What was he doing?This was none of his business.He’d barely said anything to Chelsea, but he still couldn’t bring himself to leave.
His phone rang and for a second he thought it might be Chelsea, which was ridiculous as she didn’t have his number.Dobby’s name flashed on the screen.“Yeah?”
Dobby chuckled.“You make it to Honeybrook?”
“A couple of days ago.”
“Was your aunt happy to see you?”
Ethan closed his eyes.“No, she died.”
Dobby sucked in a breath.“Mate, I’m sorry.What happened?”
“She fell off a ladder.Her family didn’t realise I kept in touch with her, so they didn’t tell me.”
“Shit.That sucks.You doing OK?”
What could he say?“I guess.”He glanced around the garden.“I showed you photos of the place, didn’t I?”
“Yeah.Gorgeous gardens.”
He took a photo and texted it to his friend.“This is what it’s like now.Apparently the heirs hired someone to maintain the gardens, but a property developer paid him to let them die so he could get the land at a cheaper price.”
Dobby swore.“That’s criminal.What are you doing?”
Dobby knew what he’d been through.“I can’t leave it like this.”
“What about the new owners?”
“Chelsea arrived the day after I did.She’s pretty shocked, but she hasn’t decided what she’s doing yet.”
“Your Chelsea?”
Ethan closed his eyes.“She’s not mine.”
“You know what I mean.”
He did.“Yeah, that Chelsea.”
“How did she react?”
“She was still in shock.”Which was probably a good thing.He wasn’t ready for a conversation about how their relationship ended.
In the background, he heard a female voice asking something.
Dobby laughed.“Hang on a second.I’m putting you on speaker.Mila heard me mention Chelsea, and she wants to know what’s happening.”
Ethan smiled.Dobby’s partner, Mila, had helped him through his recovery and had made him tell her about Chelsea.She’d told him the way he’d left was criminal.“Are you being nosy, Angel?”
A snort.“No, just following up our therapy sessions.”
He rolled his eyes.She wasn’t a therapist.“What do you want to know?”
“What happened?”
“It was awkward.She’d just found all the letters I’d written Aunt Maggie over the years and realised no one had told me she’d died.”
“Was she sympathetic or angry?”Mila asked.
