by Violet Paige
It was possibly the most artistic food display I had ever made. I felt more Parisian in that moment than I had since we moved. It was worthy of a picture and a hashtag, not that I could post either of them.
“This is a feast. See, Aubrey?” Paul winked. “Not that difficult.”
She shrugged and lifted a slice of cheese from the center. “I never told you I could cook.” I saw the wink she returned to her husband. “You knew exactly what you were getting into.”
There was something between them that was warm, yet playful. I could tell they were close, like old friends, but there was an air of romance that vibrated between their glances.
“How long have you been married?” I asked.
“Ten years,” Aubrey answered.
“That’s a long time.” I smiled. “Ten years is a milestone.”
“What about you?” she asked.
“Oh. Us?” I fidgeted in a drawer for a pair of serving tongs. “Two years.”
“Newlyweds. Babies.” Paul laughed.
“I guess so.” My eyes lifted when Vaughn strolled in from the hall into the living room. He crossed into the kitchen. “There you are.”
“Sorry about that.” Vaughn leaned over to kiss my cheek. “I would have gotten home sooner if I knew I was keeping everyone waiting,” he apologized.
Paul touched a finger to his lips. “I knew I recognized you.” My stomach curdled. Was this a good or bad thing? “I thought it was just from the building, but now I know where I’ve seen you before.”
Vaughn nodded. “Mertech.”
“Yes. Yes.”
Vaughn plucked a grape from the center of the board along with a piece of cheese. “I’m in one of the upstairs office suites.”
“And I’m down in the lab,” Paul offered.
“You two work in the same building?” Aubrey sounded surprised. “And now live in the same building?”
“You do?” I was just as shocked. I didn’t know Vaughn had an office. I didn’t know about Mertech.
“It’s a huge facility,” Vaughn explained. “I’m in advertising and marketing. I didn’t realize we had met. I know you from some of the promotions we’ve worked on. You’re a popular man there.”
Paul shook his head. “We haven’t met, but I think maybe I’ve seen you in the lobby or something? I knew your face was too familiar.” He waved his hand in the air as if the case were dismissed now that he realized how he knew Vaughn.
“I guess so. It’s nice to meet a legend in the field, an honor actually. Your work is important.”
“I have a team who also works hard.”
I stared, trying to digest the conversation. I had no idea what kind of work they were talking about. I only knew that whatever it was, it was important to Blackwing, and that meant it was worth a fortune to someone.
“Have you ever been in the lab, Leo?” Aubrey sipped her wine. “It’s Paul’s pride and joy.”
Vaughn shook his head. “No. I don’t have much need. It’s really out of scope for what I do.”
“You should come down some time. See where the magic happens. It’s not as bad as what you’ve probably heard. I promise it’s not a dungeon.”
“I know it’s a lot of trouble to get clearance, but thank you.”
“No trouble at all.” Paul waved him off. “I’ll show you the lab. I like giving tours. Makes me feel a little more human when I’m down there. Maybe in return you can show me an office with windows,” he joked. “That’s one thing I don’t have. We have to keep a sterile environment.”
“You might have a deal.” Vaughn grinned, pausing as if he had to consider the offer. I already knew what his answer would be. “All right. I’ll take you up on that, if you’re sure.”
Was this the plan? Vaughn needed to get inside Paul’s lab? What in the hell did Paul do? Was he a researcher? A scientist? I was too afraid to ask.
“You should do it.” Aubrey leaned against the counter. “I’ve only been once. Can you believe it? It’s not every day you get an offer like that.”
“Cherie, I didn’t know you wanted to spend more time in the lab with me.”
Aubrey laughed. “I don’t. But some people might find it fascinating. Nerdy scientist types,” she teased. Her eyes traveled to Vaughn. “I wouldn’t say you look nerdy, though.”
His eyebrows raised.
