Page 51 of The Caress

Really pretty.

Fine.

I’m jealous.

That’s valid. I’m allowed to have these feelings as long as I don’t let them cloud my judgment. She’s probably perfectly nice, in addition to all her other good qualities, so I’m not going to be rude or petty when I finally get a chance to meet her.

But I will keep an eye on her until I know for sure what her intentions are. Lord. Now I sound like Keir’s brother. Or his mother.

I shudder at the realization that I’m uncomfortably close to passing judgment on this new hire, just like Keir’s relatives passed judgment on me.

I’ll just have to trust him. Which… Ido. For all his flaws, he’s never once given me a reason to think he’s interested in anyone else. Not ever.

Still, I can’t help but wonder if there’s a reason he hired this particular woman. I don’t doubt that she was probably the most qualified candidate. Keir sometimes thinks with his dick, but that isn’t how he runs his business. That’s James’s specialty, from what I understand.

But this woman is objectively pretty. Objectively beautiful, really. There’s no way that didn’t factor into his decision. He’s human, after all.

I huff out a short breath and sit down on the couch while I give Keir’s office door the evil eye.

Okay, I need to stop.

Seriously.

I’m not going to let myself turn into this jealous, insecure monster. I’m going to keep my insecurities locked up tight, like a normal person. And that means I’m going to give this woman a fair shake. I’ll wait to pass judgment until after I’ve met her. then I’ll keep my feelings to myself.

Unless Keir asks what I think, of course.

The sound of the butler clearing his throat pulls me from my thoughts. "There’s someone here to see you," he says, gesturing toward the great hall.

"Me?" I look around the empty sitting room as if he could be talking to someone else.

"I asked if you were expecting him, but he wouldn’t answer. He’s, ah," he says, pausing and raising a brow. "Quite insistent."

I don’t like the sound of this. "No, I’m not expecting anyone," I say as I stand up and start following him through the house. "Do you know who it is?"

He turns and gives me a curious look right before we make it to the hall. "I believe it’s your father."

That’s the only warning I get before I find myself face-to-face with my dad. "What? Dad?" I seriously can’t believe my eyes right now. It feels like someone is playing a prank on me. "What are you doing here? How did you even get here?"

"Don’t look so surprised," he snaps, craning his neck to look past me. "I warned you. I told you to stop stalling. Now I’ll have to take matters into my own hands. Where is he? Where’s Keiran?"

"I don’t know," I lie, starting to panic. "What are you talking about? Tell me why you’re here."

This is bad. Very bad. Catastrophic.

I’ve done my best to ensure this day would never come, but here it is. Here we are, all under the same roof. How am I going to explain this to Keir? He’s going to see my dad here and think I invited him. He’s going to think I wanted this to happen.

I have to get to him first. I turn to look for the butler, but he’s already gone. When I turn back to face my dad, he’s stepping around me, apparently determined to go looking for Keir on his own.

"Dad, stop," I say, hurrying to block his way. "Please, just talk to me for a second, okay? Tell me what’s going on. Or better yet, let’s go somewhere else and talk. Somewhere private."

"You’d like to hide me away again, wouldn’t you?" he sneers. "Not gonna happen. Not this time. Not until after I’ve had a conversation with your boyfriend."

Oh, God.

I feel like I’m going to throw up or pass out. Or maybe both. I’m starting to sweat, and my stomach feels like it’s in my throat.

Keir’s voice behind me makes it ten times worse. "What’s going on here? Ella? Why is your dad here?"

---