“Mama, I’m hungry.”
She opened her eyes to Piper patting her arm. Dallas licked her dry lips. Lord, she’d fallen asleep. “Okay, hon, let’s fix you some lunch.” Her headache was still there but much better.
An hour later, with her daughter down for her nap, Dallas couldn’t put off calling Ethan any longer.
Her anxiety increased as his rich, cultured voice came on the line. “Dallas, how are you? It’s great to hear from you.”
Unsure how to approach the subject, she jumped right in. “Ethan, I realize now that I’m being unfair to you and Cash. Dating the two of you is hurtful, and I don’t want to be that kind of person. The right thing to do is to stop seeing you both.” She took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry for any pain that I’ve caused.”
There was a long silence, then he said, “Dallas, I’m not sure where this is coming from. I always knew the score. I’m quite confident you’ll choose me in the end. Go ahead and see the cowboy until you make your choice. Of course, I’d rather you stop dating him. But that’s for you to decide. I’m tougher than you give me credit for.” He laughed. “Really, Dallas, it’s not a problem. If it becomes one, I’ll let you know.”
“Well—”
“Come on, let’s talk about something else. I’ve gotten hold of some Broadway play tickets. Don’t worry. We have some time yet. I want you to be brave and tell me you’ll go. Friday and Saturday night. Back Sunday. I’ll donate to your school fund. You’ll have plenty of time to find someone to work for you at the bar, and we can figure out the nanny details. Please say you’ll come?”
Some of her anxiety slipped away, replaced by the warmth his kindness always made her feel. She remembered sitting snuggled against him in the limo drive home from California and a tiny thrill ran through her. It still surprised her sometimes that this handsome, successful man cared about her. What a wonderful life she’d have if she fell in love with him. “It sounds fabulous and, as usual, you’ve thought of everything. Can I think about it? At least let me make sure I can find someone to cover me.”
“What do you think of taking Friday off? Do you save your vacation for anything special? It’s up to you. I just thought it would be nice to have some time to see the sights when we get to New York.”
She laughed. “Oh, like this isn’t special? But, no, I don’t. I sometimes end up using vacation days if Piper is sick more than usual, though. If we go, I’ll ask for Friday off.”
“Amazing! And, about the other, please don’t worry your beautiful head about it.”
How was she supposed to do that? Sighing, she said, “Thanks for the invite, Ethan. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Apparently, she was the only crybaby of the three. The two guys were keeping it cool. Did that make what she was doing right, though? Despite being excited about Ethan’s plans, she still had a niggling feeling of guilt.
Chapter Nine
Early Thursday evening, Dallas stared anxiously out the kitchen window for the town car to pull up at her house. Opening her small bag, she checked for her lipstick—again. Meeting someone’s mother hadn’t been a big thing in high school. Then it didn’t matter. But Ethan was close to his mother, and tonight meant a lot to him.
Knowing his mother came from Dallas society, Dallas wore a conservative black sheath and medium heels. In her book, it was better to be conventionally dressed than the other way around. She sighed in relief as her ride pulled up to the curb.
She locked the house as the driver got out of the car and opened her door. She smiled. Would she ever get used to this luxury?
On the drive, she wracked her brain for topics of conversation that might interest his mother. Her name was Linda. Their lives were so different. Maybe Dallas’s best strategy would be to have Linda talk about herself. Dallas only hoped his mother’s conversation skills equaled her son’s.
Dallas took a deep breath and pushed it out. She had this. Ethan was kind, surely his mother would be, too.
The car pulled up a long drive to a gorgeous house—two stories with huge walls of glass on a massive lot.
Ethan met the car as they arrived. “Dallas, come in. Mother can’t wait to meet you.”
He tucked her hand under his arm and led her into the ... living room? Great room? Whatever it was, it was enormous.
His mother stood and intercepted them, holding out her hand. “Dallas? I’m Linda, Ethan’s mother, of course. I’m so glad you could come tonight.” Her smile didn’t quite meet her beautiful, obviously-Botoxed, blue eyes.
A tiny alarm bell went off in Dallas’s brain. As she eyed Linda’s clothes, it didn’t appear the black sheath Dallas wore was off the mark, so why did she sense his mother’s disapproval?
Ethan led Dallas to the bar. “What would you like to drink? Mother made some hors d’oeuvres, too.”
Dallas swallowed and took a deep breath. “A Cuba Libre, please.”
“A woman of simple tastes,” Linda said.
Dallas turned around. “I don’t usually drink anything but wine, so simple suits me. What do you like?”
Linda offered her that same confusing smile. “I often drink Manhattans. I’m having one now.” Raising her glass to her son, she said, “Another, please, darling?”
Dallas took a step closer to Ethan before she realized she’d done so. It was as if her Neanderthal instincts were telling her something feral was on
