Page 10 of Boss and Brat

“And you’re not gonna spread gossip about him,” he added, tone sharpening. “Not in this diner. Not on the ranch. Not anywhere near him.”

Mrs. Wilcox’s face went red. “I am a woman of the church—”

“And I’m a man who doesn’t tolerate bullying,” Carter cut in. “If you go near him again, or run your mouth about him, you’re gonna have a problem with me.”

The diner went silent. Forks paused. People stared.

Mrs. Wilcox sputtered, clutched her purse like a shield, and stormed off.

Ethan stared at the table, heart pounding so hard he felt it in his teeth. His hands shook under the table. Embarrassed by how rattled he was. She could still get to him.

Carter sat back down like he wasn’t sure if Ethan was going to bolt.

Ethan swallowed, throat tight. “Thanks,” he muttered, barely audible.

Carter looked at him, brows softening. “You okay?”

“No,” Ethan admitted, voice cracking before he could stop it. “I… I couldn’t deal with her. Not today.” He rubbed his palms on his jeans, trying to steady himself. “She always—she always talks to me like that. Like I’m already damned.”

Carter didn’t say anything right away. He just gave a slow, understanding look, like he wasn’t judging Ethan for falling apart over a church lady with too much perfume and too much righteousness.

For the first time in a long time, Ethan didn’t feel completely alone.

Carter wiped his mouth with a napkin and leaned back. “Your father told me you failed out of college. What happened?”

Ethan felt his stomach twist. He stabbed at a crumb on his plate. “Why do you care?”

“I’m trying to understand what happened,” Carter said. “That’s all.”

Ethan let out a breath, long and shaky. He didn’t want to talk about this. Didn’t want to look weak. But something about Carter’s voice—steady, patient—made the truth slip out before he could stop it.

“I didn’t… attend,” he muttered.

Carter raised an eyebrow. “At all?”

“Barely.” Ethan shrugged, trying to look casual. “I skipped classes. Went to nightclubs. Danced. Partied all night. Slept all day. Did it again the next night. Mrs. Wilcox wasn’t far off about what I had done in school.”

He waited for judgment. For the lecture. For the disappointment. Carter didn’t give him any of that.

“And then it all ended,” Ethan finished.

“As for Mrs. Wilcox,” Carter said, leaning back in the booth with that easy confidence Ethan wished he had, “she’s an old biddy. Pay no mind to her.”

A laugh slipped out of Ethan before he could stop it. Then another. And suddenly he couldn’t hold it in. It wasn’t loud or wild, just this warm, shaky sound he barely recognized as his own. Relief loosened something tight in his chest, something he hadn’t realized he’d been clenching since the moment she’d appeared.

Carter chuckled too, low and rough, and the sound made Ethan’s skin warm in a way he didn’t want to think too hard about. Their laughter blended together, soft at first, then fuller, echoing off the chrome and vinyl of the booth. For a moment, the entire world felt lighter—like the weight Mrs. Wilcox had dumped on him had slid off his shoulders.

Ethan wiped at his eyes, still smiling. “God… I needed that,” he muttered.

And he did.

More than he’d ever admitted out loud.

Carter just gave him a look—steady, warm, like he understood exactly why Ethan was laughing and exactly why he needed to.

And for the first time all morning, Ethan felt like he could breathe again.

When they finished their meal, they made their way to the cash register, but Andrew stopped them before they reached it.