Page 34 of Sit, Stay, Love
‘And what did Toby say?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Really? I would think he’s not very keen on Mr Ethan James, Movie Star, hanging around you.’
Sera frowned. ‘Shh, Mum! He’s not hanging around me, we have a business arrangement. Anyway, Toby doesn’t care.’
‘Oh Sera. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how bright you are.’
Ethan stepped back onto the balcony and looked from mother to daughter, a smile twitching at the corner of his lips, as if he knew he’d caught them talking about him. ‘You ready, Sera?’
‘God, yes.’ She slung her bag over her shoulder.
Ethan shook Sera’s father’s hand. ‘It was lovely to meet you both. You have an amazing home, and a wonderful daughter.’
Sera’s mother beamed. ‘We’re so happy you noticed. We hope we see you again, Ethan. Next time, you must stay for some cheese.’
Ethan drove down the long driveway to Sera’s home.
‘Have you got time for me tomorrow,Ser-Ser?’
Sera laughed and whacked him on the arm. ‘Do not even.’
‘Okay, poppet.’
‘Oh my god. Stop it. And yes, if you’re sure you’re up to it?’
‘Back on the horse, as they say. Though if it was a horse, there wouldn’t be a problem.’
‘Why don’t you come here? We’ll take Buffy and go for a walk on one of the roads around the bush. They’re nice and quiet, and there’s a bunch of rocks near the waterfall where we can sit and let Buffy do her thing. She’s insistent on the patting front, so you’ll have no choice but to touch her, but she’s incredibly gentle. How does that sound?’
‘Sounds perfect. Shall I bring some food? We can have lunch while we sit. Like a picnic.’
He leaned across her, and all the tiny hairs on Sera’s arms prickled as his hand brushed past her stomach. He opened her door, withdrawing his hand.
‘It’s a date,’ he said.
Sera’s heart slammed against her chest. ‘Uh…’
‘Not adatedate,’ he added hurriedly. ‘I mean, like a date in your diary. An appointment. So… it’s an appointment?’
She laughed awkwardly. ‘It’s an appointment. Come about eleven, if that works.’
‘Whatever works for you works for me.’ And he smiled so bright, it was as if the sun was rising in the car.
Chapter Seven
Sera fussed with her hair in her bedroom mirror. The cowlick in her fringe resembled the crest of an alarmed cockatoo, and no matter how many times she tried to force it down, it pinged back up. She threw her head back with a frustrated grunt.
She’d been woken at 6 am by two police officers and a fat tabby that had been rescued from a tree. The police had kept it at the station overnight until they could get it scanned for a microchip, which was why they were knocking on her door before the sun had finished rising, and why she was cranky and tired.
Her phone rang and she hit the speaker. ‘Hey, Herriot. What’s up?’
‘You sound rushed.’
‘I’m in a bit of a hurry. I’m meeting Ethan in a minute.’
Toby went quiet for a second. ‘The movie star came back, huh?’
