CHAPTER EXCERPT
After hours of driving around town, Ethan returned home. He had decided to
remember that this was all about his company, not his crazy feelings for Tori, and
he had to keep those feelings in check. He walked out onto his backyard deck with
his suit coat flapped over his shoulders and his mind still reeling from the news of
Tori’s involvement.
But he also knew that they had to be stopped or his company may never recover
from all of these successive defeats. Now his St. Louis project was lost. He had
wanted to build a nice resort for average folks, those blue collar workers who never
dreamed they’d be able to live in abject luxury for a week or two. Now that plan
had been stolen right from under Ethan’s nose and he didn’t like it. He stood there
and looked out across the peaceful waters before him, hoping just the sight would
help to calm him down. And then he saw Tori.
She was sitting quietly on the beach, this time in a pair of shorts, a halter top, and
a big, straw hat. Ethan just stared at her, at the peacefulness all over her, and his
heart ached. What could have been, he thought sadly. He continued staring at
her. At that aura of honesty and integrity that he had thought cloaked her like a
garment. She seemed so comfortable with the world. So at peace. Until she
jumped up and began running, not toward Ethan, but toward the northern end of
the beach.
Ethan quickly looked beyond her to see what had her suddenly in such a rush, and
that was when he saw a young couple who appeared to be engaged in a heated
argument. The young man, in fact, was slapping around the young woman so
violently that the woman fell to the ground. Tori approached the couple yelling
something to the man, Ethan couldn’t make out what, and before he could try to
figure it out Tori was dead-square in the man’s face. Ethan was almost stunned
still, as he watched her, but he flew into action when the man, as stunned as Ethan
by Tori’s brashness, lifted his hand and slapped Tori down, too. Ethan
dropped his suit coat and ran down the steps of his deck, jumping to the sandy
beach with four steps to go, his expensive dress shoes sinking into the sand as he
fought against gravity to get to Tori.
But Tori didn’t need anybody’s help. She jumped back up and kicked the man as
hard as she could in the groin. While he bent over in pain she jumped on him,
knocking both of them down, and started beating him down with her fists. The
young woman was screaming for Tori to leave her man alone and Ethan was
running so hard he could barely keep his balance. When he arrived at the scene
he had to literally grab Tori by the waist and sling her off of the man, her fists still
flailing with anger as Ethan held her with her feet off the ground. The man started
kicking his feet away, trying his best to get away from that crazy woman, when he
saw Ethan. The man’s girlfriend, bleeding from the nose, tried to aid him. When
Ethan made a movement toward him, however, the man jumped to his feet and,
with his girlfriend by his side, started running away with a decided limp.
Ethan then looked at Tori, who was yelling for him to let her go. As soon as he
eased his grip she snatched away from him and began hurrying for the house.
Ethan looked at Tori, then he looked at the man, and then he shook his head in
bewilderment and left the once tranquil beach, too.
Tori was in the kitchen placing an ice-filled cloth over the side of her face when
Ethan came in through the back door. He stood there and exhaled, wondering
what was he going to do with this woman, then he went over and removed the
cloth from her face. She winced.
“Be still, Tori,” he said rather snappishly. “I just want to take a look.”
“There’s no bruise. It just stings a little.”
He looked at her. “What did you think you were doing?” he asked her.
“He hit that woman.”
“I know that. But what did that have to do with you?”
“So you expect me to just stand back and let him beat on her like that?”
“I expect you to stay safe, Tori, that’s what I expect you to do. If some man is
beating on some woman you call the police or you come and get me, but you do
not go into that man’s face daring him to beat your behind.”
“His behind is the one that got beat, thank-you,” Tori said as she moved to walk
away from Ethan. Ethan, however, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back in
front of him. The concern in his eyes startled her.
“I mean it, Tori,” he said. “You’d better never do anything like that again, do you
understand me?”
Tori sighed wearily. “Yes,” she said, “I understand.”
He nodded and then he slowly pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. She
closed her eyes and allowed him to pull her closer against him, the contact relaxing
her frail nerves. They both were emotionally spent, and it showed, and that was
why neither let the other one go.
