Swim Deep - Page 41

“He seemed wound up. Tense. He wasn’t saying much by the time I got there, but that may have been because of his heart. His pulse was thready.” Wes looked distinctly uneasy. “I probably shouldn’t say anything else. Patient confidentiality and all.”

“Did he say why he punched through that window?” I asked.

“Anna is worried that he did it because she and Valeria were in the boathouse,” Evan said. “I told her that Noah has no right to be upset about that. The court documents clearly allocated that property and all its contents to the North Twin. Anna had every right to be in there.”

“Maybe Noah hasn’t read through the details carefully yet,” Wes said diplomatically.

“Since you’re still acting as his physician, and apparently you two are so close, maybe you’d be kind enough to tell him,” Evan said.

I glanced at Evan, trying to read his expression, but found little to go on. Wes, on the other hand, seemed determined not to meet Evan’s stare.

“I’m heading over to the hospital now. I’ll mention it to Noah, if he’s in any state to hear it.” He turned to Valeria. “I guess we should get going.”

I volunteered to walk them out to the car, which was parked on the entry drive. On the way, Valeria told me that she’d report for work the following day at noon. She asked for the entry code for the garage. I hesitated. I felt very unsettled by the events of the afternoon. The thought had occurred to me that Valeria’s employment might be cast in doubt by the events of the last half hour. I wasn’t at all certain Evan would want to stay at Les Jumeaux, given the fact that his ex-in-laws were living next door.

“Can I text you the code this evening? I’ve only used it a few times myself, and with everything going on, I can’t think of it at the moment.”

I saw the flicker of uncertainty on her face. I’d never been a good liar. I realized she was probably wondering if I’d reverted back to my hostility toward the idea of Evan hiring her. I felt I owed her some kind of explanation. Or warning? As Wes got into the driver’s seat, I grabbed by Valeria by the elbow, halting her.

“Listen, I just want to be honest with you about something,” I said quietly, trying to keep the conversation muted from Wes, who sat in the car waiting.

“Is something wrong?” Valeria asked.

“I don’t know for sure. It’s just that you’ve told me all about your family, and how you and your brothers look out for everyone. I know how important getting a new job is for you. I thought maybe… maybe you shouldn’t tell the other places you interviewed with that you’re unavailable just yet.”

Valeria looked stunned. “So you’ve decided you don’t want me for the job, after all?”

“No, it’s not that,” I said in a rush, hating this whole situation. I wasn’t used to being in a position where my opinion made the difference in the finances and well-being of an entire family. “I think you’d work out perfectly, to be honest. If we end up staying at Les Jumeaux, that is.”

“You’re leaving?”

“I don’t know,” I whispered, glancing at Wes’s shadow in the driver’s seat of the car. “This whole thing with Madaster might have thrown a wrench in things. Evan hadn’t realized they were living at the South Twin. These houses are so large, they’re completely separated by the landscape, and with Madaster being unable to go outside… Well, we just hadn’t realized they were here. Wes was just telling Evan the news that they’d retired here when Madaster… did what he did,” I said, grimacing at the unpleasant memory of that bloody fist of rage.

“It’s uncomfortable.” I tried to explain. “Evan and Noah Madaster don’t get along at all. I’m not sure Evan will want to live here, knowing the Madasters are just next door.”

“Oh, I see,” Valeria murmured.

“I tell you what,” I said. “I call you just as soon as I speak to Evan. I promise. I wouldn’t have brought it up, but I thought it’d be better to keep you in the loop instead of surprising you with news that Evan and I might be leaving Les Jumeaux, after all. I didn’t want you to cancel with another job opportunity, at least until I can check with Evan.”

Chapter Seven

Evan was in the kitchen when I returned, pouring some red wine into two glasses. He handed one to me silently when I approached. I took a sip from the heavy crystal goblet and sighed.

“What a weird day,” I said.

“Are you all right?”

I nodded. “Are you?”

He gave a small smile. “I’m not the one who saw a man punch his hand through a window.”

“No. But you did find out that your former in-laws have been living next to us since we arrived. Evan… did you know they were there?” His expression flattened. “I mean… did you even suspect it?”

“Of course not.”

The silence that followed seemed to swell and pulse against my eardrums. Evan took a sip of his wine and waved in the direction of the two deep leather chairs situated in front of the fireplace. We sat and set down our glasses on the table between us. I reached for his hand.

“Do you want to leave Les Jumeaux?” I asked.

Tags: Beth Kery Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net
readsnovelonline.net Copyright 2016 - 2024