Page 68 of A Certain Step
They took their seats, somewhat secluded but near four teenagers who might’ve been ditching school and an older couple on the other side of them. They generally stuck to the same things on the menu, so neither of them looked at it.
“I need to get it on record that this isn’t an official first date,” he started in a whisper, trying to judge her reaction.
“I didn’t assume it was,” she responded casually.
He kicked her foot gently at the bottom of the table. “Right, but I want you to know that I’m thinking about it. There’s a place near my parents’ cabin where I grew up, and I want to take you there for the official first one.”
She smiled a little wickedly. “Is that where you take all your paramours, Ethan Everett?”
He rolled his eyes, taking note of the way she said paramours, mocking his use of it in the show. “I’ve never taken anyone there, which is why I want to take you.”
“You had to go and make it sweet? Dammit, go on then—tell me the story,” she declared.
He clicked his tongue. “Not yet.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Well, you’re no fun. Now I’m going to picture all sorts of weird things.”
He laughed louder than he intended to. “Patience is a virtue.”
“No, patience is life’s most enraging plot device.”
Their waiter came in just in time, took their drink orders as well as food, and left them in comfortable silence. God, he wanted to reach over and hold her hand, but he stopped himself. Someday, he’d be able to do that, and he made a mental vow to himself that he’d never let go.
“It’s taking everything in me not to hold your hand right now,” he whispered.
She smiled amiably at him. “I know, I want you to, but not right now,” she paused for a beat. “There is something I want to ask you, though.”
“What is it?”
The waiter returned with their drinks, Dr. Pepper and water for both. She took a quick sip before speaking. “I gave you some hefty details about my exes, but all you’ve ever told me about Michelle is that you were long-distance for a couple of years. Why did you two break up?”
He swallowed a lump in his throat, gulped down some water, then squared himself. He looked around the restaurant, taking in the noise of their surroundings, determining what he could say aloud. Surely, these people didn’t even know him. There was no need for him to be paranoid, but he wanted to respect her wishes, just in case. He lowered his voice.
“I was at a rough spot when I met her.Detective Vicehad been canceled, and my agent didn’t have any leads. I’d also been super drained. It was a brief period where everything in my career felt grim. So, while we were dating, she was there for me and understood me because we were both in similar boats. Conveniently, a month later, we both booked separate gigs. That’s when I did the run at West End. While I was there, she was filming a show in Vancouver. We’d been together for almost a year at that point, and long-distance was going fine. She visited once. I went to see her after my run ended. But then she cheated on me with her co-star.”
Willa’s jaw dropped.
He continued. “She told me about it, so I sort of took her honesty as genuine regret. That’s when I was cast inFired Up,and I went to film on location in Vancouver, so we got to physically be together for a while. She seemed remorseful, so we kept things going. But as my project wrapped, she cheated again with another co-star, and that time, when she told me, she ended things because she wanted to be with him.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Nope,” he said, leaning back in his seat and taking the Dr. Pepper in his hand.
Fury filled her eyes. “Ethan, tell me you’re joking right now.”
“Want me to lie to you?”
Her cheeks went fiery red, the blush and natural anger blending to a raging hue. He hated it. “She cheated on you again after you took her back? With another co-star? On the same show?”
“She was in a bad place, too. I—”
Willa cut him off. “Don’t you dare defend her. Once, fine,maybeyou could’ve used that reasoning, but twice? She made a choice, and it was a really shitty one. And on you, of all people? God, I hope I never work with her.”
The waiter came by with their food and extra spicy mayo for Willa. She stared at it. “I’m so furious I don’t know how to eat.”
Great, now look what you’ve done. You’ve made her angry with your sob story.“Wills, look at me.”
She looked up at him, chopsticks propped up in her hand like some sort of weapon.
