Page 31 of The Swap After Hours

Elaine wore a broad smile as she looked around her studio. “I like to dabble with different mediums, and I needed a space big enough to hold my supplies. Donovan had this gorgeous barn built to use as my studio.”

My gaze flicked to him, but he refused to look my way. “That was very thoughtful.”

“He spoils me rotten, that’s for sure.”

“I’m going to look in the house for a surge suppressor. You’re going to need it for your computer,” Donovan said, already walking away.

Elaine watched him go then turned to me with a wry smile. “I think I embarrassed him. I didn’t mean to, but it’s all true. I know I’m biased, but my son is the best person I know. He can be a tough nut to crack, but underneath all that bluster is a very sweet man.

“I…” I shifted on my feet, not sure how I was supposed to respond.

“I know, he’s your boss and you have a professional relationship to maintain, but the reason I’m telling you all of this is because I think you’re good for him, Trevor.”

“Excuse me?” my voice squeaked.

Her eyes looked troubled when she told me, “Donovan has always been extremely driven. It’s served him well in many ways throughout his life and has made him into the businessman he is today, but it’s also come at a high cost. His father was never in the picture and his grandparents—my parents—chose not to be a part of his life. I worry sometimes that he pushes himself so hard because he’s trying to prove something to them, to the world, but in doing so, he’s forgotten to leave room for others in his life. I also know he’s been hurt in the past by people he thought were his friends but who were only using him for his money or status. It’s made it hard for him to trust others, but he trusts you.”

I swallowed hard. “How do you know that?”

She placed a hand on my shoulder, smiling gently. “Because he brought you here.”

My face heated with embarrassment and my eyes shifted to the floor. “I kind of pushed my way into that,” I admitted.

Her tinkling laugh had my head snapping back up. “Oh, trust me, my son doesn’t do anything he doesn’t want to do. He’s very protective, especially when it comes to me. If he didn’t trust you, he wouldn’t have brought you to my home. That is exactly why you’re the perfect friend for him. He needs someone to give him a little push every now and then. Someone who will call him out when he’s hiding behind his work and not let him get away with it. And I believe that person is you.”

Donovan returned then, eyeing both of us cautiously. “What are you two talking about?”

“Nothing you need to worry about,” his mom answered.

“Yeah, your mom was just offering to show me some embarrassing photos of you from when you were a kid the next time I’m here, that’s all.”

He stared at me like he wasn’t sure if I was teasing or not but then Elaine started laughing. “Yep, I was right,” she said, patting me on the back.

“Right about what?” he demanded, but she turned and headed toward her office, still laughing. His forehead scrunched. “What’s she talking about?” he asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders, feigning innocence. “Oh good, you found the surge suppressor. We’re all set now.” I could hear him grumbling something to himself as he followed me into the office. I was glad he couldn’t see my face, so he didn’t see the giant grin I had plastered there.

Forty-five minutes later, we were in his car and driving back toward the city. We’d gotten Elaine’s computer all hooked up while she’d regaled me with stories about Donovan when he was a boy. He’d objected at first, but then I’d caught him smiling indulgently at her as we worked, even jumping in a few times to add his side to the story.

It was clear that the two of them shared a very close bond, but it was more than simply the love between a parent and child. They genuinely liked each other too. As beautiful as it was to watch, I couldn’t help but feel envious.

“Thank you for taking me with you tonight. Your mom is amazing,” I said, breaking the silence.

Donovan glanced over at me, his face softer, more relaxed than I’d ever seen it. “Yes, she’s something special.”

“Obviously, you bought her that house once you were older, but did you grow up in that area?”

“No. I grew up in the city. We lived in an apartment above the clinic where my mom worked. It wasn’t in the best section of the city, but our home was clean and safe, and we didn’t have to worry about any strange neighbors. My mom was a single parent and she worked hard, sometimes two or three jobs at a time to make sure I had what I needed. I owe everything I have to her.”

“That must be nice. To have someone you could count on, someone who always put your needs above their own,” I said wistfully.

His eyes darted to me then back to the road. “You didn’t have that growing up?”

I shrugged. “Nah. My parents were both too busy drinking to hold steady jobs.” I could feel Donovan’s eyes on me every so often, but I kept my head facing forward. No one knew what my childhood had been like, except Doug and his family. It wasn’t something I liked to talk about. But for some reason—maybe because he’d shown me a part of himself tonight—I wanted Donovan to know.

“I grew up in an old trailer that was falling apart, and half the time we didn’t have any water or electricity because they’d either forget to pay the bills or they hadn’t worked enough that week to afford them. There was rarely any food in the house, not that my mom would’ve cooked anyway.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Donovan’s hands tighten around the steering wheel, the leather creaking beneath his grip. “Were they…abusive?” he asked in a low voice.

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