Page 129 of Sit, Stay, Love
‘Hi,’ he said as he pushed past Toby without acknowledging him. He took her hand and pulled her towards the darkness down the side of her house.
‘What are you doing?’ she asked. ‘Where are we going?’
He stopped when they reached the shadows, and suddenly tugged her into him, pressing his lips to hers in a long kiss. Her breath caught in her throat in a mix of heat and surprise.
‘Oh man, I’ve been busting to do that,’ he whispered in her ear. ‘Come on, let’s get some champagne.’
Sera’s head spun as she stumbled behind Ethan, her eyes seeking out Toby. He was exactly where she’d left him, staring with a narrow gaze and a dark frown. When he caught her eye, he took a mouthful of beer and turned away, walking towards her parents.
Lena dashed up and said, ‘Sera, I’m going to tee up a couple of interviews for you. I’ll grab you soon.’ She bustled towards the catering tent.
Sera gulped. ‘Interviews. Oh god.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Ethan said. ‘I’ll be right with you.’ He pressed the back of her hand to his lips. ‘I’m sorry about the last few days. How’s Buffy. Is she doing okay?’
‘She’s fine. Toby sorted her out. She ate—’
‘And you ended up staying at his place?’
She scowled. ‘I didn’t want to leave Buffy.’
‘Bet the doc was happy about that,’ he muttered, taking a swallow of champagne.
She snatched her hand away from him. ‘Can we not please? I feel like piggy-in-the-middle with you two, and I don’t like it. And I’m super stressed and I need to smile, and now I have to do an interview I didn’t know about.’
He gently touched her chin. ‘Sorry, babe. I just get a bit jealous of you two.’
Her gaze shot straight past Ethan to where Toby was standing, still watching her, his eyes quickly flicking away.
Lena waved at Sera and signalled her to come over.
‘Oh god,’ Sera breathed.
‘You’ve got this.’ Ethan took her hand. ‘This is my area of expertise.’ Then he flashed her one of his thousand dazzling smiles. But for some reason, this time it didn’t rock her world.
Sera tried not to fidget as she stood in front of the tiny press contingent, comprising of two local journalists, two photographers and the breakfast television reporter with his cameraperson. ‘This is a great opportunity for me to give back to the area I grew up in,’ Ethan said, brimming with confidence. ‘And Sera Madden is a hero in our community, rescuing lost and unwanted animals.’ He turned to her and smiled. ‘I’m excited to be involved with Rose’s Rescue. It’s a perfect fit for my commitment to small, local charities.’
Flashbulbs exploded.
‘How did you get into the rescue business, Ms Madden?’ theBeaches Dailyreporter asked.
‘I found some dumped puppies in the bush near here, and the vet who I took them to became a friend and it went from there. Suddenly, I was opening a shelter.’ She looked over her shoulder, trying to find Toby. ‘Dr Toby McManus was the vet,’ she added, turning back to the reporter.
‘Sera’s too modest,’ Ethan said. ‘This place is all her doing. She’s also helping me prep for my next role. Brushing up my rusty dog training techniques.’
Sera had to squeeze her mouth shut to stop her jaw from dropping.
‘How am I doing, Teach?’ Ethan asked her with a bazillion-watt smile.
‘He’s doing great. Knocking it out of the dog park.’ She did an awkward fist-pump. Sera was relieved when the questions ended and she could escape the reporters.
‘That wasn’t too bad, was it?’ Ethan asked as they wandered hand-in-hand back to the party.
‘I hope they got everything they needed.’
‘Lena will check in with them. I’m going to find her and see if there’s anything else she wants from me. You go enjoy yourself. You’ve earned it.’ He kissed her cheek.
She watched him saunter away, high-fiving the crowd as he went.
