Page 73 of Monster Among the Roses (Fairy Tale Quartet 1)

He blinked as if confused by my shock. “When else?”

As he waved me away, I just stared at him. He sighed. “Indulge an old man, will you? It’s been too long since Izzy’s been out on the town. On an actual date. I want it to be special for her.”

Those were exactly the words I needed to win me over. With a nod, I relented. This really would be the first date she’d been on in eight years. I wanted her to have the best too.

I arrived at the address Henry had given me about ten minutes later. It was another lovely home, located on Porterfield Lane, but it wasn’t as big as Porter Hall. It was still impressive, though. As soon as I parked, the front door came open, and Isobel’s brother stepped outside.

I don’t know why I was surprised to see him; it made perfect sense that Henry would send me to a man who owned half of a clothing company.

Stopping on the front steps, Ezra crossed his arms over his chest. “Was this date your idea or my dad’s?”

I sighed as I strolled toward him. “Well…” I started.

A smile flickered across his face. “That’s what I thought. Why am I not surprised he had to go and meddle in your relationship?”

With a shrug, I answered, “You know your father well.”

“Yeah, I do.” He sighed and stepped aside to motion me into his home. “Did he even bother to give you the fatherly, respect-my-daughter-or-die lecture, or was he so excited that she was actually doing something for a change that he completely forgot?”

“He did,” I said. Kind of.

Ezra sniffed. “Doubtful. That’s why I think I’m going to have to give it, instead.” Flashing out his finger, he pointed and narrowed his eyes. “Don’t disrespect my sister, or I’ll kill you. And don’t let anyone else disrespect her either. Got it?”

I lifted both hands and gulped. “Got it.”

Narrowing his eyes a second longer as if to make sure I was sincere, he finally dropped his hand and relaxed. Then the easygoing Ezra I’d first met reappeared. “Okay, then. Let’s see what we have in my closet that might fit you?”

I started to follow him down a hall, only to stop. “Wait, what? I’m borrowing your clothes?”

He snorted and kept walking away. “What the hell did you think you were doing when he sent you this way?”

Huh, now that he mentioned it, I hadn’t been thinking at all. With Henry Nash involved, calling the shots, I could’ve been headed to a tailor’s house to be fitted for some custom-made digs.

Ezra was rapidly disappearing ahead of me, so I hurried to catch up. He entered a room, and when I followed him inside, I stepped into his bedroom. But he wasn’t there.

“Where…?”

“In here,” he called from a doorway deeper in the room.

I went forward to find a walk-in closet.

“Any certain color you want?” he asked conversationally, filing through suit jackets hanging from one wall. Yes, an entire wall full of suit jackets.

Shaking my head, I watched numbly as he shrugged over my response and took one down. “See if that fits.”

He tossed it my way. I caught it against my chest, and held it there before reluctantly trying it on. It was a damn good fit, not too snug in the shoulders, not too big in the waist and barely half an inch short in the arms, which only made me feel more uncomfortable. Was I really going to wear some other man’s clothes?

Ezra skimmed his gaze over my torso before shrugging as if that would do, and he turned to a carousel full of ties.

I quickly yanked the jacket back off, feeling as if I had cooties now. “Is it just me or is one guy borrowing clothes from another guy just plain weird?”

“Hell yes, it’s weird.” Ezra picked out a handful of ties. “Which is why you’re signing an NDA before you’re allowed to leave my house.”

I snorted. “As if I would ever tell anyone about this, anyway.”

“Good.” He turned to me, holding up half a dozen ties. “Which one?”

Dear God.

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