He raises a skeptical brow. “Suit yourself. If you change your mind, just buzz and Warren will let you through.” He points to the keypad near the gate. “And don’t worry about getting into trouble. I’ll take care of Cathrine.” Somehow, I really think that’s what he was hoping for anyway, a confrontation with his mysterious second cousin. Then again, maybe he just wants to spend more time with Jo. She is certainly pretty, so I couldn’t blame him. Without another word, he drives forward, pulling through the gate as the electronic sticker in his windshield is read, no code required. At seeing his dad’s car, John finally heads in our direction, throwing a hand in the air to wave at the black car. I can see the shadow of Orrick’s hand waving through the tinted back windshield.
I look back at Jo, unable to hide the ridiculous grin on my face. She watches him park before her eyes come back to me, and she asks, “Did I just make a huge fool of myself?”
I’m not expecting that, though she seems genuinely concerned about it. “It’s really hard to tell with Orrick,” I say, shrugging one shoulder. “He’s always that cool and calm. It’s unnerving, isn’t it? No one should be allowed to be that handsome and charming. There has to be something wrong with him.”
Jo presses her fingers to her lips, suppressing a wide grin, and nods. “This might sound pathetic, but aside from the doorman to Locke Industries and the one friend I have at work, no one there has ever been that nice to me.”
So, maybe Orrick isn’t the same man I’ve come to know at work, after all. “Isn’t Orrick usually that nice?”
“That’s the first time we’ve met, actually. I was so nervous to meet him—” Jo stops and clears her throat, while my brain short-circuits at her confession. ”I just hope that went okay.”
“Wait, what?” I let out a shocked laugh. “That was the literal first time you’ve met your…boss? How is that possible?”
She is quiet for a moment, and I worry I’ve offended her. “I’ve seen him in the halls. He walks by most mornings and greets everyone, but I’ve barely ever made eye contact with him, never mind talked to him. The company is…very professional, and while people have working relationships, it tends to stay within our sectors. I’ve always wanted to meet him. I guess I got my wish today.”
This is why I’d never make it in an office job. I need to connect with people too much. Already, I’ve been looking for friendship with Maya and Lily. Give me enough time, and I’ll have AJ and Warren on my side, too. I study her face. We seem so similar and yet so incredibly different. But I recognize the need for approval on her face. She needs to know Orrick isn’t going to dwell on the conversation. I shake my head, trying to reassure her the best way I know how. I can’t put my finger on why, but I genuinely like Jo. “Well, if my opinion’s worth anything, I think it went well. From what I’ve seen, Orrick leads the conversation, and as long as you manage to keep up, you’ll have his respect. I’d say you did that.”
She grabs one of the wrought iron gate rungs and grins, as if I’ve made her day. I instantly feel good about my decision. I look behind me as I hear the brushing of shoes on the grass. John stops a few feet from me, staring at Jo incredulously. “Liv, can we go back inside now? I want to tell Dad that I finally beat that new level.”
“Sure, bud,” I say, patting his head, though I am really enjoying talking to my new acquaintance. I look back at her. “I should get back inside. It was so nice to meet you. I hope we’ll cross paths again.” John heads for the house, and I move to follow him, but stop, waiting for him to get further ahead before I speak again. “Oh, and…good luck working for the Lockes. It sounds like we both may need it.” It is meant to be a joke, but, to my surprise, her expression grows serious.
“Thanks for keeping me company.” A sadness coats her tone. “I’ve worked at Locke Industries for three years, and this is the first time I’ve been to their home. I’m really not sure if I’ll see you again, but if I don’t, if my opinion’s worth anything, I think John’s lucky to have someone nice like you looking after him. It takes a village. I hope they see the value you bring to their family.”
I hurry after John, thinking about what she said. She’s right that it takes a village, and the Lockes have certainly created that. John is a very well looked after child.
