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Above the door was a wall of windows that allowed sunlight to pour into the space.
Still, it felt dark and gloomy, like the rays couldn’t fully make their way inside. Maybe it was the dark wood fixtures and the heavy, lavish accents against the textured walls that made it feel confined and constricted, any warmth swallowed by the oppressive formality.
Or maybe it was just the wraiths that seemed to hover in the corners that kept out the light.
The ornate furniture and decorations were so perfectly planned there was no chance an interior decorator hadn’t been there.
Everything pristine and unused. Not one thing out of order.
I had to resist the urge to reach out and muss a few things up. Maybe dig into the tank I wore and wiggle out of my bra so I could toss it to the floor. Have Evelyn hop onto the settee and jump on it a few times so it could be broken in.
“This way.” Evelyn gave another tug as she turned to the right and led me down a long corridor. We passed a huge living space with a two-story fireplace and mantle situated with oversized brown leather couches, then a den and a formal dining room before we rounded a corner and were in the kitchen.
“This is where we eat because we don’t even eat at the fancy table.” Sweetness oozed from her as she pulled me the rest of the way into the largest kitchen I’d ever seen.
Equally as fancy schmancy, but different than the rest. It held the first hint of comfort since I’d walked into the house.
The ceiling was not quite as high as the living room, but still, it soared. The cabinets were so tall you’d need a ladder to get to the top shelves, each the color of sage to match the rolling fields.
Fields you could see through the bank of glass that faced out to the North with a gorgeous view of the river and the woods beyond.
A table sat beneath the windows, and I almost groaned at the thought of sitting there and having my morning coffee, waking up to something so breathtaking each morning to set the mood for the day.
I let myself take it all in, the appliances that were brands that I’d never heard of before, the counters a natural creamy stone cracked with white and green veins. In the center of the room was the most enormous island I’d ever seen. Eight stools lined one side, and a freaking chandelier hung from the ceiling above it.
“Wow. Dakota would kill for this kitchen.”
A frown curved Evelyn’s sweet brow. “That’s really not nice.”
Chuckling under my breath, I hurried to run a hand through her hair. “I didn’t mean literally, Evelyn…I was being facetious.”
“What is facetious?” Her tongue lisped all over the word.
“It means you’re not being literal.”
Her frown deepened.
“It means like…that you don’t actually mean something, but you use that word to emphasize what you really mean.”
Okay, fine, I was no English teacher because confusion only twisted tighter through her features. “Killing is really bad.”
She was back to my original blunder.
Crap.
“It is.” Somehow, I had to force it out around the dense energy that had filled the atmosphere, like I’d all of a sudden gotten trapped in a flashflood of grief. Something so horrifying twisting the little girl’s face.
And Caleb. I could feel the way he’d gone completely rigid. Stone cold. The way he’d been when I’d first met him.
Evelyn shrugged it off. “Do you want a sammwich? I’m really very good at making them, but I’m not allowed to because Ms. Sandberg has to do it, but I think it’s okay if you help me, right?”
She turned to Caleb for the answer.
I cringed, hating the idea of that woman being responsible for her meals, too. It was bad enough she was watching over her the times of the day when I wasn’t around.
“That’s fine,” he answered, though somehow his tone had gone deeper, and he was looking at me like somewhere between the time I’d stepped into his house and standing right there I’d committed a mortal sin.
“I would be more than happy to help.” I started to follow Evelyn as she raced off to the refrigerator that was paneled the same as the cabinets, but my movement was incapacitated by the hot hand that took me by the elbow.
Mr. Greyson spun me toward him, and he dipped down, his nose two inches from mine. I tried to fully ignore the rash of shivers that raced across my flesh.
I did.
I tried my best.
I swore it.
But there was no stopping the way the cold lit like flames when his face was right there, the way that attraction flared.
Molten.
Threatening to erupt.
All while he was looking at me like he wanted to choke me out.
“You need to watch what you say around her, Ms. Dae. I’ve already warned you that your carelessness will not be tolerated.”
