Page 67 of Truth

When we brought the food to the table, Cal and Jade were just taking their seats, and they glanced back and forth as if talking without words. It made me uncomfortable, so once I placed the platter I’d been carrying on the table, I took a step closer to Stephan. He trailed his fingers down my arm in a comforting gesture and held my chair out for me to sit down.

“Thank you—” I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from addressing him as Sir. What would Cal think if I did?

“Help yourselves. I don’t want this to be a formal function.”

Stephan reached for the meat. Cal and Jade followed suit. When Cal realized I wasn’t doing the same, however, he scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion. “Aren’t you eating?”

I glanced over at Stephan, and he nodded toward the food. “Um. Yes?” Cal frowned, but once I reached for the food, he did the same.

He continued to watch me, so I tried to keep putting food on my plate at a steady pace while keeping an eye on what Stephan was doing. He’d never said I couldn’t start eating until after he’d started, but it was how I’d been taught when I was with Ian, and it seemed right. I didn’t mind waiting. With Ian, it hadn’t been an option. He’d made sure I understood how disrespectful it was to begin eating before my betters. It was different now, yet the same. To me, it was a sign of respect to allow Stephan to go first.

Once we all had food on our plates and began eating, the sound of forks and knives scraping plates was almost deafening. I knew I should probably say something, but I had no idea what. I gave an inward sigh of relief when Stephan broke the awkward silence.

“What do you do for a living, Jade?”

“I’m a student. My last year, thankfully.”

“I remember that feeling. What are you studying?”

“Architecture.” She smiled at Cal, and he smiled back. “It’s how we met. Cal came to one of my classes to talk about construction and how important it is for architects to understand the process.”

“She raised her hand to ask a question, and I knew right then I wanted to ask her out.”

Cal obviously cared for her. I’d seen him touch her several times already, similar to the way Stephan was always touching me. I was comfortable with Stephan, just as they appeared to be with each other.

Jade laughed at something I missed and then focused her attention in our direction. “So how did the two of you meet?”

Everything stopped.

Stephan reached under the table and pried my fingers apart where I had them clasped in my lap. Something heavy settled on my chest, although I knew there wasn’t anything there.

Stephan. Remember Stephan. His hand. He’s holding my hand.

And the food. I can smell the food.

I’m... I’m sitting... on a soft chair... in Stephan’s dining room.

Little by little, I felt as if I could breathe once more. The weight was lifting.

A warm hand caressed my face, and I leaned into it. “Open your eyes, sweetheart.”

I opened them to find Stephan staring back at me with a mixture of worry and pride on his face. Glancing over my shoulder, I realized both Cal and Jade were watching, too. I lowered my gaze.

“Don’t,” Stephan whispered, lifting my chin. “You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I’m sorry, Anna. I didn’t realize. I hope you can forgive me.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I obviously upset you, and I didn’t mean to.”

Stephan pushed his chair back from the table and then moved it next to mine. “I know you didn’t mean anything by your question. It’s a sensitive subject, but one I’m sure will be asked in the future by others.” He massaged my back as he spoke. “Brianna was in a bad situation, and I got her out of it. Our relationship developed from there.”

Jade seemed to be at a loss for words. She picked up her fork again.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“No, it’s my fault. I should have told Jade, but I wasn’t sure how much you wanted her to know.”

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