Sydney frowned and considered her options.  She knew she would regret whatever choice she made.  It was inevitable.  She didn't know why she put herself through so much stress about it.  It wasn't as though anyone would know that she selected one over the other.  They weren't about to look pityingly on her and say, "That choice was very brave of you.  I don't think I would have been able to do it."

Pursing her lips, she furrowed her brow and continued staring at the objects of her frustration.  It was almost as if she were hoping the answer would leap out at her, taking the selection out of her hands.

She let out a defeated sigh, closed her eyes, and arbitrarily reached out towards the table till her hand came into contact with a solid object.  Opening her eyes, she glanced down at the small item in her hand.

The decision now made she smiled and relaxed.  Sydney placed the losing OPI nail polish back in her beauty bag and set about applying the winning colour to her toenails. 

She grimaced as the familiar strong odour assailed her nostrils as soon as she opened the bottle. Gotta love the smell of ethyl acetate and toluene.

After applying two coats, she sat back and admired her handiwork.

"Yep, knew I should have gone with First Class Desire," Sydney mumbled to herself.  The fact there was only a microscopic difference between her first and second choices didn't enter her mind.

Now that task was done, Sydney picked up her stack of paper and red pen.  The effortless flow that had let her soar through her story, which appeared to almost demand she tell it, had just thrown itself straight into quicksand.  The more she struggled to regain her original momentum, the greater the resistance of the words.  They were playing some sick game of find me if you can with her mind.  It was no use.  She was stuck.  Not able to budge an inch towards progressing her characters journey.

In light of this, she had decided a break from the pure creative and instead, focus on editing the chapters that had been written.  This too proved challenging.  Her mind was otherwise occupied.  It had been since the previous day.

"It's all his fault," she grumbled to a Prairie Warbler that had the misfortune of landing on the porch railing.  "I was fine until he turned up being all nice and amenable."

A hostile and aggressive Ethan MacMasters, she could handle.  She knew what to expect and how to deal with him.  An Ethan MacMasters without a snide or hurtful comment was unsettling.  One that was actively being charming and attentive was dangerous to say the least.

She had spent the entire time at the Café waiting for the bubble to burst.  Who the hell was that man impersonating her nemesis?  And what had he done with the other version of him?

Even Stephen had been sucked into his charm and charisma - once he had managed to escape Pauline's fawning.  She had been horrified when Stephen had crossed over to the dark side and made plans for a game of Racketball with Ethan.  How could he? Couldn't he see there was something very strange going on?  How was she the only one seeing this?

"What is the matter with you?" she chastised herself.  "Just ignore him."

That was easier said than done.

Much to her dismay, she had found herself weakening with each disarming smile.  In the end, she had managed to strengthen her resolve to keep him at arm's length.  Focusing on his icy disdain from the night of the Gala.

She again addressed the brightly coloured bird who had returned, hoping to find food.  "I don't trust his sudden change.  It doesn't matter how nice and charming he was yesterday."

Sydney absently chewed on the end of her reading glasses.  I'm not buying any of it!

Now that was settled, Sydney refocused on the pages whose words were swimming uncontrollably.  Willing herself to ignore the distracting vision of the masculine, but very irritating man that kept on popping into her mind, she went back to work.

***

The little concentration she managed to gain back was destroyed a while later.  The sound of a car coming up the gravel driveway interrupted her train of thought.  Sydney peered at the car.  She didn't recognise the vehicle, the tinted windows not giving any indication of who or how many occupants.

Must be tourists who took a wrong turn, she mused as she admired the late model Mercedes-Bens E-Class.

Sydney was dumbfounded when the door opened and Ethan emerged.  Before she knew what had happened, he had made his way up the three small steps onto the porch.

The shock of his sudden and unexpected arrival had her frozen, pen poised half an inch off the page.

Ethan glanced at her legs, which were propped up on a chair.  "New type of footwear?" he asked, eyebrows raised with a grin sneaking onto his features.

It took her foggy mind a moment to register his words.  Glancing to where he was indicating, her brain suddenly understood what he was referring to.  She quickly snapped her feet off the chair and placed them on the floor.  Reaching down, she yanked off the bright pink toe separators.

Sydney could feel her face heat up.  She was sure her skin had turned a deep shade of red. "Um..." she stuttered, mortified at being caught at such a mundane thing as coloring her nails, "I wasn't expecting company."

"I should have phoned ahead," was his only response.  He then proceeded to survey the house and front yard.  "Nice place you have here."

Recovering her composure, Sydney cleared her throat. "Thanks.  It suits me."

She was taken aback when Ethan casually took a seat opposite her.  "To be honest," he admitted as he sat, "It's not what I expected."

Her confusion must have been evident.  "Based on Victor and Ivy's mansion and the place Mason has rented," he clarified, "I was expecting something a little more‑" Ethan trailed off, struggling to find the appropriate word.

"Expensive, large, pretentious, not so rustic?" she offered.

Ethan laughed, the sound appeared genuine and inviting.  "I was going to say nearer the water."

Sydney shrugged.  She wasn't going to apologise for her choice in accommodation.  The cottage, while small and a little off the beaten track was one of the few things she had allowed herself to purchase, once she had the means.  "Well, it suited me and was all that I could afford."

