Ethan makes an unexpected detour by his parents’ house on their way to dinner. “I want to show you something,” he explains as he turns onto one of Charleston’s most prestigious streets
“Okay,” she says slowly in a skeptical tone. What could he possibly want to show her at his parents’ house?
He passes through the gates of a large estate that features a three-story home, with double columned piazzas, and a small manicured side yard. Near the rear of the lot sits the original carriage built from the same old Charleston brick as the wall and main house.
Clara and Hugh Hayes greet them on the lower porch. Hannah guesses them to be a few years older than her mother, closer to sixty than fifty-five. Both are nice-looking, physically fit, and casually dressed in knee-length shorts and polo shirts. When Hugh offers her a cocktail, Hannah turns him down. Although she and Ethan took long naps on the boat, her head is still fuzzy from her afternoon buzz.
Ethan, too, turns down his father’s offer of a drink. “We can’t stay long. We have dinner reservations at eight.”
“My son shared your work with me,” Hugh says. “I’m impressed. You have quite the creative eye.”
Hannah’s face warms. Is he interviewing her? “Thank you.”
“Do you have a special someone in your life?” Clara asks.
Hannah immediately thinks of Gus. “No, ma’am.”
“Mom, Jeez.” Ethan says. “Give Hannah a break.”
“Can’t blame your old mom for trying. Pretty girl that she is.” Clara’s lips part in a mischievous smile as she sips her vodka tonic.
Hannah smiles awkwardly. What will Clara think when she finds out Hannah is a single mom of a three-year-old son?
Ethan rolls his eyes at Hannah. “Ignore her. I brought you here for a reason, not to subject you to an inquisition.” His gaze shifts to Hugh. “Dad has recently retired after forty years of practicing medicine.” He gives his dad a fist bump. “They have a number of trips planned for the next few years.”
“We’re making up for lost time,” Clara interjects.
Hugh nods. “And we’re hoping to find someone to rent the carriage house and look after the property while we’re gone.”
“Small things like collecting the mail and watering plants,” Clara says. “Nothing major. Since you’re moving in from out of town, we thought you might be interested. I think you’ll find the rent affordable.”
When she says the amount, Hannah’s eyes go wide. Not only affordable but a steal.
“Would you like to see the carriage house?” Clara asks.
“Sure,” Hannah says with a shrug of indifference. She doesn’t want to appear overly excited in case it doesn’t work out. In case she turns down the partnership offer.
They leave the men on the porch. As Hannah and Clara stroll together down the brick sidewalk, she imagines Gus running in circles around the fountain and climbing the sprawling oak tree.
The carriage house is bigger than her mother’s apartment above the cafe but smaller than the house for sale on Summer Street. The one-story floorpan offers two bedrooms and a single bath. In the living room and adjacent kitchen, natural lights spills in through curved windows that were once bays for the horses.
“Ethan has told us how hesitant you are to leave Palmetto Island. I don’t blame you. I’ve been there many times myself, and I find the area quite lovely. He thought this might help you make your decision. If you’d like, we can do a month-to-month lease. You can live here until you get more acquainted with Charleston.”
“That would be nice.” When Clara appears hopeful, Hannah quickly adds, “If I decide to accept his offer.”
“I understand.” Clara locks the door, and they start back toward the house. “Our first trip isn’t until October. I’m happy to hold it for you until the end of the summer. I’m sure we won’t have any trouble finding a tenant if things don’t work out. But I’d rather have someone I know taking care of my home.”
“I don’t blame you,” Hannah says. “I won’t drag this thing out. It’s not fair to Ethan, and I don’t like having such a monumental decision hanging over my head.”
As they approach the porch, Ethan says, “Well? What do you think?”
Hannah smiles in response to his eager expression. “I think it’s very nice. Perfect, actually. I appreciate your parents giving me the opportunity.”
“Great!” He steps down off the porch. “Then, let’s go eat. I’m starving.”
Clara gives Hannah her number in case she has questions, and Hannah thanks them again in parting.
Hannah is quiet, lost in thought, on the way to the restaurant. Ethan’s parents seemed to know a lot about her. Which means Ethan has talked to them about her. Which must mean that he’s close to them. Like she’s close to Birdie.
“Are you an only child?” she asks as he’s manuring the Porsche into a small space on a side street.
He puts the car in gear and kills the engine. “Is it that obvious?”
“Takes one to know one,” she says, opening her door. “Where are we going to dinner?”
“Husk. If you’ve never been, you’re in for a treat.”