When I get inside, I can hear Orrick and Cathrine’s heated tones from the kitchen, though I can’t make out what’s being said. I nudge John’s back just a bit. “Maybe you should go on up and see if you can get past level seven. I’ll tell your dad you’re waiting on him as soon as he finishes up with…” I trail off. Work? Family? Cathrine?
Without waiting for me to complete the sentence, John jogs up the stairs, and I move to the living room to wait to be dismissed. It’s not normal for Orrick to come home before dark, even sometimes on a weekend.
I don’t mind staying if I need to, but I want to be sure either way.
The longer I stay, the more I learn about this strange, mysterious village I’ve found myself a part of.
Chapter Eight
Orrick
A faint knock on my study door makes me look up from my work. I close the laptop in front of me when Olivia walks in, her dark hair hanging loose around her shoulders.
“Good evening, Olivia.” I watch her eyes taking me in, and I wonder what she thinks of me. For what feels like the first time in my life, I can’t tell.
“Hi, sorry to bother you.” Her cheeks pinken slightly, but not enough. I don’t affect her like I do others, and that intrigues me. Women have fallen over themselves around me my whole life, intoxicated by my wealth and good looks. My charm doesn’t hurt either. I learned from the best, and my dad was certainly the best. Still, he never prepared me for how annoying it would get, how exhausting it would be, to have weak and desperate women falling over themselves around you, agreeing with whatever you say, always eager to please. In theory, it sounds great, but in reality, I can’t think of much worse than a woman without her own opinions. Without the ability to carry on a conversation. I spend so much of my time talking to men at work, but when I try to carry on a similar conversation with a woman, they lose their resolve, suddenly unable to do much more than blush and agree. Sometimes I’ll get a thinly veiled attempt at obnoxious flirting thrown in—you know, to mix it up. It’s maddening. With Olivia, it’s different somehow. She doesn’t seem to care if I’m there, doesn’t seem to notice if I’m looking at her at all.
She’s been with us over a week now, and I have yet to make her nervous, make her lose her train of thought. When I enter a room, her eyes don’t find me immediately. She makes me talk first and always has something clever and bold to say. It’s refreshing. “You’re never a bother. What can I do for you?”
When she speaks, my gaze shifts between her full lips and her deep jade eyes. She is dark where Iris is light, curved where Iris is willowy. I can’t make myself look away, wanting to memorize every detail of her features.
“I just wanted to check in and see if you still needed me to stay. John’s asleep, but Iris hasn’t made it home. I’m not rushing out, I can stay if you need me to, but I didn’t want to just stick around and overstay my welcome.” I like the way she speaks. It’s casual, frank. Everything about her intrigues me, but mostly the way I don’t seem to intrigue her. Her eyes travel the room while she’s talking to me, while most are trained on mine. The power I don’t seem to have over her is rendering me defenseless.
As she takes another step toward me, I glance out the window, noticing the darkness of night for the first time. It’s well past evening, and John’s asleep. I realize what she’s asking. I should’ve sent her home by now. “I’m so sorry,” I tell her, standing up. “I hadn’t realized how late it’d gotten. Of course you can go. You shouldn’t have had to stay here so late on a Saturday. I’m sure you have a…date or something you’d rather be doing.”
Her cheeks flame bright pink then, and I realize I’ve struck a nerve. Perhaps she really did have a date that I’ve caused her to mis
s. I couldn’t know because I’ve still been unable to find her on social media. I step in front of the desk and lean against it, just feet from her. “I didn’t mind staying,” she says finally. “John and I managed to beat level seven on the game he’s been playing. He was really excited.” She speaks slowly, like she’s lost in thought, still not really holding my eye contact.
“You’re excellent with him,” I say, and she looks at me then, her eyes glassy for reasons I can’t understand.
“Thank you. He’s really a great kid.”
“I like to think so.” I laugh under my breath, trying to put her at ease, though it’s fruitless because she doesn’t seem to need it.
