Only You (Adair Family #5)(37)

Unfortunately, David also had a doctor’s appointment that morning, and Ellen had scheduled the school’s music teacher to help us with rehearsal. Two weeks of rehearsing, and Brodan had ignored me at every opportunity, to the point where Lewis was picking up on it and it felt as if he was acting distant with me.

Anyway, if two weeks of his dismissive behavior wasn’t bad enough, Brodan had ramped things up by flirting with our music teacher.

Ms. Ava Reid was barely out of teacher training college and giggling like a wee girl at everything Brodan said.

I rolled my eyes for the hundredth time as Brodan leaned over Ava where she sat at the piano. They murmured together while the noise level among the kids increased in tandem with their growing impatience. I caught Ellen’s gaze.

Her lips pursed, unamused. “Mr. Adair, perhaps we should continue.”

Brodan straightened and threw Ellen his boyish smile. “Ms. Reid and I were just discussing changing the tempo of ‘We’re Off to See the Wizard’. Give it something a bit different and unexpected to the audience.”

I tensed. “Unfortunately, we don’t have time for changes at this stage. We need to forge ahead with what we have.”

The son of a bitch didn’t even acknowledge me. He turned back to Ava, murmured something in her ear that made her giggle, and pointed at the songbook on her piano.

My cheeks burned with frustration, and my heart ached. When I glanced along the rows of children, I noted Lewis staring at me with a frown between his brows.

“Mr. Adair,” Ellen’s voice snapped like a whip, and Brodan straightened again.

“Yes, Mrs. Hunter?” he drawled.

“I’m not sure if you couldn’t hear Ms. Sinclair over Ms. Reid’s simpering,” Ellen said pointedly, throwing Ava a sharp look, “but we don’t have time, nor the legal right, to make changes to the musical. Let’s put our attention on the children, please.”

Chastened, and amused by it, Brodan gave Ellen a militant nod, laughter on his lips. At that moment, I didn’t find anything about him charming. He was an immature man-child, and I was beginning to think I’d made a lucky escape when he abandoned me all those years ago.

Half an hour later, more flirting was exchanged, but at least we were getting somewhere with the children. However, when I asked Lewis to stand in a certain place, he ignored me. I had to repeat myself, and Brodan’s gaze narrowed on his nephew as Lewis pretended not to hear me.

Patience thinning, I hardened my voice. “Lewis, please respond when spoken to.”

He looked at me, shifting on his feet, hesitating.

“Lewis,” Brodan warned.

Lewis gave his uncle a confused look but followed my instructions. Irritation thrummed through me, and I had to stop myself from spearing Brodan with angry eyes. Didn’t he realize he was the reason Lewis was acting up? He watched his uncle like a hawk, and what he saw was Brodan disrespecting me at every turn. So, clearly, he’d deduced there was a good reason.

While the children were preoccupied, I strode toward Brodan and stood directly in front of him so he couldn’t dismiss me. His gaze flickered over my face before dancing above my head.

“Mr. Adair, I’d like a word in private, please.”

“I’m busy.”

“A word in private. Now.”

He sighed heavily but nodded and followed me to the other side of the gymnasium. Still, Brodan wouldn’t look at me, his attention on the kids. I saw Ava watching us curiously. Poor girl. She had no idea she was being toyed with.

“Two things, and they’re both about your professionalism. I’m sure you’ve had to work with other actors who you didn’t like very much, just as I’m sure that you sucked it up and were a professional. This is no different, Brodan. Lewis watches your every move, and he’s learning from you.”

His head snapped toward me. “If Lewis doesn’t like you, that’s not my problem.”

Anger swelled in my throat, almost choking me. “Lewis and I got on wonderfully before you arrived, and you know it.”

“I know nothing.”

Was he always this obnoxious?

Brodan’s expression tightened at whatever he saw in my gaze. “Anything else, Ms. Sinclair, or may I return to my duties?”

I stiffened at the disdain in his voice. “Yes. Stop flirting with our music teacher. First, she’s barely out of school, and second, it’s highly inappropriate in front of the children, and the only person who’ll end up looking bad is Ava. So stop.”

His expression remained flat, unemotional. “I can flirt with whoever the fuck I feel like flirting with. You, however, should really do a better job of hiding your jealousy.”

“Jealous?” I scoffed, hating him at that moment. “Sorry to deflate your ego, Adair, but immature, obnoxious man-children don’t really do it for me.”

Brodan’s eyes narrowed. “Or maybe you’re just jealous because Ava’s a young woman in her prime, and you’re a middle-aged spinster.”

I stared at him as if I’d never seen him before—because I hadn’t. Whoever had returned to Ardnoch, it wasn’t my childhood friend.

Noting my reaction, the muscle in Brodan’s jaw ticked and then he hissed out, “Fuck,” and marched away from me.

Hot tears built behind my eyes, and I turned away, pressing my forefinger and thumb to my nose to stem them. I hate him, I decided. I truly hated him.