Chapter 13

Bredon was studyingme intently again.

It was like my inner sense understood him. I wasn't creeped out. Instead, I wanted to stretch like a cat just awakened from a nap under a sunbeam because I enjoyed his attention.

"I can shop on my own. I'm not helpless," Talia raved.

"It was simply an offer, Talia," Sig spoke slowly, enraging Talia further.

"I can take care of myself," she screeched.

Their sniping made me uncomfortable. I didn't understand how an offer to provide transportation for a shopping trip caused the woman to lose her shit.

Sig was calm, yet I sensed he was seething underneath the facade.

Talia was acting…well, a little unhinged. It was embarrassing. She was using her hands dramatically as she argued, her voice getting louder and louder.

I leaned closer to Bredon, "I'm going to call it a night." I placed my napkin beside my plate, quickly slid my chair back, and left the dining room, bowing my head to look at the floor so I felt less noticeable.

I paused once I was in the hallway, unsure of where I wanted to go. It was then that I realized that Bredon had followed me. I turned to him and whispered, "Do they do that often?"

"I'm embarrassed to say they do."

Our gazes met, and I suddenly wanted to giggle. "Do you have to go back to work tonight?" His job demanded a great deal of his time.

Not that I'd been keeping tabs.

"No. What do you wish?" His demeanor relaxed. He looked…not younger but more approachable.

"Talia told me that you have an amazing library. I'd like to see it." I immediately bit down on my lower lip. I hadn't meant to sound demanding. It was that I was interested in it.

"Is that a veiled request to see my rooms?" His blue eyes lit with mischief.

I grinned, immediately responding to this version of Bredon. "I don't know. Do you have something special for me to see?"

"I guess the only way to know is to find out." He held out his arm to escort me.

After he'd given me the tour, we stayed in the library.

"This is amazing, Bredon." I looked around in awe. There were so many books. "I can't wrap my head around how much room this building has."

"When we have a day without the bitter wind, I will take you out to explore."

"Really?" That sounded fun. I forced my hands under my thighs so I wouldn't clap. "I'd like that."

"Has it been difficult?" His expression grew serious. "I mean, coming here and adhering to the rules."

"There are a few payoffs." I grinned. "I don't mind rules. Sometimes, I think I find them comforting. When I was growing up…there weren't many." I shook off the memory.

"Why was that?" he asked, his tone softening. He wasn't making a demand that I share. He was interested.

I pulled my leg under my butt and relaxed in the chair. "My mother was a painter." I knew he was aware. "She didn't think about much else." Then I shook my head slightly. "She didn't like to be bothered with everyday problems."

"Were you one of those so-called problems?"

I wasn't surprised that he'd picked up on that. In a way, I knew that he would. "In some ways, I was her caretaker. I should say I was our caretaker. She couldn't fathom things like bills or needing food in our place."

"Why did no one intervene on your behalf?"

"I stayed with my mother's friends in Chicago until I was four. Judith would come and go, but I had a home there. Then, one day, she decided to paint in the Greek Isles. She moved us there, and an artist friend in the area sent his sister to us to manage the house. I was homesick for Chicago, but I knew…" My hand was resting over my heart. I took a second to compose myself. "I knew I had to pay attention and learn because my mother wouldn't let me go."

"You became her caretaker." He frowned.

"I did."

"You were a child." Now, his eyes were flashing.

"I didn't know that what was happening was odd. We moved at least twice a year, and I had to overcome language issues. I learned to trust my intuition." So many times, my inner voice reminded me. "People wanted to take advantage of our situation. Judith was a recognizable name in certain circles, and I was a child with little supervision."

His posture tensed. "Did someone hurt you?" His voice had developed a bit of a rumble.

"No." I shook my head. I let out a long sigh. Something drove me to tell him the truth. "But…there were a few instances where I was afraid." I blinked several times, surprised that I was telling him this. "We were staying with people in Venice. It was a big house, but sort of falling down." I paused to make sure he understood what I was saying. "Multiple generations lived there with various hangers-on. There was a woman who kept trying to befriend me. She'd offer me sweets and seek me out when I was alone. She liked to touch me." I ducked my head, reliving the shame that I'd felt then. "She'd comment on my body. I didn't like it," I said in a heated tone. "One night, the woman tried to crawl into bed with me. I must've made enough noise to draw attention. Our hostess found us, and the women argued."

"How old were you?"

"Seven or eight." I shrugged and then continued the story. "They were speaking too quickly for me to understand. The next day, we packed up and were on the move. My mother was furious." I could still see her face that day. "I don't know if she was angry over what had happened to me or that we were made to move."

"Children are true gifts. They should be appreciated and protected."

I agreed. "My upbringing was unconventional. When it became evident that Judith was ill, we returned to Chicago. We lived above our friend's gallery. She died seven months later."

"I'm sorry that she passed on."

"I was angry with her for years. Soon after she died, I learned that she'd found a lump in her breast three years earlier but feared treatment would mute her muse. She was just as selfish in life as she was with her death. She might have extended her life if she had gone to a doctor earlier. Instead, she left me to go on alone."

"People do not always make sense. Especially those who are selfish or refuse to see what is in front of them," he muttered, anger seeping into his words.

I liked that he understood. It was the way of the world, but many refused to see that not everyone was good.

"I still do not know why you took this job. Unless you have a strange wish to be covered in dust."

I dropped my foot to the floor. "I was saving money to do something selfish when I met Talia," I said. "I was looking forward to an adventure. She offered me this job, and I thought it was a good match. I'd be working and yet exploring somewhere new."

"You've been locked away. I wouldn't call it much of an adventure."

"I don't know… The ruggedness here has a certain beauty. I'm looking at amazing photographs." I shrugged. "And the company is…kinda nice." I grinned.

He arched an eyebrow. "Only kind of?"

"So far."

A heavy knock on the door ended the moment.