Ethan raised his hands in surrender, "I wasn't saying that I didn't like it.  In fact," he said as he looked around, "it looks a lot more relaxing compared to where I am staying."

Sydney, not sure how to react to his confession, just sat staring at him.  Mute and at a loss for words.  She couldn't seem to take her eyes off him.  His jeans and t-shirt seemed to be moulded to his athletic frame.  He was freshly shaven, his hair was damp and a fresh shower scent was just detectible with his proximity to her.

An uneasy feeling was swelling up from the pit of her stomach.  It was if butterflies had been let out to swarm her insides.  She was caught in his steel grey eyes that had her trapped like a deer in headlights.  Physically dragging her gaze from him before she embarrass herself any longer, she focused on a point behind his ear to give her the time to compose herself.

Ethan noticed the paper on her lap, and red pen still poised above the page.  "Were you working?"

"What?" she asked, then noticed what he looking at.  "Editing.  I was editing."  Sydney then coming out of her stupor, placed the pages and pen on the table and looked straight at Ethan.  "I'm sorry," she began, "but what exactly are you doing here?"

"Grace was a little worried that you cancelled," he said, "so I offered to come and bring you back for the barbeque."

"I would have thought you were happy that I wasn't anywhere near your friends.  After all less chance of me fleecing them," she snapped.  The words out before she had a chance of keeping them in check.

Ethan had the decency to look uncomfortable and contrite at her comment.  He took a deep breath before answering, looking directly at her before speaking.  "That's part of the reason I offered to come.  I wanted to apologise for my previous behaviour.  It was uncalled for and unnecessarily harsh."

He must have noticed the speed at which her eyebrows shot up, and the dubious expression which was quickly plastered across her face.  He leaned forward in his chair and continued with his apology.  "I regret my deplorable conduct.  My only defence is that I know some good people who were impacted by your father's actions, and it was a gut reaction."

Sydney's mind was in turmoil.  She had no idea what to think or say.  This was the last thing she had expected him to come out with.  To actually admit he was in the wrong.  No wonder he didn't want to have the conversation with her in public.

The air was charged as she continued to meet his steady gaze.  He looked genuine enough.  He sounded genuine enough. 

But is he?

Not seeing any hint of deception in his eyes or stance, Sydney leaned back in her chair and continued to meet his piercing stare.  As if it would give her the answers she sought.  Finding none.  And finding no reason to outright dismiss his apology, Sydney's only reply was a curt, "I think everyone forgets that there were three other victims in all this mess."

Ethan wisely chose to take the opportunity to change the subject. "I would have thought your boss had editors," he began, "why would you be editing his work?"

Sydney's mind reached for an answer that would sound plausible.  "He does," she hastily explained, "but when he is working on his first draft, I do the initial edits and fact-checking.  It's part of the job description."

"So, as his Assistant," he asked, "what else do you do?"

Sydney shrugged nonchalantly, "Just the usual, deal with publicists, promotions, the editors, agents."

"What about his dry-cleaning?" he asked with a grin.

"Now, you know I can't give you that information," she said.

"Can't blame a guy for trying," he replied cheekily, "So your non-disclosure is that specific that you can't even mention what city he lives in?"

"Grace told you did she?"

Ethan nodded.  "She may have mentioned it when Pauline started to ask her questions."

"I imagine the lack of information didn't go down too well," Sydney remarked dryly.  Her brief meeting with Mason's sister was enough to last a lifetime.  It was also sufficient to wonder how the two siblings were actually related.  They were the complete opposite of each other, and Sydney was sure that even Grace's endless patience would reach its tether and actually snap before the week was through.

"You have no idea," Ethan smirked, "she was always a bit trying."

Sydney snorted.  "That's an understatement," she mumbled.  "Sorry," she said as she noticed his odd expression, "I didn't mean to be rude.  She is your friend after all."

Ethan began laughing.  It was infectious and Sydney found herself almost compelled to smile back at him.

"No," he managed to get out between chortles, "you are correct.  Pauline's always been on the demanding side.  She was a late addition to the family and her parents indulged her a little too much."

He then went on to regale Sydney with a few outlandish incidences her parents had failed to curtail their daughter's extravagant demands.  Each one, more extreme than the previous.  By the time he was finished, she was almost on the floor in hysterics.

Ethan glanced under the table.  "So I am assuming they're dry by now?"

"Pardon?" she asked, confused at the question, still wiping her eyes from the laughter.

"The toes.  If they are dry, get some shoes on.  I told Grace I would bring you back with me.  And I never break a promise."

She wasn't sure whether it was the warm and inviting smile, or his expressive grey eyes that changed her mind.  But at that moment she realized that she didn't mind being in his company as much as she once did.

She quickly stood.  "Give me five minutes.  I'll just get changed."

***

As Sydney padded across the patio in her bare feet, she failed to see the mixed emotions wavering across Ethan's face as he watched her disappear into the house.

❧ ⚛ ✺ ≋ ≋ ≋ ≋ ≋ ✺ ⚛ ❧

📎A/N. Looks like there is a bit of a truce.

We will just need to wait and see where it is all headed.

Till next time. Don't forget to vote and take care.

Thanks for your support..

❤ ℳ