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Ethan stayed until it was Ricky’s bedtime.

Sage and Ricky walked him to the door. “Thank you again.”

He hesitated, balancing the Crock-Pot in his hand. “My mom is having the family over tomorrow evening. I’ve got a niece and nephew close to Ricky’s age, if you’d be comfortable joining us.”

“Ah.” Sage hesitated. It appeared Ethan was using every opportunity to spend time with her and Ricky. She wanted to believe he didn’t have an ulterior motive and his only reason was to get to know Ricky. At the same time, she needed to remind herself that Ethan was her main competition.

“Is it a party?” Ricky asked.

“You could say that. Mom is baking cookies with the grandkids, and you could help.”

“Can we go, Auntie Sage?” Ricky pleaded. “Maybe I can take those cookies to the real Santa, because they are real homemade ones.”

Again, she hesitated.

“Sage?” Ethan nudged. “You wouldn’t want to disappoint Ricky, would you?”

“That was low,” she whispered, narrowing her eyes to thin slits.

“You can let me know later,” he said, and started out the door.

Ricky’s eyes pleaded with her to the point she couldn’t ignore him.

“All right, all right. We’ll go.”

Ricky’s smile was huge and his eyes glowed with happiness. “Thank you, Auntie Sage.”

Sage could tell Ethan struggled not to gloat. Biting her tongue, she glared at him.

Ethan Cornwell was taking full advantage of her situation. It didn’t help that she found him so easy to spend time with. Plus, he was wonderful with Ricky.

Chapter Nine

Because Sage remained uneasy about meeting Ethan’s family, she stopped by his office Friday morning before heading to her own. Sitting at his desk, he automatically grinned when he noticed her standing in his doorway. His smile washed over her as if she’d been soaking in sunshine. He had that effect on her. As best she could, she shook it off; however, after the last two nights she found his appeal difficult to ignore.

“Good morning, Sage. Come in.” He stood and motioned toward the chair that rested in front of his desk.

Sage stepped inside the office and closed the door behind her. On the drive to drop off Ricky at daycare, she’d been forced to listen to her nephew’s excited one-sided conversation about baking cookies with Ethan’s mom. She couldn’t disappoint him, especially since she’d failed so miserably in her own attempts. All the way to work, she’d been mulling over what she wanted to say to Ethan.

While she appreciated all that he’d done for her and Ricky, she had qualms about all the time they spent together. She didn’t want to sound ungrateful, and at the same time she wondered if it was a good idea.

Ethan frowned when she closed his office door, as if he wasn’t sure what to expect.

“Is there a problem?” he asked, his gaze holding hers.

“Not really. Okay, yes.” She straightened her shoulders and remained standing. As did Ethan.

Everything she wanted to say fled her mind and she blurted out, “Can I trust you?”

Ethan’s frown deepened. “What makes you ask?”

She paced in front of his desk. “We’ve been friends for quite a while now, and then Mowrey put your name down for this promotion and I felt we should keep our distance, being that we’re competing for the same position. I’ve been burned in the past and feel the need to protect myself. Now, because of Ricky and this Santa business, it feels as though we’re together every free minute. I don’t know how it would help your cause or mine, but I can’t decide if there’s something more behind this.”

Ethan took a moment to take in her words. “I’ll admit I was taken aback when you said you considered me the opposition. I’d hoped once you learned I was up for the promotion that wouldn’t make a difference in the way you felt about me.”

“I…didn’t, not really…” Sage stumbled over her words, unable to express her feelings. “I was stunned and unsure what it would mean. I’ve worked hard to prove myself qualified for this job and suddenly everything I’ve struggled to achieve is in jeopardy. Distancing myself from you felt like the right thing to do.”

Ethan nodded and leaned forward, planting his hands on his desktop. “I can understand that, and I’m sorry you felt that way. To answer your question, you can trust me, Sage. I would never say or do anything to hurt your chances. I will admit, however, how disappointed I was when you basically said you’d rather we kept our distance. When you asked for help with Ricky, it felt like the opening I’d been looking for.”