“Evan’s going to kill me,” he mumbled under his breath.
“Why?”
He shrugged and started to walk toward the path, but I lunged forward and caught his upper arm. He turned back.
“Wes? What’s going on? Just tell me,” I insisted.
He glanced at my face, seemed to sense my determination on the subject, and sighed.
“You’re going to really like her, Anna. Valeria, I mean. When Evan described what he needed here at the house, I immediately thought of her.”
“Why does it matter whether I like a complete stranger or not? And why is Evan interviewing her? What’s she supposed to do?”
“He wanted someone to help do some light chores around the house, that’s all. Run errands occasionally… ”
“And.”
“He said you needed another soul around the house.” He noticed my ominous expression
. “I got the impression Evan is concerned about you being so isolated here. Valeria is close to your age, and she likes a lot of the same activities you do. She loves to hike and board and swim, and she’s an expert scuba diver… teaches a class at the local community college—”
He broke off when I moved past him and stalked toward the path.
“Anna, wait. Evan is doing it only because he’s concerned.”
“He’s only doing it because he’s stubborn,” I corrected, plunging down the slope.
You’re an idiot, Anna.
And here I’d been thinking we’d soared past that spat we’d had, and moved on to some higher understanding in regard to our marriage.
I flung open the male room door without knocking.
“I don’t want a companion, Evan. I’m a grown woman living in the twenty-first century, not some helpless female in a Jane Austen novel.”
Evan sat behind his desk. His expression didn’t shift at my outburst. The woman who sat in front of his desk twisted around in her chair, however, her eyes sprung wide.
“Ah, here she is now. Valeria Caro, I’d like you to meet my wife, Anna. She’s not usually this loud, but there’s always the potential for it, I’m learning,” he said. He looked grave as he followed my progress into the room, but I saw the glint of humor in his eyes.
“Don’t you dare laugh about this. How could you do this behind my back?”
Valeria stood from her chair and faced me. My anger fractured a little when I took in how disconcerted she was at my dramatic entrance. She was short, with long dark hair, smooth, golden brown skin, and small, delicately wrought features. She wore jeans and a short-sleeved tunic. I had the quick thought that Wes had been right when he’d mentioned the outdoor leisure activities she enjoyed. She had a great figure and the appearance of a woman comfortable in her own skin… a natural athlete.
At the moment, however, she appeared confused and unsure. I exhaled heavily.
“I’m sorry for bursting in like this, Valeria,” I apologized, stepping forward to shake her hand. I threw Evan a dark look. “But I’ve told Evan I don’t need him to pay someone to be my friend.”
“Your friend?” Valeria repeated, laughing nervously. “We hadn’t discussed that part of the job yet.”
I stood there for a few seconds soaking in that information, my mouth hanging open.
“I was just explaining to Valeria that we need someone to do some cleaning, some light gardening on the terrace, laundry, errands, meal prep. Valeria takes classes at the local college on Tuesdays and Fridays, but she’s available to come out in the afternoons the rest of the days of the week,” Evan said, his tone light and conversational. Reasonable. His response stood in sharp contrast to my rude interruption.
He hadn’t even mentioned anything to Valeria about being my companion. Maybe he’d changed his mind on that angle, after all.
I shifted on my feet. Now that some of my self-righteous fury was draining out of me, I was becoming more aware of my surroundings. I could hear the sound of pounding hammers and the buzz of a saw in the distance. The construction crew was hard at work, demolishing the viewing room.
My defiance hadn’t entirely left me, though.