I bit my lip. “I think the chickens are ready. Anyone else hungry?” I wasn’t sure if my job was to steer the conversation away or toward the target, but my instincts told me to change the subject from Paul’s lab to something else.
“Is there something I can do to help you?” Aubrey offered. “Everything is already so put together. This would have taken me a week to do. And you did all this in one afternoon?”
I shrugged. There was no way to explain that I had done it to save Vaughn. I still hadn’t figured out what I was saving him from, but I didn’t have a choice.
“Really, it’s not a big deal. I like cooking, and it’s always just us, so this was fun.”
“Ok, domestic goddess, what can I do?”
I smiled. I liked Aubrey. It occurred to me that she was the kind of person who could be a genuine friend if the circumstances were different. “Maybe wine refills?”
“I can do that.” She lifted the bottle and began pouring fresh glasses.
“What about me?” Paul rose from his barstool. “I’d like to help.”
“Why don’t you and Leo carry the salads in?” I suggested. “They’re on plates in the fridge.” I cracked the oven door and admired the chickens. The smell wafted through the kitchen.
The four salads were already prepared and chilling. Everyone began on their tasks while I placed the roasted chickens on the counter. A few minutes later, we sat around the dining room table.
It was the first time we had used the room. It was simple and elegant. The candles on the center of the table were lit. Our wine glasses were full. Everything should have felt perfect for a night with another couple, but it didn’t. It felt off. Wrong. I fidgeted with the napkin in my lap.
“I think a toast is in order.” Vaughn lifted his glass.
I held my breath, but I wasn’t sure why. I was more tense now than I had been the entire night.
“To new friends.” He nodded toward the Auclairs.
“Oui.” Paul lifted his glass in unison.
“And to Kate for making this dinner,” Aubrey piped in.
“To Kate,” Vaughn echoed.
I felt their eyes on me. The blood rushed to my cheeks. I guzzled the wine before my voice could crack or my nerves falter. This dinner meant something different to each person sitting around the table. Only, I had no idea what it meant for me. Had I saved Vaughn or hurt him? Did delivering Blackwing’s message put things back on track, or had I thrown him too far off course?
After dinner, I cleared the table and we moved into the sitting room. Vaughn and I sat together across from Paul and Aubrey. He squeezed my knee lightly before serving liqueur in tiny crystal cups. If there was one thing I had learned in Europe, it was that there was alcohol for every hour of the day. The cordial was sweet.
“New coffee table?” he asked.
“Yes. I found it today.” I’d never be able to look at it again without remembering my conversation with Eloise. I hated that table.
“I love it. Everything in your apartment is beautiful.” Aubrey touched the inlay with her fingertips. “I guess I’ll have to go furniture shopping soon. The flat feels empty even with boxes everywhere.” She sighed.
“I have a long list of stores if you’d like them.”
“That would be great.” She clutched the small cordial glass. “I have no idea where to even begin. Paris feels overwhelming at times. I miss my regular stores.”
“I understand that feeling.” I smiled softly. There were so many things I missed from home. Some days were easier than others. Being around another American made the distance seem farther.
“Are you going back an
y time soon?” Aubrey asked.
“Oh no.” I shook my head. “Not at all.”
“I keep thinking I’ll sneak a trip when Paul goes to a conference in a couple of weeks. It’s the holidays. I’d like to at least see my sister. She has three kids. It’s fun to visit them.”
The urge to volunteer my family’s information was there. I wanted to tell her I missed my brother too. I wondered how my mom and dad were doing. I wanted to talk to Greer. It was like they were suddenly sitting at the top of my heart—the pain of missing them was more palatable than it had been in all the weeks we’d moved to Paris.
“Maybe you can work that out.”
“Maybe.” Her eyes darted to the last sip of the liqueur.
Paul leaned into the sofa and closed his eyes while we talked.
“Uh-oh.” Aubrey poked him in the ribs. “You are not falling asleep here. Kate and Leo will never invite us for dinner again. His snoring is the worst.”
