I feel her sudden interest, the way she latches on to that detail like a dog spotting a dropped steak.
“Better?” Aubrey asks. “What changed?”
Melissa’s gaze flicks to me for a beat too long.
She answers smoothly anyway, “I think he’s … letting the staff breathe a little more.”
Aubrey’s eyes slide to me. “Is that what you’re calling it?”
I shoot her a look that should freeze her vocal cords.
She smiles innocently.
Melissa’s gaze moves between us again, and I can practically hear her brain turning.
What aren’t they saying?
Melissa tilts her head. “How often do you two see each other?”
Aubrey makes a face. “Not often enough. He avoids family events unless I drag him. He’s like”—she pauses dramatically— “an emotionally constipated billionaire.”
“Aubrey,” I snap.
Melissa coughs, laughing into her mug.
Aubrey grins at my reaction. “What? You want me to lie?”
“No,” I say tightly. “I want you to stop talking.”
Aubrey leans closer to Melissa again, lowering her voice in a way that’s meant to be private and fails immediately. “You should know he used to be fun,” she says.
Melissa’s brows rise. “He did?”
“Yes,” Aubrey insists. “A long time ago. Before he decided emotions were an inconvenience and joy was a liability.”
I feel my jaw lock.
She straightens slowly, and for the first time since walking in, her smile falters.
There it is.
The edge of something real.
She looks at Melissa—really looks at her—and her voice softens. “He just …” She stops, swallowing. “He’s been through a lot.”
I don’t move. Melissa doesn’t either.
The air changes in the kitchen, like the temperature dropped two degrees.
Aubrey’s eyes flick to me, and I give her that look again. Harder this time.
Aubrey holds my gaze for long enough that Melissa can’t miss it.
Melissa’s mouth parts slightly, like she might ask a question.
Instead, I see her filing it away. The small, careful part of her that learned how to read rooms when life got complicated is awake now.
Aubrey clears her throat and forces brightness back into the place. “Anyway, it’s none of my business. I’m just happy he’s not … alone all the time.”
