The paper tore away in heavy scraps and he tipped the frame, balancing it on his knees. Evelyn stood and moved to stand next to him. His thumb traced the small brass plate at the bottom. HOME.
He glanced up at her. “Home,” he whispered.
She nodded and the tense mood turned to something weighted and tender. He reached for her hand, gliding his thumb over the backs of her fingers much like he’d glided it over the plaque.
“Thank you for this.”
Her throat was tight. “Thank you for giving me a home,” she whispered in return.
He nodded and glanced back at the picture. “This is your home, Evelyn. You’ve made it a home for me, a sanctuary. This is a beautiful gift.”
She lowered into the seat beside him. “We’re okay, right, Lucian?”
His throat worked as he swallowed. “Yes, I believe we are.” It was as though her gift had offered some much needed reassurance to him, but she didn’t understand where his need for such a thing stemmed from.
Leaning up, she softly pressed a kiss into his cheek. He turned and kissed her fully. After a while, he placed the picture against the wall and led her to bed. They made love languidly, each caress a slow unraveling treasure, and fell asleep in each other’s arms.
Evelyn’s last thought was that it was nice to have shelter, but it was Lucian who truly was her home.
Chapter 6
Equal Opportunity
Evelyn made a conscious effort to not think about the Parker situation anymore. Whatever had been bothering Lucian on Friday seemed to have passed by Sunday. They did their usual routine of breakfast followed by ledger entries. As she read him the last entry, she lowered the pages in her lap and watched him make his notations. It always intrigued her that Lucian kept his own books.
“Is that the last one?”
“Yup.”
He leaned back and stretched, swiping his glasses from his nose in the process. “What do you say we get out of here for a while? How would you like to take a ride to visit Pearl?”
Evelyn never turned down the chance to visit her mother, especially now that she’d somewhat forgiven Scout for checking her into the rehab facility Lucian found. “Okay.”
“I need to read over this contract. Why don’t you get a shower and we can go in a little bit.”
Rather than stand, she watched him. As he realized something was keeping her there, he turned back to her. “Say it, Evelyn.” He always knew when something was on her mind.
“I need to start looking for another job, Lucian.” She had been dreading this conversation.
His expression tightened. “I’ll talk to the concierge and see what openings he has.”
“I don’t want to work at the front desk. You know that. It’s too much reading for me.”
“I wasn’t talking about the front desk. There are other, less high-profile, positions.”
“Less high-profile as in you invent a position, put a fancy title on it and feel justified in giving me a paycheck every week? I don’t think so. I want to find a real job.”
“It will be a real job.”
She deliberately gave him a knowing look, shoving her tongue in her cheek and rolling her eyes. “Come on, Lucian. I need to work. We’ve been through this.”
“Why do you need to work? I provide everything you need. You have a heap of money in your top drawer and if you want something I’ll buy it for you.”
“There’s a name for women who let lovers leave money on the nightstand.” He gave her a warning glance and she amended, “I don’t like feeling indebted.”
“You aren’t.” His tone took on an offended ring. “I give you those things because I want to.”
“Lucian, a man can buy a woman gifts, but only a whore gets money on the nightstand.”
He glared at her. “Evelyn, don’t. We aren’t going there again. I have money. I spend it on those I love. End of story. Compare yourself to a whore again and you’ll regret it.”
“Well, I want money too. Money I earned, so that I can spend it on the people I . . .”
He looked at her, waiting for her to finish the statement. She couldn’t. She never spoke words of love. Her experiences with love only taught her that it was the strongest weapon a person could wield. She’d loved her mother, and for twenty years Pearl did nothing but take advantage of her affection, use it to manipulate her. Every time her mother stood a breath away from death’s door, Evelyn’s heart was flayed deeply. She cared about Lucian in ways she never cared for anyone else, including her mother. She couldn’t give him that kind of power over her. She would give him anything else, but not that.
She cleared her throat and looked away. “Please don’t fight me about this. If you help me find a job I could probably land a better one. You know I have a hard time with the help wanted ads.”