I laughed. “Don’t worry. We can do this again.”
Paul huffed. “I guess we should be going, cherie. I have an early morning. Trial tests start before the sun comes up.”
They rose from the loveseat. “Thank you again, Kate. It was a wonderful dinner.” Aubrey leaned over to kiss me on both cheeks.
Vaughn and Paul shook hands and we walked them to the door.
Aubrey gave me another quick hug. “Thank you.”
“Of course. Thanks for coming.”
The door closed and they were gone.
Vaughn’s eyes were dark.
“Say something, Em.”
I walked into the kitchen. I started washing plates and collecting bowls and platters.
Vaughn reached across me and turned off the faucet. The water dripped into the center of a pile of bubbles.
“You need to tell me what in the hell that was about.” The look in his eyes was powerful. Heated.
I didn’t want to break away. My heart hammered in my chest. The alcohol swirled in my head. This conversation had been festering all night. Lingering between us. Building.
And now things were going to explode.
Chapter Eight
The water dripped. One. Two. Three. Four.
Vaughn slammed his hand on the counter. “What was that, Em? What?”
“That was me trying to help you.” I threw a kitchen towel on the other side of the sink and spun on my heels. “Didn’t you like the roasted chicken?”
He growled. “I don’t care about the menu. I want to know how and why.” He shook his head. “Why was Paul Auclair in our apartment? How do you even know him? When did you meet Aubrey?”
“Why didn’t you tell me who Eloise really was?” I fired back, ignoring all his questions.
He stopped. “This was Eloise? The whole thing was her?”
“Yes.”
He hung his head. “What did she say? What did she tell you exactly?”
“That’s your response?” I pulled the high heels from my feet and tossed them in a heap near the couch. “You introduced me to her like she was a normal person. A French person. You lied to me when you said she was our realtor. She is clearly not a realtor.”
“It was her lie, not mine.”
“You went along with it.” I put my hands on my hips. “You let me believe she was something she wasn’t. You pretended you didn’t know her. Instead, the entire time, she was evaluating me. Watching me. Analyzing us. How could you let that happen?”
“It wasn’t my call.”
“You said we’d be honest with each other. You swore there wouldn’t be any more secrets. Eloise was a secret. Living in the same building as Paul was a secret. Where you work. What you’re doing. They are all secrets.”
“It’s my job,” he roared.
I stepped backward before I said something horrible. “Today, Blackwing gave me a job and I took it. For you. You think I sought them out? You think I wanted this?”
“No. I don’t want you anywhere near them. If they ask again, the answer is no. It’s always no.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “I didn’t have a choice.”
He huffed. “This is a game you don’t want to play, Emily. Blackwing is fucking with me. I get it. But I want you to stay out of it. Don’t go near them, especially Eloise.”
“I didn’t. She came to me. She found me.” I stormed back to the kitchen. Vaughn followed me. “I was trying to buy a damn coffee table.”
I thought I saw a flash of concern in his eyes. “Tell me what she said. Everything she said.” His voice was calmer.
I scraped the leftover bits of kale and spinach off the salad plates. “She said you weren’t acting quickly enough. She said it was my fault and I needed to do something to help you with your assignment.”
“That’s—” He stopped. “Ok. What else?”
“She said that I needed to invite the Auclairs for dinner. She told me Paul was at work and that Aubrey was home alone. It had to be tonight. I couldn’t put it off.”
Vaughn sighed. “Did she tell you why?”
“Not exactly. I tried to ask questions, but she wasn’t giving me much to go on.”
He shook his head. “This is fucking insane. You are supposed to be off limits.”
I stopped scraping plates. “She thinks I could help. That I could be useful.”
“No.” His eyes were piercing.
“Why not? You don’t think I can handle it?”
Vaughn buried his face in his hands. After a few breaths, he looked at me. “You are the one good thing in my life. The light. Remember? I’m not going to let them do this to you. Stay away from Eloise.”