“It’s probably none of my business,” she says, and I’m instantly intrigued. What is she going to ask? “But…um, is everything okay? After today, I mean? Lily said we should go outside and avoid Cathrine, but I overheard you two and it sounded like you were arguing. Did I do something wrong by not letting you know she was here?”
I stare at her; the concern on her face is adorable. I lean my head back, looking at the ceiling and releasing an exasperated breath. “No, Olivia, you didn’t do anything wrong.” I look back at her. “Matters of security aren’t your job, so you did everything right. But don’t ever think anything that happens here isn’t your business. You’re a member of our staff, a member of our family as far as I’m concerned. You have a right to know what’s going on here.” I smile, though, of course, she has no rights and I would never tell her what’s truly going on, but it seems to please her. “Cathrine and I are second cousins. You may have worked out the relation between us because of the last names. In my position, people are always going to be jealous; they’re always going to want what I have. Cathrine is no exception. In fact,” I fold my arms across my chest, “she’s the rule. Growing up, she was very close with my father, and I think she believed the company would go to her when he stepped down, so when it didn’t, she…well, I guess it put a little bit of a target on my head with her. We’ve never been close, but since that happened, she’s constantly undermining me, stepping into areas she shouldn’t be, both literally and metaphorically.” I’m rambling now, though she seems to be hanging on every word. I inhale. “Anyway, she’s nothing you should concern yourself with, but I am sorry you had to overhear a family argument. It was completely unprofessional.” I place a hand on my chest, letting her know—think—I’m being sincere. “I will try to do better next time.”
“Thank you. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“Think nothing of it, Olivia. I want you to feel comfortable coming to me with anything.” I step toward her, though I immediately regret it as she tenses.
“Anyway, I’ll be heading out, then,” she says, pointing toward the door as she steps backward away from me.
I nod, watching her depart, then say, “Hey, Olivia?”
“Yeah?” She looks back over her shoulder, thick, dark hair shading her eyes. Her skin is creamy smooth and olive-toned. It strikes me then how badly I want to touch it. I force the thought away.
“Did Iris tell you she’ll be going out of town this upcoming week?”
A wrinkle forms on her otherwise perfect forehead. “No, I don’t think so.”
“She has a business trip. She and AJ will leave Monday and return sometime Thursday. It shouldn’t affect anything for you, I just wanted to make sure you knew.”
“Will he be okay without her?” Her hand is on the doorknob, but she’s keeping eye contact with me.
“I think so. It’s just for a few days.” I pause. “I may work from home during a few slow afternoons just to give him a semblance of normalcy, but that’s to be determined.”
She nods slowly, her jaw locked when she responds. “That will be fine, then. Do you still need me here tomorrow?”
I nod. “Just for a little while, I promise. Iris and I have somewhere to be for a few hours. We’ll get you out of here much earlier than today.”
She pulls the door open then. “Goodbye, Orrick.”
“Goodnight, Olivia,” I say, feeling the sigh leave my chest as soon as the door shuts again. I shake my head, thinking of the way she looked at me. I’ve never had anyone disregard me the way she does.
Intriguing.
Chapter Nine
Iris
“How long has it been since we escaped New Gilford?” I ask, glancing over to AJ. He drums his fingers on the steering wheel of my Bentley. His dark, curly hair is slicked back, though a strand has escaped, sticking out more than all the others atop his head. He runs a hand over his goatee, smoothing it down, his eyes locked straight ahead. It feels strange sitting in the passenger’s seat when I haven’t sat anywhere but the back in what seems like so long.
“A while,” he says. “Before John was born.”
He’s right, it’s been nearly a decade since we visited the east-coast and west-coast offices of Locke Industries. When Orrick decided it was time for us to visit again, I assumed it would be the two of us, but AJ was just as good of company. Better, maybe. He wasn’t staring at a phone all day.