After hours of driving around town, Ethan returned home. He had decided to
remember that this was all about his company, not his crazy feelings for Tori, and
he had to keep those feelings in check. He walked out onto his backyard deck with
his suit coat flapped over his shoulders and his mind still reeling from the news of
Tori’s involvement.
But he also knew that they had to be stopped or his company may never recover
from all of these successive defeats. Now his St. Louis project was lost. He had
wanted to build a nice resort for average folks, those blue collar workers who never
dreamed they’d be able to live in abject luxury for a week or two. Now that plan
had been stolen right from under Ethan’s nose and he didn’t like it. He stood there
and looked out across the peaceful waters before him, hoping just the sight would
help to calm him down. And then he saw Tori.
She was sitting quietly on the beach, this time in a pair of shorts, a halter top, and
a big, straw hat. Ethan just stared at her, at the peacefulness all over her, and his
heart ached. What could have been, he thought sadly. He continued staring at
her. At that aura of honesty and integrity that he had thought cloaked her like a
garment. She seemed so comfortable with the world. So at peace. Until she
jumped up and began running, not toward Ethan, but toward the northern end of
the beach.
Ethan quickly looked beyond her to see what had her suddenly in such a rush, and
that was when he saw a young couple who appeared to be engaged in a heated
argument. The young man, in fact, was slapping around the young woman so
violently that the woman fell to the ground. Tori approached the couple yelling
something to the man, Ethan couldn’t make out what, and before he could try to
figure it out Tori was dead-square in the man’s face. Ethan was almost stunned
still, as he watched her, but he flew into action when the man, as stunned as Ethan
by Tori’s brashness, lifted his hand and slapped Tori down, too. Ethan
dropped his suit coat and ran down the steps of his deck, jumping to the sandy
beach with four steps to go, his expensive dress shoes sinking into the sand as he
fought against gravity to get to Tori.
But Tori didn’t need anybody’s help. She jumped back up and kicked the man as
hard as she could in the groin. While he bent over in pain she jumped on him,
knocking both of them down, and started beating him down with her fists. The
young woman was screaming for Tori to leave her man alone and Ethan was
running so hard he could barely keep his balance. When he arrived at the scene
he had to literally grab Tori by the waist and sling her off of the man, her fists still
flailing with anger as Ethan held her with her feet off the ground. The man started
kicking his feet away, trying his best to get away from that crazy woman, when he
saw Ethan. The man’s girlfriend, bleeding from the nose, tried to aid him. When
Ethan made a movement toward him, however, the man jumped to his feet and,
with his girlfriend by his side, started running away with a decided limp.
Ethan then looked at Tori, who was yelling for him to let her go. As soon as he
eased his grip she snatched away from him and began hurrying for the house.
Ethan looked at Tori, then he looked at the man, and then he shook his head in
bewilderment and left the once tranquil beach, too.
Tori was in the kitchen placing an ice-filled cloth over the side of her face when
Ethan came in through the back door. He stood there and exhaled, wondering
what was he going to do with this woman, then he went over and removed the
cloth from her face. She winced.
“Be still, Tori,” he said rather snappishly. “I just want to take a look.”
“There’s no bruise. It just stings a little.”
He looked at her. “What did you think you were doing?” he asked her.
“He hit that woman.”
“I know that. But what did that have to do with you?”
“So you expect me to just stand back and let him beat on her like that?”
“I expect you to stay safe, Tori, that’s what I expect you to do. If some man is
beating on some woman you call the police or you come and get me, but you do
not go into that man’s face daring him to beat your behind.”
“His behind is the one that got beat, thank-you,” Tori said as she moved to walk
away from Ethan. Ethan, however, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back in
front of him. The concern in his eyes startled her.
“I mean it, Tori,” he said. “You’d better never do anything like that again, do you
understand me?”
Tori sighed wearily. “Yes,” she said, “I understand.”
He nodded and then he slowly pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. She
closed her eyes and allowed him to pull her closer against him, the contact relaxing
her frail nerves. They both were emotionally spent, and it showed, and that was
why neither let the other one go.
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