Then Ethan sits back, and the spell breaks.
"We should talk about the scope of the job," he says, his voice back to business. "I need gifts for my mother and sister. Something meaningful. Personal. Not generic department store nonsense."
I nod, grabbing my pen. "Okay. Let's start with your mom. You said she loves gardening?"
"She does. She has a whole section of her backyard dedicated to roses."
"Does she have a favorite flower?"
"Roses. White ones, specifically."
I jot that down. "And movies. You mentioned old movies. Like classic Hollywood?"
"Anything from the forties and fifties. She watches Casablanca at least once a month."
"Romantic," I say with a smile.
"She'd say it's about the cinematography." He's smiling now, too. A real smile that transforms his whole face. "But yes. She's a romantic at heart."
"Is there anything else you can tell me?"
"She comes from a large Irish Catholic family. Family means everything to her. I’m the oldest of five children, and the only one to not settle down and give her grandchildren."
I scribble more notes, my mind already spinning with ideas. "What about your sister? Besides books, what else does she love?"
"Coffee. She's a snob about it. Only drinks single-origin, ethically sourced beans."
"A woman after my own heart."
"She also collects first editions. Mostly classic literature. Austen, Brontë, that sort of thing."
My eyes widen. "First editions? Like, actual first editions?"
"Yes."
"That's... wow. Okay. I can work with that."
Ethan watches me scribble notes, and I can feel his gaze on me. It's not uncomfortable. It's the opposite, actually. It's like he's genuinely interested in what I'm thinking.
"What else do I need to know?" I ask, glancing up.
"The party is this Saturday. Six o'clock. My mother is expecting a small family dinner, but I'm planning something bigger. Nothing ostentatious, but I want it to feel special."
"How many people?"
"Twenty, maybe twenty-five."
I nod. "Doable. Do you have a caterer?"
"Not yet."
"Flowers?"
"No."
"Decorations?"
"Lily." He's smiling again. "I have nothing. That's why I hired you."
