LITMIR.BIZ

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about I give you a call tomorrow night?”

      She broke into a smile. “I look forward to talking to you then.” Ethan glanced over at Jadin and added, “It’s good seeing you again.”

      “Same here,” she responded.

      Ethan gave Jordin a quick hug, and then hugged her sister before leaving them to enjoy their shopping.

      “You were right,” Jadin stated. “Ethan is very handsome and so muscular.”

      “I told you...”

      “He seems a little distant though.”

      “Really?” Jordin asked. “I don’t think so.”

      “Be careful, sis.”

      “I don’t know why you and Dad dislike Ethan so much. He’s never done anything to anyone in our family.”

      “I can’t speak for our father, but I personally have nothing against the man,” Jadin stated. “I just know that your feelings run pretty deep where he is concerned and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

      “That’s just it, Jadin. I don’t have anything to worry about where Ethan is concerned. He is a good person.”

      “I don’t doubt that. I’m just not sure he cares for you as much as you care for him.”

      Jordin eyed her sister. “I know what I’m doing.”

      “I hope so,” Jadin replied. “I really hope so.”

      Her sister never took the time to really get to know him when they were younger. She decided to change the subject by saying, “I’m picking up Amya and Kai this evening.”

      “Oooh. I haven’t seen them in a couple of weeks.”

      “Why don’t you come by tonight?” Jordin suggested. “We can make it a real girls’ night.”

      “Michael will be back today. We’re going to have dinner together. If it’s not too late afterward, I’ll try to swing by to see them.”

      Jadin and Michael had dated in law school. While she did not care for the man personally, Jordin was careful not to interfere in her sister’s relationship. She only wished her sister would give her the same respect.

      * * *

      Ethan pulled up to a stoplight and waited patiently for the light to change. He felt guilty. He should’ve called Jordin by now, but he kept putting it off. He hated avoiding her, but for now, Ethan felt it was for the best.

      He felt the tiny hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

      Ethan glanced out the window, his eyes landing on a pretty woman sitting in the car next to him. She smiled at him and gave a little wave.

      He returned her smile out of politeness.

      The light changed and Ethan was on his way. He harbored no regret at not getting her name and number. He had no time for romantic relationships.

      Ethan pulled into a parking space fifteen minutes later. He got out of the car, grabbed a stack of documents and headed to the entrance of his new gym.

      The manager was in his office when Ethan walked inside.

      “Hey, Walter,” he greeted. “I wanted to touch base with you about the grand opening. Here are copies of the new ads coming out this week.”

      Walter scanned through the pages. “Nice...”

      “Are the showers fully installed?” Ethan questioned.

      “All of the bathrooms and showers are all ready to go. The childcare center is almost complete. The painters should be here later today.”

      “Looks like everything is right on schedule.”

      Walter nodded. “The uniforms are due to arrive tomorrow.”

      “What about the member T-shirts? When are they supposed to come in?”

      “By the end of the week. I spoke to Allen and he can send us some if we need them sooner.”

      Allen was the gym manager in Virginia. Ethan met him when he was a trainer at another company. Allen was the first employee Ethan hired to work at his first gym. He became a manager three years later.

      Ethan left the gym two hours later to meet Chandler at a restaurant for dinner.

      “I can’t believe I let you talk me into moving back to Charleston,” he stated after they were seated in a booth with a view of the waterfront. “You know when I left this town—I vowed never to return.”

      He and Chandler had been best friends since kindergarten. Ethan had corresponded with him a few times over the years, but they had talked more frequently in the past six months.

      “This is about business,” Chandler responded. “You have to admit that your new facility is the talk of the town right now.”

      “I could have continued running my company from Virginia.”

      “It was time for you to come home, Ethan. You and I both know it. You have a lot of unfinished business here.”

      “We’ll see.”

      Chandler laid down his menu. “Is your house going to be ready on time?”

      Ethan nodded.

      “What do you think of the office space?” Chandler asked. “The moment I saw the property listed, I felt like it was perfect for you.”

      Ethan chuckled. “You know me well. The building is perfect. I did find it interesting that my office is so close to the DuGrandpre location.”

      Chandler did not respond, but also did not bother to hide his amusement. “Have you spoken with Jordin yet?”

      “As a matter of fact, she came to see me at my office last week,” Ethan said. “You didn’t have anything to do with that little meeting, did you? How did Jordin know where my office was located in the first place?”

      Shrugging, Chandler responded, “I haven’t spoken to Jordin in months.”

      “How about Ryker?”

      Chandler grinned. “Well, I did run into him and his wife one evening.”

      “And you told Ryker I was back, right? I knew that Jordin and I would eventually run into one another but I didn’t think it would be so soon. I wasn’t prepared.”

      “Sounds like fate intervened.”

      Ethan shook his head no. “Not in the way you’re thinking, Chandler. I can’t deny that it was good to see her, but things are different between us now.”

      “In what way?”

      “In every way that matters,” Ethan stated. “Truth is that she’s always been out of my league. I was just too stupid to realize it back then. No matter how much money I have, I will never be good enough for Etienne DuGrandpre’s daughter. Her father tolerated our friendship, but I got the feeling that he did not want our relationship going further than that.”

      “That may have been true back then, Ethan,” Chandler responded. “Jordin’s old enough to make her own decisions. I don’t think you should give up on her so easily. I know how much you care for her.”

      Ethan shrugged in nonchalance. “Her father never cared much for me though. Anyway, I’ve got too much baggage, Chandler.”

      “I don’t think she’d allow her parents to pick her husband. Jordin’s much too independent for that.”

      “I don’t know...” Ethan uttered. He scanned his menu, trying to decide on what he wanted to eat.

      His mind traveled back to Jordin. One of the qualities that attracted Ethan to Jordin was her genuine smile, which seemed prominently on

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