Ethan touched her arm. “Anything wrong?”
“Actually, no. The calendar approval is a load off, and talking with Bridget, I’m pretty jazzed about the internship.”
“I could tell,” he said. “I can see how much it means to you.”
“I wish my mother would,” she said, glancing in the direction she’d last seen her. The woman was in absolute denial over what her daughter wanted. As many times as Rue had told her what she was going to do, she had a feeling her departure would come as a shock.
“So if you win, is it safe to assume you’ll be in the Arctic soon?” His usual demeanor had slipped a notch. In the short time she’d known him, he’d quickly become her biggest supporter. Perhaps it was the gala itself, or maybe he was thinking of Amy.
She forced a smile, though his distraction unsettled her. “No, the seal pups are born in the spring. If I’m awarded the internship, I’ll be in the Galapagos.”
“Just like that,” he asked, “you pick up and go to the Galapagos? It’s that easy?”
She frowned. “It’s not always easy, but it’s the job. It’s not like they never plan ahead, but if sharks are swarming somewhere and you care about sharks, you need to get your butt on a plane and immerse yourself in that. If you’re not passionate enough to go to the far-flung corners, it’ll show in your work. They want people who are passionate.”
He shook his head, and by her guesstimate, it was half from thinking she was nuts and half out of respect. “They’d be crazy not to take you.”
She didn’t tell him about the job offer. She couldn’t, and not just because she was struck by how he genuinely seemed to believe in her.
A shadow crossed her vision before she had a chance to melt into the floor. “Well, if it isn’t the happy couple.”
Boyd Von Adler. And he sure couldn’t fill out a tux like Ethan could. His dark hair was plastered down to the point of being immobile, and his movements lacked Ethan’s quiet confidence. But Boyd did have one thing right. She and Ethan were a happy couple in every sense of the word. At least, for the next few hours.
“I’m glad you finally understand that,” she said.
“I understand. I understand that you’ve been lying to me. I asked around, and everyone who knows your boyfriend here knows he’s still faithfully married to a dead woman.” Boyd leaned in, obliterating her personal space. “I don’t like being lied to.”
Ethan didn’t say anything, but a quick glance told her he was on the verge of saying a lot of things. She laced her fingers through his and gave a gentle squeeze.
A couple of people watched them, so she forced her voice low and her tone calm. “Not that it’s any of your business, but Ethan and I are seeing each other. And whether or not I’m seeing anyone, you don’t get to stake a claim on me. I. Am. Not. Interested. So back off.”
He did, an inch. And then a smirk crossed his face. “How about we discuss this over a dance?”
Boyd was already tugging on her arm when Ethan stepped into his space, eyes blazing. “She said she wasn’t interested.” He wasn’t loud, but he was firm enough to stop Boyd in his tracks.
“What are you going to do about it?” Boyd sneered. “I have enough money to buy you and your quaint little family business and bury you all. I don’t suggest you make an enemy of me.”
“And I don’t suggest you make a victim of yourself.”
The words, hard as steel, cut through Rue for all the wrong reasons. Sizzling, delightful reasons. Hello, Ethan’s inner caveman. But the amusement was short lived, because Ethan was taller, broader, and infinitely more furious than Boyd, and she had the distinct feeling Ethan wasn’t just talking shit.
She eased between them, Ethan’s hand firmly in her grasp, and took a step away from Boyd. With her back against Ethan’s front, he had little choice but to go with it. To Boyd, she said, “Are you not familiar with the word no? Because if you don’t, learn it. You keep pushing me, and I’ll press charges. Either that, or I’ll let go of Ethan’s hand.”