“No one has done anything to me. I hosted a dinner party. It’s the most productive thing I’ve done in a month.”
“You want to work for Blackwing because you need a hobby?”
“No.” I didn’t know whether to feel insulted or humiliated.
“Let me guess. Eloise told you how brilliant you are. How you’re wasting your talents playing housewife. Was it something along those lines?”
My mouth hung open. “So you disagree?”
“No. Hell no. I know how smart you are. You’re smart enough to know she’s manipulating you. It’s what she does.”
“Just because she was trying to manipulate me doesn’t mean there wasn’t some truth in what she said. What am I doing? Picking out paint colors? Fabric swatches? Planning dinners with roasted chickens? Who am I here?”
“Babe, it hasn’t been very long.” His tone was gentler now.
I bit the inside of my cheek. “Maybe not for you, but for me three weeks of decorating has felt like three years. I haven’t looked at a court case. I haven’t discussed law. I haven’t helped anyone do anything. Except this dinner tonight. This was supposed to help you with your job. And even that didn’t require tremendous amounts of brain cells.” I pressed my hands into the counter. The stone was cool against my palms. “I saw the newspaper in your office. Are you going to pretend you didn’t hide it from me?”
“I thought it would upset you.”
Part of me was relieved he didn’t try to cover it up. “You know what working on Lana Foley’s case meant to me.”
“Yeah. I also know there’s nothing you can do about it. Reading about it is only going to make you want to—”
“Want to what?” I pressed.
He stared at me.
“What? You think it will make me want to read more? Call Lana? Go online? What? What could have possibly been so terrible about me reading the updates on the case? What did you think I’d do?” I tried to catch my breath.
“Leave,” he answered.
I blinked. “Vaughn.”
He rounded the island, catching my hip in his hand. “It sounds stupid.”
I nodded. “It is stupid.”
“At least we agree on something tonight.”
I didn’t mean to smile, but I did anyway. “One thing.” I wasn’t giving in on anything else.
“I
should have told you there was an update in the case, but I know you. You aren’t satisfied with part of the story.”
“No I’m not.”
“Even now?”
“Especially now,” I admitted. “It’s hard to trust someone else with her case. To know that I’m not taking Senate Mitcherson to court.”
“It’s not like you can go back.”
“I know,” I whispered. “I know I left her and all the women I was trying to help.” The dishes were a way to keep my hands busy, but I wasn’t in the mood to clean or straighten. I wanted to climb in bed and pretend today hadn’t happened.
I walked past Vaughn, silently making my way to the bedroom. I was exhausted. The rush of adrenaline that had taken over all afternoon was gone. Between the wine and the fight, I didn’t have any energy left.
“That’s it?” Vaughn followed me.
I stepped out of the flowy pants and peeled my shirt over my head. I picked up my toothbrush and toothpaste.
“You aren’t going to answer my questions. What’s the point?” I turned on the water and squirted the mint paste on the toothbrush. “I just want to go to bed.”
“The point is that you are valuable to Blackwing now. They gave you an assignment. You took it, and damn it, you did exactly what they wanted. Very successfully.”
I spit in the sink. I looked at Vaughn’s reflection over my shoulder. “I was successful?”
“You got me into Paul’s lab, I’d say you knocked it out of the park.”
I dropped my toothbrush in the holder and turned around. “That was what you needed? Access to his lab?”
He nodded. “For this stage. Yes.”
“So I was helpful?” I felt a new sense of adrenaline surge. It was different than what had fueled me all day. It snaked through my veins slowly at first, then jolted my system.
“Yes.”
I wrapped my hands around his waist. “Let me help you more.” My nails dug into his back, pressing through his shirt.
He groaned. “It’s not going to happen. You have had your first and last job with Blackwing.”
I began to work the buttons on the front of his shirt. I pushed the sleeves off his massive shoulders. He stood in front of me, his bronze skin sculpted and contoured. I ran a finger from his sternum to his navel.