Page 15

The other woman glanced at Sage and arched her brows. “Impressive.”

“I hope to impress myself,” Sage returned, smiling.

“Good luck.”

Sage had the feeling she was going to need it.

Not wanting to waste the refrigerated dough, Sage brought it into the office with her. Erica would appreciate it, seeing that Ricky found store-bought dough unacceptable. It’d been a good idea, which unfortunately was not good enough. She was half tempted to tell Ricky how much Santa would have enjoyed them, but resisted.

She’d been at her desk only a few minutes when Ethan stopped by. Her assistant had yet to arrive, so the two of them were alone.

“Morning,” he said.

“Morning.” No one had the right to look that good this early. She reminded herself that their relationship was no longer the same. Ethan was her major competition. Troy was a joke. Sage was convinced Mowrey wasn’t blind to the other man’s shortcomings, which made this latest development troublesome. Ethan was fully qualified to take over the company’s management. Between the two of them, Mowrey would have a difficult decision.

“What can I do for you?” she asked, keeping her tone professional.

“I wanted to make sure we were good.” He moved closer to her desk.

Sage stood so they were at eye level. It was a strategic move, refusing to give him the advantage.

“I know it was a shock to learn I’m up for the position as well as you and Troy,” Ethan started. “Like I said, I should have mentioned it earlier. I just wasn’t sure I’m the right one for the job.”

“Do you feel you are now?” Maybe he was considering dropping out.

“I believe I would make a good manager. I also believe you would, too. Are we good, Sage?”

“Good in what way?” Sage wasn’t being obtuse; she sincerely wanted to know. She’d been betrayed before, and that made her leery. She wanted to believe Ethan wouldn’t undercut her, pretend to be her friend and then at the last minute show his true colors. Her ex had seemed trustworthy. Never once had she suspected he was involved with anyone else. It wasn’t only Mark, either. Annalisa had betrayed her, too. Sage had believed Annalisa had been a good friend. Sage had intended to ask her to be a bridesmaid for her wedding. Only there never was one.

“I’m asking if we’re good as in you and me,” he clarified. “I want to be sure Mowrey’s decision doesn’t ruin our friendship.”

Sage hesitated, unsure how best to respond. “We’re both adults, right? Seeing that we’re both up for this promotion, perhaps it would be best if we limited our contact until the decision is made.”

Frowning, Ethan seemed to take a moment to absorb her words. “Are you suggesting I take my name out of the running?”

“Not at all,” she confirmed, surprised he would ask such a thing. “Now that I know we’re rivals, it only makes sense to keep our distance.”

“I don’t think of you as competition, Sage. I think of you as a friend. A good friend. It disappoints me that you feel otherwise.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, and was sincere. “I was once betrayed by someone I thought was a friend—more than a friend, actually. I don’t want to make the same mistake I did before and lead with my heart instead of my head.”

Ethan didn’t bother to hide his disappointment. “Okay, I can accept that,” he said as he started out the door.

“Have a good day.”

“You, too.”

As it turned out, Sage’s workday was brutal. A meeting was called at four-thirty, which was mandatory that she be present for. She suspected this was Troy’s doing, knowing she had to leave the office on time to collect Ricky. That meant she wouldn’t have time to stop at the store.

As it was, she left the office later than she would have liked to and rushed through the Seattle traffic to arrive at Lisa’s house by six. This was the sole request Lisa had made when she’d agreed to watch Ricky. Time after six was reserved for her family. Seeing that Lisa was doing her such a huge favor, Sage was determined to keep her word.

When she arrived, Ricky didn’t hurry out the door as she’d come to expect. Instead, he wandered out with his backpack slouched over one shoulder as if it weighed more than he could carry.

Hoping to lessen his disappointment, she reminded him they were having pizza for dinner that evening.

“You can have your own pizza with white sauce and veggies,” she told him once he was belted into the backseat.

“You should try it, Auntie Sage. It tastes good. Mom says it’s the best pizza ever.”