by A. M. Kusi
He could have sworn Harper leaned down and whispered, “That’s what she said” into Isa’s ear. Isa’s face blushed pink as Harper walked away.
His friends had not led him astray when they’d said Isa was beautiful. He could tell by the designer shoes, jeans, and sweater she was wearing that she came from money too. Probably a spoiled rich daddy’s girl.
“Your sense of humor nearly killed me,” she said, seeming unimpressed.
“Harper told me she was trying to set us up. Jax warned me the two of you were trouble.”
“Well, this was all her idea. I’m just here for the baby.”
He could tell she was trying to make it clear she was not interested. That was fine with him. Better than fine.
“You don’t like weddings?” he asked.
“Not particularly. I mean, these guys are the exception,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“Come on. Tell me you don’t believe in committing your life to one person, and expecting them to do the same? Look at the divorce statistics.”
“Not a believer in marriage?” he asked, surprised.
“Nope. Obviously there are exceptions. Jax and Harper. River and Ella. I’m sure there are some people who are wired for monogamy, and on the off chance they meet someone who is too, well, yeah, that’s rare,” she said, wiping her mouth with the napkin.
“What made you such a cynic?” he asked.
Isa’s laugh was humorless this time. “Life.”
What could this pampered princess have experienced to make her so cold? Isa didn’t seem to be anything like the woman their friends had described.
“You seem to like babies. You don’t want a family someday?” he asked, not ready to let the subject go. His parents had an exemplary marriage. Ethan had always looked up to them and wanted to emulate what they had. He didn’t waste time with meaningless hookups. He was searching for the real thing.
Isa sighed before turning to gaze directly in his eyes. Something flickered in them before her expression grew impassive. “There are more ways than one to have a child. I don’t need a man to be a mother, if that is what I choose.”
Ethan didn’t know what to say, so he nodded. This woman’s negative outlook on relationships bothered him. She was getting under his skin. He had an intense desire to prove her wrong. “Are your parents still married?” he asked.
She smirked, before taking a drink. “Stop.”
“What?”
“Stop trying to figure me out. You’re one of those people who believe in love and happily-ever-afters. It must really bother you that I don’t,” she said, reading him like a book.
“I just wondered what happened to make a beautiful woman such as yourself see the world so negatively.”
“Let’s just focus on what we came here for. Two people are getting married, so we have to be here together. It doesn’t mean we have to be friends,” she said, before taking a bite of bread.
“Ouch. We can’t be friends because I am such a positive guy? Or is it because you are a man-hater?” he asked, smirking.
Isa turned to face him, crossing her arms defensively. “I don’t hate men. They are good for some things.”
His body responded, and he reached out his hand and touched hers before he thought better of it. Isa made a small gasping noise and stood as his palm surged with energy from their touch.
A second later, her face was unreadable again as she bent down and whispered in his ear, “We aren’t going to be that kind of friends either.” Her hot breath tickled his ear and sent a charge straight to his groin. Ethan cleared his throat as she straightened.
Harper yelled across the table, “Oh, they are telling secrets already! See? I told you guys you would make the perfect couple.”
If Harper only knew how wrong she was.
Isa rolled her eyes and said, “Actually, I’m going to head to bed early. It’s been a long day.”
Isa walked around to give her friend a hug. He couldn’t help but follow her curvy ass with his gaze until she was out of sight.
He could sense his friends’ smirks before he saw them. He brought his attention back to the table, seeing their eyes on him. “What?”
“What did I tell you?” Harper asked.
“Sorry to burst your bubble, but you really missed the mark on this one, Harper.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
Ethan stood and walked around to the other side of the table, bringing his chair with him and setting it next to Harper’s. He sat, before explaining, “I mean, your friend is beautiful and all, but man, is she bitter. I told you I don’t need help being set up. Unless you know a great Ghanaian woman?” Ethan laughed.
“Isa isn’t what she seems. She’s rough around the edges, but she has the biggest heart of anyone I know. She’s loyal and giving. Don’t let her fool you. She’s been through a lot,” Harper said.
Ethan nodded, not sure what else to say. What did Harper mean?
“Why does the woman you marry have to be Ghanaian?” Harper asked.
“She would be familiar with my culture, probably speak my language. My mom wants grandchildren, and she wants them to understand the culture, like my niece and nephew do,” he explained.
“Cultural differences are hard, but not impossible to get through,” Jax said, taking his wife’s hand. “With the right woman, I mean.”
Harper smiled at her husband as she nursed their daughter in her arms. The love and commitment those two had—that was what Ethan wanted. He was positive he would find it, just as sure as he was that the woman for him was not Isa.
Ethan’s phone rang, interrupting their moment. He pulled out his cell to see his older sister’s name across the screen. “I’ve got to take this; it’s Abby,” he said, rising from the table and walking into the inn.
“Hey, lady. Wo ho te sen?” he asked in Twi.
“I am well,” she said, and he could hear the joy in her voice.
