hurried to her front door. Jarrod caught up with her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Anna.”
She slid her key in the lock and turned. “Don’t worry, Jarrod. I plan to let you in first.”
“Smart girl,” he said as he walked past her. Anna rolled her eyes and followed him inside. The crew that had come to fingerprint her home had left it in turmoil. The furniture was moved around and black dust smudged random surfaces.
“It’s all clear. I’ll be waiting outside for you. Please, make it quick.”
Anna saluted him. “Yes, sir.”
When he left her alone, she went to her room and climbed into bed. God, how she missed her bed. She laid there for five minutes before sitting up and looking around. It had the same black smudges but nothing had been moved around.
“Better hurry before I get in trouble,” she said aloud and giggled. She knew Jarrod meant well, but she found him to be so bossy.
After snuggling with her blanket one more time, Anna slid off the bed and walked to her closet where she pulled many items from hangers and tossed them on the bed. Once she was satisfied with her choice of clothing, she grabbed her suitcase and started to fill it. Next to go into the suite case was a bottle of her favorite perfume and a mix of colorful eyeshadows.
It wasn’t long before she realized that her suit case had become too full to zip up, but she wasn’t about to start taking things out. Anna sat on it and struggled with the zipper before it finally closed. But now it was too heavy. She blew the stray strand of hair from her face and stood to go search for Jarrod. Besides protecting her from the bad guys, she now needed him to carry her heavy suitcase to the car.
“Hey, Jarrod?” she hollered from the front door. “Can you help me for a sec?”
Anna waited for a response and when she didn’t get one, went to look for him. She walked to the car assuming he was sitting in there waiting for her, but when she peeked into the window, he wasn’t there.
“Jarrod?” she called again. “Where are you?”
Anna walked to the curb and looked and down the street. Something wasn’t right. It wasn’t like Jarrod to stray too far when they were out and about.
“Jarrod!” she yelled one more time, hoping it would get his attention wherever he was. Still, there was no answer. Alarms sounded in Anna’s head so she turned to run in the house, but she didn’t get far.
Something hard slammed into the back of her head causing her head to spin, and she dropped to her knees. Anna rolled to sit on her bottom and shielded her eyes from the sun so that she could catch a glimpse of her attacker, but the stars in her eyes prevented that from happening. All she could see was a shadow through her blurred vision. The last thing she did see was the person’s arm raise before coming down on her head again. This time Anna fell backwards to the ground. She struggled to stay conscious, but the pain was too intense.
She heard a man’s voice say, “It’s done,” before the darkness won.