Right on cue, my phone chimes. I read over the email from Elena, the fill-in assistant, and forward it to Orrick, because she forgot to CC him again. God, I hope he finds someone suitable in his interviews while I’m away.
“Are we going straight to the office? Or to the hotel instead?”
“I thought we’d check in first and drop off the bags, then head over. But it will depend on what time we get there.” He glances at the watch on his wrist. “Traffic from the airport is usually a nightmare.”
“I didn’t tell them what days we’d be there for certain. If we need to check in tonight and go in tomorrow, that’s fine, too.”
He nods, but doesn’t say anything else.
“How do you think Olivia’s doing?” I’m looking for something to talk about. Anything to fill the silence and awkwardness built up between us.
“She seems fine,” he says, his tone clipped. “Young.”
“She is young. Younger than I expected, but maybe that works in John’s favor. She has the energy to keep up with him—energy that I lost years ago.”
He looks at me out the side of his eye, only turning his head very slightly. “You still have plenty of energy, Iris.” I can’t tell if he’s being coy or kind.
“Not like I used to,” I admit, and it’s the honest truth; we both know it. I glance out the window as we pull into the airport parking lot. “Are you nervous?”
“About the trip?”
“About going on the trip…with me?”
His jaw is clenched when I look back in his direction. “Why would you ask that?” He’s mad. I’ve touched a nerve.
“I don’t want to make things worse on you, AJ.”
“Meaning what, exactly, Iris?”
“I’m trying to have the conversation before we get on the plane, because we both know it’s coming.” I can’t look at him.
“Do you think I come across unprofessionally?”
“No, I—”
“Have I ever once done anything to jeopardize my job?”
“Of course not.”
“Then this conversation doesn’t have to happen. It’s a job, it’s just a job, and I’m more than capable of remembering that.”
I nod. “Of course.”
We ride the rest of the way to the parking garage in silence, but when we park and I move to take my bags, he stops me and lifts them himself. Is he doing it out of chivalry or because it’s his job? With AJ, I never know.
He walks ahead of me through the crowded parking garage and toward the airport. At one point, I slow my walk to nearly a crawl to see if he’ll notice I’m not with him. When he nearly disappears in the crowd, I hurry to catch up with him.
God, don’t let me lose him.
Chapter Ten
Orrick
Olivia clears her throat behind me, and I slam the laptop shut in an instant, wondering what she’s seen. I turn to face her, in the doorway
of my study, wide-eyed and fearful.
“Olivia, good evening,” I say, trying to keep my tone steady. Heat rises to my neck.
She smiles, eyeing the screen, and I know she saw what I was doing. If she’s smart, she won’t mention it.
“Was that Jo?” she asks—mentioning it. She may not be smart, but she’s certainly brave. Why is she so bold with me? Doesn’t she know who I am? I want to affect her, and yet I’m so enjoying the chase.
“Josephine, yes. You know her?” I stare at her intently, trying to determine why she’d know an employee of mine who doesn’t work in our house.
“The girl from the gate, remember? I met her Saturday with…Cathrine.”
“Right,” I say. “Of course. Sorry, it’s been a long day.” I lean forward and place the laptop on the small table in front of me, patting the cushion next to me on the sofa in case she’d like to sit.
She moves forward, hovering beside me, but not sitting yet. We’re both playing each other, like cats with a ball of yarn, me wondering what she’s thinking, her wondering what I’m doing.
“John’s down for the night,” she says, and I realize she’s there, once again, to see if she can leave, but I don’t want her to. The realization is embarrassing.
“Thank you, Olivia.”
“Is…everything okay?” She tucks a piece of hair behind her ears, studying me. I hate the way she makes me feel, and yet I’m addicted to it. What a strange sensation.
“Sorry,” I say, scooting further into the corner of the sofa before stretching my leg on the cushion and bending it with my hand resting on my calf. “Sit, please,” I insist, and she, reluctantly, does as I’ve requested, turning to face me slightly, so our knees are practically touching.
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