Abby was always happy. She had a husband who adored her and two beautiful children who always gave her reasons to smile. Just one more couple to prove Isa wrong. Finding true love was more common than she wanted to admit. He shook his head. Why was she occupying space in his mind?
“How are my favorite niece and nephew?” Ethan asked.
“They are good. Getting into trouble as usual.” She laughed. “Hey, you remember me talking about my friend Sarah?”
Ethan thought for a moment before answering, “You mean the one in school studying to be an economics professor?”
“Yeah. She just started her masters and PhD program in Boston and moved to the area. Mommy wanted me to tell her about you, and warm her up to the idea of meeting you, but I wanted to check first.”
He hesitated a moment before answering his sister, “Yeah, sounds good.”
“Are you sure?” Abby asked.
“Couldn’t hurt,” he said, wondering why he felt uneasy suddenly.
“Okay, I’ll talk to her. Let me know when you get back into town and we will set something up.” Abby gasped excitedly. “Maybe we can double-date, and Mom and Dad can watch the kids. We would love a night out. Now that Max is almost eight months old, I think he can do without me for a couple of hours.”
“Sounds like a plan. Love you,” he said.
“Love you too.”
Ethan ended the call and continued along the hall, smiling as he read off the names of the various apple-themed rooms, until he reached his: the Gala suite.
***
Ethan and his happy-go-lucky outlook on life bothered Isa more than she wanted to admit. He was a sap who believed the hype. He had the audacity to call her a man-hater and assume her life goal was to have children. What a misogynistic asshole. A good-looking one, but an asshole nonetheless.
He had pissed her off when he�
�d asked about her parents. Like knowing the truth about the secrets that stayed behind the closed doors of their home would give her some epiphany. Her parents stayed married out of obligation and the toxicity of their relationship was the biggest example of why people like her should never get married. Ethan thought he knew her, just like countless others who had come before him had. Just another day in Isa Grayson’s life. Just another reason to stay away from him.
Isa pulled her Kindle off the nightstand and brought up the romance novel she had bookmarked. She couldn’t have her happily-ever-after, but that didn’t mean she didn’t like to escape into the fantasy of one occasionally. If only life were like the books she read.
The character might have been written as a white man, but tonight she imagined him with dark skin and a certain someone’s tight muscular body and handsome face. She may have read the hero’s voice with a Ghanaian accent in her head too, because she was only human after all.
When the hero kissed the heroine, she remembered the way Ethan’s electric touch had felt on her arm. Heat bloomed in her center as she closed her eyes, feeling her breathing becoming more rapid. She touched her lips, wondering what his full pink-tinged mouth would feel like on hers. What they would feel like sucking on her neck, trailing between her breasts, between her thighs . . .
Nope! Isa’s eyes shot open. That was enough fantasy for one night. Ethan was off-limits.
New rule: don’t fantasize about him.
Chapter 3
The next morning, Isa made her way to the breakfast nook by the kitchen where her friends had already gathered. She was the last to arrive, as usual.
Ethan sat next to River and Jax, joking and laughing. Ella held baby Mila while Harper sipped on a mug of tea.
“Isa, come try this tea Ella makes. It’s so good,” Harper said, patting the empty chair next to her.
Isa took the seat and then the cup from her friend before tasting the minty creaminess. “It’s delicious.”
“It’s a coconut milk peppermint tea latte,” Ella said.
“Mmmm, it sure is.” Isa nodded. “Ella, did a local artist do all the work hanging in the Inn?” Isa asked, motioning to the several realistic drawings on the walls. Each one was unique, done in black and white with a pop of color on one object. The pictures were things you would normally see in an orchard, such as farm workers on ladders picking bright red or green apples.
“I did them,” Ella answered.
Isa got the impression that Ella was a woman of few words. She was polite, but reserved. She felt a connection between them. Maybe it was artist to artist. The little she knew about her traumatic past, made her respect Ella. She was one strong woman. A survivor.
“Wow. What can’t you do, Ella? They are absolutely beautiful.”
“Thank you. Harper tells me you paint?” Ella asked.
She could feel Ethan’s eyes on her as she answered, “Yes. It’s more of a hobby. I use watercolors or acrylics.”
“I saw the painting you gave to River.” Ella placed a hand over her heart before continuing, “It was the most beautiful work of art I have ever seen. It spoke to me. You captured me in that painting without even knowing me.”
“I’m so happy you felt that.”
Isa could see the emotion in Ella’s eyes. She felt a surge of pride, knowing that her creation could elicit such a response. The high she chased flooded over her. If only she could get the courage to share her art with more of the world. But she would have to be vulnerable to do that. Open to criticism. It wasn’t worth it.
“Maybe you can check out my friend Julie’s art studio while you’re here. She does pottery, but has all the supplies for painting too.”
“That would be fun,” Isa agreed.
“Okay, guys. This is the agenda for the next two weeks. Look it over and let me know what you think,” Harper said, passing out the stack of papers.
