Page 26 of Sit, Stay, Love
They walked around the fence edge, Sera keeping an eye on her three dogs – Ernie wary and trotting nearby, Harry relaxed as he stretched up to sniff butts, and Buffy accosting every human in the park for pats.
The sky was bright blue – almost as blue as Ethan’s eyes – and completely void of clouds. The sun was shining down on them with a gentle warmth.
Sera gazed up at Ethan, his brow still furrowed and his shoulders stiff. ‘This is okay, isn’t it?’ she asked.
He puffed out a series of steady breaths and she noticed his shoulders and jaw relax.
‘Yeah. It’s okay. I like how they all get on.’
‘Most of the time, dogs do get on. Especially in parks like this, where they aren’t on the leash. There’s no need for them to feel defensive.’
‘There are a lot of them though,’ he said as he stepped in behind her to allow a German Shepherd to trot pass.
She hummed in agreement. ‘I honestly didn’t think it would be this chockers on a Thursday. I guess the good weather has brought everyone out.’
Three young girls suddenly appeared in front of Ethan, blocking his path.
‘Are you Lord Jasper?’ one of them asked as she was shoved a little closer by her friends.
Ethan smiled. ‘Well, technically, I’m Ethan. But yeah, I’m Lord Jasper.’
The girl in the front looked back at the other two girls, and the three of them giggled.
A woman rushed forward, crying out, ‘Girls! Girls, leave him alone.’ She grabbed two of them by the hands. ‘I’m so sorry, Ethan. I mean, Mr James.’
The woman’s eyelashes fluttered ever so slightly, as if she couldn’t control them. As if being in Ethan’s presence gave them a life of their own. He certainly had an effect on people. Women, men, tweens. Sera sighed.Me.
‘It’s absolutely fine,’ Ethan said, adding one of his dazzling smiles.
Sera was starting to catalogue them. The ones he shared with fans, and the ones he saved for her.
‘They love your movies,’ the woman went on. ‘Our family watches them together all the time. My husband is probably the biggest fan, though he likes Lord Sandon. He always likes the bad guys.’
‘Bad guys are more fun,’ Ethan said, and gave her one of his winks.
The woman visibly quivered, then smiled up at him from under her still-fluttering lashes. ‘I don’t suppose we could get a photo with you?’ She was breathy and flushing and definitely flirting.
Sera watched Ethan glance around. Then his eyes flicked towards her with a hint of hesitation before he rearranged his face and switched to Ethan James, Movie Star mode.
‘Sure. How do you want to do this?’
The woman shoved her phone at Sera.
Ethan stiffened, the corners of his mouth tensing. ‘This is Sera,’ he said. ‘She’s a friend of mine. Sera, are you happy to take a photo for us?’
She shrugged. ‘If you’re okay with it?’
He nodded and stiffly slipped in between the woman and the girls.
Sera waited until they were all huddled around him, then lifted the phone and took the photo. ‘Do you want to—’
He grabbed the phone. ‘Here you go,’ he said as he pressed the phone into the woman’s hands. ‘Thanks for your support. Enjoy your day.’
The woman smiled and herded the children away.
Ethan pulled a baseball cap from his back pocket and slipped it on, along with some sunglasses. ‘Sorry about that.’
‘Are you going incognito?’
