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Amusement twinkled in Jess' eyes as she watched us go. "Good luck hiding in this place," she called after us. "Jude's got all the best spots memorized."
A wide grin spread across my face as I let Jude lead the way, his hand firm and reassuring in mine. The earlier uncertainty that had clouded our evening dissipated as I ran through the house, darting behind furniture and playing hide-and-seek like a child. Each time he found me, my heart fluttered with a mixture of excitement and relief.
For a few fleeting moments, all of the worries and anxieties swirling in my head vanished as I lost myself in the simple joy of being with Jude. But soon enough, Jess's voice called us back to reality.
"Dinner's almost ready! Nat, can you grab the salad?" she called from the dining room.
"Of course," I replied. As I entered the kitchen the smell of succulent roasted chicken and freshly baked bread hit me, making my stomach growl in anticipation.
Mike walked in from the garage just as we finished setting the table, wiping sweat from his brow. “Hey, Nat,” he greeted me with a smile. “How’s everything going?”
"Good, Mike. And yourself? How’s the real estate business?" I replied.
"Can't complain," he chuckled, taking his seat at the head of the table. "Business has been booming lately. We've been selling a lot of lakefront properties." He paused, reaching over to grab something from the counter. "In fact..." His grin widened as he presented a glossy magazine spread in front of me. "One of our listings made it into this feature. Thought you might want to take a look." A sense of pride and accomplishment radiated from him as he handed me the magazine, showcasing a stunning property along the shore of the lake.
As I absentmindedly turned the pages, my eyes suddenly landed on a familiar face—Ethan, smiling confidently in a full-page spread. My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly scanned the article.
CEO of Sterling Solutions, a Fortune 500 company, was ranked number one nationally in real estate sales. The bolded headline and the image of Ethan in a sharp suit, exuding authority, hit me hard. The man I thought I was getting to know was anything but ordinary.
I forced myself to stay calm, keeping my expression neutral as I closed the magazine and handed it back to Mike. “Impressive,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
Mike nodded, oblivious to my shock. “Thanks. Anyway, let’s dig in before the food gets cold.”
I managed to get through dinner without giving anything away, but my mind was racing. As soon as I could, I made my excuses and headed home. The humid night air clung to me as I drove through the quiet streets of Cedar Cove, my thoughts a whirlwind of confusion and disbelief. I knew I’d need to talk toJess about this at some point, but I decided to wait until later. Tonight, I needed time to process everything on my own, to figure out what this revelation meant for me—and for Ethan.
When I got home, I didn’t even bother to change out of my clothes. I grabbed my laptop and sat at the kitchen table, my hands trembling as I typed “Sterling Solutions” into the search bar.
The results flooded the screen, confirming what the magazine had already told me. Ethan Sterling wasn’t just some guy from Dallas—he was a powerful, successful businessman with a life far removed from the one he’d been living in Cedar Cove.
My heart pounded as I clicked on the first article. It was a feature piece from a business blog highlighting Ethan’s achievements as the CEO of Sterling Solutions. The headline boasted about his knack for turning struggling properties into goldmines and his uncanny ability to close deals that others wouldn’t even touch. There was a picture of him standing in front of a high-rise building, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, exuding confidence and authority.
I stared at the image, trying to reconcile this polished, corporate version of Ethan with the man I knew—the man who wore worn-out jeans and t-shirts, who worked under the hood of a car with grease-stained hands. It felt like looking at two different people.
As I scrolled further down the page another image caught my eye. This one was taken at a lavish event—some charity gala. Ethan was at the bar, a glass of whiskey in hand, surrounded by a group of women, all of them vying for his attention.
He looked completely at ease, a charming smile on his face as he chatted with them. My stomach churned. This wasn’t the Ethan I knew—the one who had shared intimate moments withme, the one who seemed so out of place in the glitzy world of wealth and privilege.
I clicked on another link, and this time, the image was of Ethan standing next to a sleek private jet, the Sterling Solutions logo emblazoned on the side. He was shaking hands with another man, his expression serious and focused.
The caption mentioned a high-stakes real estate deal in New York, one that had netted his company millions. And standing a few feet away from him, dressed in a sharp business suit, was a woman I hadn’t expected to see—Sophia, the sister he had mentioned in passing.
My breath caught in my throat as I read the accompanying text: Sophia Sterling, CFO of Sterling Solutions. The article praised her business acumen and her role in managing the financial empire that she and her brother had inherited from their family. It was clear that she was just as much a force to be reckoned with as Ethan, and the two of them together were practically unstoppable.
As I stared at the images of Ethan and Sophia, questions flooded my mind. Why had he come to Cedar Cove? Why would a man like Ethan Sterling, with all his wealth and success, choose to work as a mechanic in a small, sleepy town like ours? What was he running from—or what was he trying to find?
I shook my head, trying to make sense of it all. The more I learned about Ethan, the less I understood. The man I had been falling for was a stranger, living a life I knew nothing about. And the realization left me reeling, my heart heavy with confusion and a growing sense of betrayal.
I closed the laptop, unable to bear another glimpse of the pictures or read another word of the articles. My mind spun with confusion, and my emotions were a tangled mess. The man I thought I knew—the one who seemed so genuine, so down-to-earth—was he nothing more than a carefully constructed façade? Had I been deceived by a fraud hiding the real Ethan Sterling?
The room around me felt stifling, the silence pressing in on all sides. Desperate for answers, I instinctively checked my phone, opening an email from Ethan for the third time that day. His words were warm, telling me how much he missed me, but even as I read the words again, doubt gnawed at me. If he missed me so much, why wouldn’t he tell me the truth?
Frustration bubbled up inside me. I needed to talk to him, to hear from his own lips what was really going on. But as my hand hovered over the phone, I hesitated. What if he didn’t answer? Worse, what if he did, and the truth was something I couldn’t handle?
With a heavy sigh, I set the phone back down, my mind swirling with uncertainty. I wanted to confront him, to demand the truth, but fear held me back. Was I really ready for whatever revelations might come? For now, all I could do was wait—wait and pray that the man I had started to care for wasn’t just a figment of my imagination.
But as I stared out the window, watching the shadows lengthen, the doubts crept in once more, stronger than before. The Ethan I had known was slipping away, replaced by someone I barely recognized. And the sinking feeling in my chest told me that my heart was on the verge of being shattered all over again.
Sixteen
