Page 29 of Falling for Them

“You’re home early today. I was going to surprise you by making dinner.” I was a damn good recipe follower and was planning on trying a new chicken recipe that was pretty much fool-proof.

“I had to go by my old place and sign some paperwork with management. Luckily, I didn’t have to see Eugene.” He shuddered as he put the bags on the island and started taking things out, avoiding looking at me.

“Is everything okay?” I put my hand over his and he paused, looking up. “With us?”

His brows furrowed the smallest amount. “Why wouldn’t they be?”

“You’ve been… distant.” Why did this feel like a conversation between two lovers instead of two best friends?

He sighed and took a stray tendril of my hair between his fingers, twirling it. “I have a lot on my mind.”

My heart raced at his touch and the intensity in his eyes. “We never talked about what happened.”

His eyes fell to my lips, but he looked away so fast that I couldn’t be sure what that meant. The question was, did we want it to mean something?

“I don’t want to talk about it. Not yet.” He pushed the piece of hair he was playing with behind my ear. “We should get the groceries put away.”

Before he retreated, I grabbed his hand, holding it to my cheek. “I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

The sound of the front door shutting had us jumping apart like two teenagers caught doing something they weren’t supposed to.

Leo strode in, his presence immediately filling the room. He took in the scene before him, his eyes narrowing. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Just putting away groceries.” I quickly grabbed a bottle of wine from one of the bags. I was going to need it sooner rather than later.

The tension in the room thickened as Leo’s gaze darted between Ethan and me.

“You usually aren’t home so early.” I’d only seen Leo once since Sunday when we’d moved Ethan in. Now it was Thursday, and I hadn’t expected to see him until the next day for my first day in the office.

Starting a job on a Friday was a brilliant plan. It would be overwhelming, but then I’d have the whole weekend to recuperate. It had also been nice to get settled into my new home as much as possible.

Leo’s jaw clenched as he held up a folder. “I remembered I had some paperwork for you to sign. Figured I’d drop it off and see if you’d like to join me for dinner at one of my restaurants.”

Ethan practically threw the package of chicken and carton of cream into the refrigerator. “Well, isn’t that thoughtful of you. Always going above and beyond for your employees.”

Leo gave him a bored look, and I felt like I was caught in the crossfires of their ongoing war. The question was, why? Ethan was more bothered by Leo than the other way around.

“I like to make sure everything runs smoothly.”

Ethan snorted. “Yeah, I bet you do.”

Leo’s face darkened. “Is there a problem, Roberts?”

“Why would there be a problem, Caponetti?”

I felt like I was missing a crucial piece of information. I had no idea how to navigate the hostility. I’d never seen Ethan act this way before, and Leo seemed to enjoy getting a rise out of him.

“I was going to cook dinner for me and Ethan if you’d like to join us. I’m no Michelin-star chef or anything, but it will be edible… I hope.” I laughed but quickly stopped when both men continued to glare daggers at each other. “How about some wine?”

“I was about to head to the gym. I’ll be back later.” Ethan stormed out of the kitchen, grabbing his gym bag from the floor next to the couch.

It was best to leave Ethan alone when he was in a bad mood—on the rare occasion he was in one—so I didn’t say a word as he walked out of the door.

I turned to Leo, completely bewildered. “What the hell was that about?”

Leo ran a hand through his hair, looking suddenly exhausted. “I’ve literally done nothing to warrant his ire. Well, except kiss you.” He lifted the flap of his bag and pulled out a manila folder, thick with papers. “I didn’t think you’d want to spend your whole morning tomorrow going over these.”

My annoyance with him came back full force. “I’m not at work right now.”

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