Isa grabbed one and searched for her name. And sure enough, she was paired with Ethan every single day for every single activity and errand to run. From collecting ribbon to stocking up on hard cider for the guests, he would be with her. She glanced up to see a frown on his face. He wasn’t happy about the arrangement either.
“Harper—” Isa tried to protest but Harper sat and spoke quietly to her.
“It’s where I need you. I know you think I’m meddling, but I wanted to keep the couples together on most of the tasks. You know Jax works a lot, and this is kind of like a vacation for us. I love you, but I want to spend some time with my husband.”
Isa was used to being the third wheel, but damn, this was inconvenient. She looked at her best friend’s doe eyes and sighed. “Okay.”
Harper smiled. “Great!” She turned to face everyone else at the table. “So, everyone good?”
They all gave a communal “Yeah,” and Isa glanced over to find Ethan staring back at her. She swallowed and wondered how she would survive two weeks of this.
***
Isa and Ethan had been charged with party favors. They drove to a local sugar house and picked up the array of mini maple syrup jugs that had Ella’s and River’s names and wedding date engraved on them. Ethan loaded them into his small Toyota while Isa handed the man a credit card. He watched her rip up the check River had given them. What was she doing?
Isa climbed into the passenger’s side and buckled up. He rested his arm on the back of her chair as he backed out. He caught her sweet perfume: peonies. His mother had planted some outside their house and it was his favorite smell.
“Where to next?” he asked.
“Craft store for ribbon, and then a hard cider factory.” Isa sighed.
“That sounds fun.”
She didn’t respond.
“Look, I think we got off to the wrong start,” he admitted.
“Maybe.”
“It seems we will be spending a lot of time together these next couple of weeks. I know how you feel about being friends, but can we at least pretend we are until the wedding?”
“I guess so.” She sighed.
“Great.”
They stopped at the craft shop, walking in silence as they approached the aisle for ribbon. Ethan hadn’t known there were so many different shades of blue.
“Why not get this one? It’s on sale,” he remarked.
She turned and looked at him as if he’d asked the most ridiculous question in the world. “Because this doesn’t match the swatch she gave me,” she said, holding up a piece of blue fabric almost the same color as the one he had chosen.
“Close enough, don’t you think?”
“Nope,” she said, grabbing a few more spools of the one she was holding. “Okay, I got it. Let’s go pay.”
Ethan followed her down the aisle, seeing her eyes lingering in the acrylic section. “Do you want to look?”
“Oh, no. It’s okay. I’m sure you want to hurry back.” She dismissed the idea, shaking her head making the long loose braid of hair fall off her shoulder.
“I’m in no rush.”
She hesitated and then turned down the paint aisle. “Thanks.”
She knelt and picked up a few brushes and canisters of paint. The price tags for such small bottles didn’t seem accurate. This was an expensive hobby. She didn’t seem fazed by it, filling her arms quickly and dumping the contents into the basket with the ribbon.
Ethan moved to pick the basket up at the same time she did and their hands connected for the briefest of moments. Warming tingles shot through him—the same ones he’d felt the first time they’d touched. Isa pulled away fast.
“I got it,” he said.
She wiped her hands on her jean-clad thighs as she stood. Apparently, she felt it too.
As they waited in the checkout line, Isa grabbed a couple of magazines. One was for crafting with kids and another with Mediterranean recipes. She laid
them in the pile. She used her credit card to pay for the items, including the ribbon for the party favors.
Once they were in the car, he asked, “Are you going to pay for everything in their wedding?” He knew the maple syrup bottles had to have cost a pretty penny.
Isa looked at him with one eyebrow raised. “Maybe I will. Who cares?”
Ethan bit his tongue. He hadn’t been too far off in his assumptions about her and money. “Just wondered. No need to get upset.”
“It isn’t much. Besides, why not give when I can afford it?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest, accentuating her breasts through the pale pink fabric of her shirt.
“I didn’t say anything.” He focused on the GPS on her phone; the destination was an hour and a half away. “Geeze, they couldn’t have picked a cidery that’s closer?”
“Woodchuck Cider is Ella’s favorite,” she said, like it explained everything.
The trees they passed were beginning to change colors. Yellow, purple, and white wildflowers mixed with the greens of the open fields and sides of the road as he drove the windy mountain route.
“What do you do for work?” he asked.
“Well, right now, I’m helping my friends with a wedding. What about you?” she deflected.
“Is conversation always going to be this hard with you?” he asked directly.
“I can tell you’re judging me. Why would I give you fuel for the fire?”
Ethan sighed. “Alright. I admit I have made certain judgments about you. But I am trying to get to know you and give you the opportunity to set me straight.”
“Fine. What do you do?” she countered.
“I asked you first.”
Isa rolled her eyes and stared out the window. “I don’t have a job. I mean, not a traditional one. I paint pretty much every day. I am free to help Harper out with the baby a few times a week so she can work on her book. I volunteer. I just don’t know what I want to do yet.”
Ethan’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “So, how can you afford to give anything right now? How do you pay your bills?”
