Page 20 of Even if It Hurts

Understanding touched her expression as she turned for the large, dark granite island. “That’s how he likes it. But, please,mess up the place.” She gave me a mischievous look. “He needs to be pushed out of his comfort zone every now and then. It’ll be nice to have someone else helping me push him.”

My eyes rolled playfully. “Only you would intentionally irritate someone already so irritable.”

She lifted a hand as if she were innocent. “Now, if you think you and Kaia will be good here, I need to get to the office.”

“Of course. Go,” I urged her, even though my heart was racing at the thought of being left in this large, gloomy place with an eight-month-old I didn’t know how to take care of.

“The employment forms are on the computer,” Aunt Ada reminded me as she headed for the front of the apartment. As if sensing my hesitation, she turned and pointed at me. “Use the computer.”

“But—”

“You heard Asher before he left,” she said over me, “and he wouldn’t give me access to his computers if he didn’t want me on them.”

“You, Aunt Ada. Not me.”

“Lainey Ray.”

I pressed my lips tightly together at her tone that held no room for argument. Drawing in a large breath, I released it slowly and nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll start them as soon as you leave.”

She waved her jeweled index finger in the air. “Knew I still had it,” she mumbled as she turned for the elevator again. “These kids I work with had me thinking I’d lost my touch.”

“And what exactly isit?” I asked, a whispered tease weaving into the words.

“The ability to scare you younger folk into remembering exactly who you’re dealing with.”

A sharp laugh left me. “I’m sure they’re plenty scared of you.” At the disbelieving look she sent me once she reachedthe elevator, I added, “Maybe they just haven’t seen you with a shotgun.”

“Unfortunately, they have.”

Amusement tugged at the corners of my mouth.

I could only imagine what had led to an encounter with my great-aunt threatening them with an unloaded shotgun.

“You could always try dragging them by the ear,” I offered just as the elevator arrived, then shrugged when her eyebrows furrowed. “The threat of that was what got Jackson to come with you last week.”

Surprise lit in her eyes at the news. “Is that so?” she asked, the quiet words seeming to be more for herself than me. With a dip of her head and a twitch of her lips, she stepped onto the elevator, calling out, “Thanks for the tip, my sweet Ray.”

For the briefest second, I felt bad for whatever followed my confession. But then I remembered Asher’s hardened glare and the five intimidating people I’d had to bowl through to get to Kaia, and I knew if Ada got a chance to drag any one of them, they’d probably deserve it.

Turning around, I drew in a few steeling breaths as I took in the apartment from where I stood. The shadowy beauty of it. The view from the windows on the side opposite where I stood. That unshakeable feeling like I had to be careful of where I even stepped...

When I’d first come in, I hadn’t been able to fully appreciate the magnitude or understand the solitude screaming from the walls. I’d been too focused on Ada filling me in over Kaia’s shrill cries.

Once I checked on her to make sure she was okay and still fast asleep, I wove through the apartment to the office that was easily three times the size of my bedroom.

And hesitated just inside.

Even setting foot in there felt wrong, and I realized by the time I finally forced myself to sit in the large desk chair that my lungs were straining from the short, shallow breaths I was taking. As if too large a breath might destroy the way everything was so perfectly in its place.

“Just get through these forms, then get out of here,” I murmured to myself, my head slanting as I lifted my hands to the keyboard. “And don’t touch anything else in the apartment.”

But halfway through the second form, my phone started ringing from where I’d dropped my bag in the living room, and I nearly screamed after being submersed in silence for so long.

Wavering for only a second, I pushed out of the chair and hurried through the opened glass doors. Grabbing my bag, I dug through it until I found my phone just as the call went to voicemail. I let my bag fall to the floor as I started for the office again, looking at the unfamiliar number that had called and dismissing it just as quickly. But as I set foot inside, another call came through from the same number.

I slowed to a stop just before the chair as I tapped the screen to answer. “Hello?”

“What about me gave you the impression that you could be in my office, let alone use my computer?”

---