Page 26 of My End
I had news for him, but he couldn’t.
Boone took the head of the table, me to his left, and Craig to his right. Which meant I had the pleasure of staring at Gibbs’s smug face for the next hour.
Fantastic.
I glanced past him to where Jake stood against the wall, tall and composed. His eyes flicked to me briefly, just long enough for me to see the tension in his jaw, before locking straight ahead again.
Adam returned with the first course. It was a creamy butternut squash soup in shallow white bowls garnished with roasted seeds and a drizzle of sage oil. He served silently and moved with ease.
Mick, Boone’s other bodyguard, stood at the opposite end of the room with his back to us and eyes trained on the hallway beyond.
We ate in silence for a few minutes before Boone turned his attention to me. “Tilly’s made quite a name for herself in theart world,” he said and sliced his spoon through the soup. “I’m always impressed.”
I offered him a small smile. “Thank you.”
Craig leaned forward slightly and was still holding his spoon. “Are you working on anything right now?”
My gaze shifted up, just for a breath, locked with Jake’s before I looked back at Craig.
“I’m working on something,” I said vaguely.
“A commissioned piece?” Boone asked and sipped his wine.
I shook my head. “No, no. Just something that came to me out of nowhere. It happens sometimes.”
Adam entered with the main course: grilled lamb chops with rosemary reduction, garlic mashed potatoes, and grilled asparagus. A flaky roll on the side that was warm and golden.
Craig’s eyes were still on me as he cut into his lamb. I focused on my plate and chewed slowly.
“I was thinking,” Boone said, and placed his fork down, “maybe after dinner, you could give Craig a tour of the grounds.”
I choked slightly on a bite of potato and covered my mouth as I coughed and reached for my water. “I, uh… I was actually planning on getting back to my painting after dinner.”
Boone raised a brow, but I rushed on. “You know how I am when I’m in the middle of something. It was hard enough for me to tear myself away for dinner. But I did, because you’re home.”
Boone nodded slowly, like he was deciding whether to press. “Yes, I do admire your work ethic.”
Craig smirked but thankfully stayed silent.
Boone and Gibbs turned toward each other, and their conversation slipped into something political and private. Names, numbers, upcoming appointments. I tuned it out anddragged my fork through the mashed potatoes. I snuck a glance at Jake.
His jaw was still tight, and his expression unreadable. He stared straight ahead like he wasn’t even in the room.
But he was. I knew it even though Boone and Gibbs acted like they were the only important things in the room.
This dinner with Boone and Craig Gibbs was going to be the least pleasant part of my week, and I couldn’t wait for it to be over.
I just hoped the rest of the night didn’t get worse.
Chapter Eleven
Stretch
I knew being around Boone and Gibbs was going to be hard, but I hadn’t expected the surprise that was Tilly.
What she saw in a man like Boone was fucking beyond me. Where she was gentle, warm, and welcoming, Boone was hard-edged, formal, and calculated. Cold. Gibbs was just more of the same. He was like a snake dressed in a thousand-dollar suit who smiled with teeth too white to be real.
And for a second there at dinner, it almost felt like Boone was trying to push Tilly toward Gibbs.
