Page 30 of His

“That’s the master bedroom, where Val—I mean Mrs. Stone—stays. I believe when Jackie has stayed overnight before, she stays in there with her, and they always keep the door shut.”

“She stays in there with her?”

I notice Sabine’s demeanor has changed. Once warm and welcoming, she’s now serious.

She nods, watching me closely.

“So, I’m going to sleep in there?”

“I believe so. There’s a loveseat next to the bay window that pulls into a bed.”

My eyes round. I did not expect to sleep next to the woman I’ve been hired to care for.

Suck it up, Brittney. You can do this. You have to do this.

Sabine clears her throat. “So, uh, yeah, Jackie’s in there. So,” she gestures to the closed door—go ahead.

She’s not going to walk me into the room? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. She’s the maid. But I did expect to meet Mr. Stone upon my arrival.

I’ve been here ten minutes and it seems like nothing is as I’d expected. This makes me uneasy. I don’t like surprises.

“Okay. . . . Thanks.”

On a deep breath, I banish my nerves, and walk to the closed door at the end of the hall.

I knock, and while waiting, look over my shoulder.

Sabine is watching me from the exact spot she left me. Her expression is hard and apprehensive, and she’s wringing her hands. It’s like she doesn’t want to get any closer to the room.

Why, I wonder?

. . . And why do I have such a weird feeling right now?

Nineteen

Sabine

By five o’clock, I’m more than ready to put distance between me and the beach house. As we drive down the shoreline, and the distance between me and Valerie widens, the weight releases from my shoulders.

We find a come-as-you-are shoreside diner. Astor fits right in in his t-shirt, shorts and scraggly beard. I like this new Astor. He’s in a space of recalibrating what’s truly important to him. Designer suits, fifteen-hour workdays, and living a life driven by guilt are just a few of things he’s letting go.

As I sit across from him, I pray that the loose cannon with a violent temper is long gone. Time will tell, I guess.

We drink, eat, laugh, steal kisses when no one’s looking. It’s the happiest I’ve felt in a long time. But as most good things do, it comes to end when Cillian texts Astor about something important that’s come up with work. A potentially big new contract with the DOD, and Cillian needs to fly to DC immediately.

We rush back to the beach house and I realize it’s like we have a child to take care of. Cillian, the babysitter, has to rush out, so we adapt accordingly.

When we arrive, Astor leaves me to check on Valerie, who is asleep in bed. It’s just after ten.

After grabbing a glass of wine, I decide to take a quick shower to unwind, then maybe lose myself in a good book in bed.

I’ve just gotten out of the shower when I hear Astor sneak up behind me.

I grin at the expression on his face.

“I swear you have naked radar,” I mock, toweling off my breasts.

“It’s one of my superpowers, my beautiful butterfly.”

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