Page 57 of Big Island Summer
Fear flickered in his eyes as his composure slipped.
“You did me a favor,” she said. “Thank you. Now leave.”
“Fern, please.” He stepped closer, backing her into the wall. “I miss you.”
“Go back to Tiffany. She’s going to need you.”
“There’s no Tiffany to go back to.”
“What?” Fern felt a jolt of fear. “What happened?”
“She moved back to the mainland. She’s staying with her sister.”
Fear dropped into relief, then turned to fresh anger.
“What did you do?”
“I didn’tdoanything! Jesus! She couldn’t handle a bit of constructive criticism, that’s all.” His voice switched from biting to cloying as he said, “She’s a child, Fern. I see that now. I’m sorry I let myself be blinded by her beauty.”
“You disgust me.”
He jerked back as if she had slapped him.
“Go back to the mainland,” she told him. “You never liked it here anyway. I don’t know what you did or if she’ll take you back – and good on her if she doesn’t – but one way or another, you need to be there for your child.”
“You don’t get to tell me what to do,” he growled, moving forward until his face was inches from hers.
Rage simmered beneath her skin, but it was dampened by fear. She needed to deescalate the situation, not make it worse. Theodore was just a few feet away.
“Everything okay here?”
Chad jumped back, and a full breath of relief filled her chest as she turned to look at Ethan.
“Fine,” she assured him. “He was just leaving.”
Chad glared at her, but Ethan’s presence kept him in check. The man was a coward.
“Go,” she said. “And don’t come back.”
He spat at her feet and walked away. As soon as he’d disappeared around the corner, her legs started to shake. She sank into the nearest chair, bracing her arms on her knees.
“Are you okay?” Ethan knelt in front of her and looked up into her face.
“I will be,” she said, but her voice was shaky.
“Teddy?”
“He’s asleep inside.” Tears burned her eyes, and she blinked them back. “I am so sorry. I never thought he’d come here.”
“Did he hurt you?” Ethan’s hand brushed her cheek, just a whisper of a touch, and then dropped to grip her fingers.
“He didn’t touch me.”
“Good.” There was a ferocity to his tone that surprised her, and his eyes narrowed as he watched Chad’s Lexus drive away.
Once it was gone, he turned his attention back to her.
“Do you need anything?”