The hostess is young and beautiful and calls Ethan by his first name as though they are friends. “As you requested, we have a table for you on the upstairs porch,” she says to Ethan without so much as a glance at Hannah. Handsome and successful, he undoubtedly has girls falling all over him all the time.
They follow the hostess up the stairs and through the dining room to a table for two on the porch. She waits for them to sit down before handing them menus. “Call me sometime, Ethan,” she says and saunters off, giving her hips an extra shake for Ethan’s benefit.
“Old girlfriend?” Hannah asks, her eyes on the menu.
“Childhood friend.”
She waits for him to say more, but he doesn’t.
She stares across the balcony at the people wondering about on Queen Street below. “What’s that?” she asks, pointing at the ancient brick building next door.
“The bar at Husk.” When she furrows her brow, he adds, “That’s what they call it. It’s seriously cool, very authentic. We can go there after dinner for drinks, if you’d like.”
Hannah sets her menu down. “I forgot to tell you. My best friend Liza is dating your high school buddy, Stuart.”
Ethan flashes his phone at her. “I already heard. Stuart texted me earlier about getting together with us later.”
Hannah squirms in her seat. This feels too much like a date. Couples getting together with other couples for drinks.
She’s relieved when their waiter appears, saving her from having to respond.
They both order shrimp and grits and a glass of Rose. Ethan hands the waiter the menus. “And can we please have an order of skillet cornbread to share.”
During dinner, Hannah makes certain their conversation stays focused on business. She grows more comfortable with her role in the partnership and less comfortable with the thought of moving to Charleston. The Hayes’s property is spectacular, the carriage house charming. But it’s not Palmetto Island. If only she didn’t have to move. If only she could buy the house on Summer Street and work remotely.
Their phones simultaneously ping with incoming texts. They drop their gazes to their phone screens. “Stuart,” he says, and she nods. “Liza.”
Ethan’s tone is less than enthusiastic when he asks, “Do you want to meet them for a drink?”
“Not really. I’ve had enough alcohol for one day.” While a noisy bar sounds miserable, she’s not yet ready to go back to Liza’s empty apartment. “I wouldn’t mind taking a walk, though.” She looks out over the buildings of downtown Charleston at the full moon on the horizon. “The moon is beautiful. I’ve photographed it so many times, but my pictures never do it justice.”
“That’s it then. We’ll go for a walk along the sea wall. Let me get our check,” he says and summons the waiter.
They park his car at his waterfront condo and walk down East Bay Street to the tip of promenade, across from Battery Park. They lean against the railing, gazing at the moon beams shimmering off the water.
“I was an ass earlier today on the beach,” Ethan says. “I hope I didn’t scare you off. I am attracted to you, Hannah. Any man in his right mind would be. But I’m capable of remaining in the friend zone for the sake of our business relationship.”
Hannah’s feelings for Ethan confuse her. She enjoys his company. Being with him makes her all warm and cozy one minute and tingling with excitement the next. But she’s never been one for casual sex. Even when she got pregnant with Gus, she was in a relationship. That’s also the last time she slept with anyone, almost four years ago. And the thought of having sex terrifies her. Yet her stomach flip flops everything he touches her.
Why can’t she make up her mind about this partnership? She’s not usually so wishy washy, but she’s equally torn between accepting his offer and buying the house on Summer Street. What’s holding her back? Then, suddenly it dawns on her. While her personal life is none of his business, she feels dishonest in keeping Gus a secret.
“I need to tell you something, Ethan.”
He fingers a lock of hair off her forehead. “What do you need to tell me?”
The image of them lying naked in bed together, sweaty from sex with their limbs entwined, comes to mind. “Never mind.”
He rests his hand on her back. “No, something’s on your mind. You can talk to me, Hannah. I’m a good listener.”
She inhales a deep breath. “I have a three-year-old son. I got pregnant my senior year in college, and I chose to keep the baby.”
Ethan’s face falls and he drops his hand from her back. “Oh.”
Hannah’s heart pounds against ribcage. He’s upset. What did she expect? “If I decide to take your offer, I promise I won’t let being a single mom get in the way of my performance. But I thought you should know. Your parents may feel differently about me renting their carriage house.”
Ethan straightens. Raking his hands through his sandy hair, he says, “But I checked you out. How did I miss a kid?”
“I work hard to keep him out of the public eye.” She doesn’t tell Ethan why. That Gus’s father doesn’t know he exists.
She desperately needs to hear Ethan say that it doesn’t matter. That this doesn’t affect his offer. That he’s still attracted to her. Instead, he says, “Thanks for telling me.” And what follows is even more devastating. “I should get you home.”