Page 58 of Honor

“It’s this train that mostly runs beneath the city and…”

His laughter fills my small home as it bounces off the walls. “I know what the subway is, Evie.”

“Evie,” I repeat the nickname I’ve carried with me for as long as I can remember. “It suits me, right?”

He looks me over again. “Maybe it does, but the subway doesn’t suit me. If you insist on Basil having the day off, I’m ordering a rideshare.”

“That’s a compromise I can live with.” I take off in the direction of my bathroom. “I need a minute to freshen up, and then I’m all yours.”

I stop mid-step when I realize the words that just left my mouth. I glance over my shoulder to find Reid staring at me.

“You’re all mine until lunch is over.”

I swallow hard. “Deal.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Reid

WatchingEvangeline eat is an act of pure pleasure. She did this little moan sigh thing every time she took a bite of the warm, soft corn tortilla filled with tender pieces of spicy shrimp and all the fresh toppings anyone could want.

I sat next to her last night at Nova and enjoyed a profile view of her face while she ate, but I’m across from her now, and thisisthe place to be.

“When I get married, I’m going to have Atlas 22 cater my wedding,” she announces before a pink blush rushes over her cheeks.

That makes me sit up straighter. “Are you getting married?”

She shakes her head from side to side frantically. “No, no. Not anytime soon. I mean, one day. If it’s in the cards for me, of course.”

The sense of relief I feel knowing that is misplaced and unwanted. Being attracted to her is one thing, but this newfound curiosity about her personal life is wholly and completely fucked up.

“Randall and Lottie’s wedding is the only one I’m thinking about,” she admits. “I barely know either of them, but I’m emotionally invested in them. I want their wedding to be perfect.”

I want that as well, but it’s for a much different reason than my assistant’s.

I want the happy couple to be floating in the joy of the beginnings of their life together when I swoop in and take the stress of their respective companies off of their hands.

“Do you have anything fun planned for Randall’s bachelor party?”

My head snaps up so my gaze meets Evie’s. “Randall is taking care of that.”

“He’s the groom,” she reminds me. “It’s the best man’s job to do that.”

“It’s the best man’s job to let the groom do whatever the hell he wants.”

She laughs. “That’s one approach.”

“What about the bachelorette party?” I test the phrasing with a wince. “Is that what it’s called?”

“I think so,” she says. “Lottie doesn’t have any friends, and from what she told me, none of her family will be attending the wedding, so a bachelorette party would be just for the two of us.”

Charlotte’s estrangement from her family is not news to me. I’ve heard gossip from several sources regarding that. It may not be ideal for Charlotte, but it fits right into my plan to purchase Emmel’s.

It’s not uncommon for a fractured family to be the driving force behind a monumental business decision. What better way to distance yourself from the people who have let you down than to dump the one thing that still connects you?

“Can I say something?” She picks up the linen napkin next to her plate, quickly swiping it over her lips.

“Of course.”

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