She knew his family was wealthy, but damn. She was beginning to believe that Abeo and whoever Jol was worked for Eze.
“Are you hurting?”
His voice startled her as she’d been blindly watching the streetlamps blink past her window. “I feel pretty good, really. The meds are helping. It’s a wonder I didn’t break out all myteeth on those steps,” she chuckled. He didn’t. “My ribs hurt, but that’s to be expected.”
Nothing else was said. They parked in an underground garage, and what was becoming a habit, Eze held her against his chest from the garage to the elevator, and even after walking into his spectacular flat.
“Wow, Eze. It’s beautiful. You can let me down now.” She began to squirm from his hold but gasped in pain when she twisted her ribs.
“Stop, Margaret,” Eze demanded while a Nigerian woman, if her stunning clothes were anything to go by, appeared at his shoulder. Without a word, Eze followed her down a hallway.
They entered a bedroom done in stunning browns and muted reds. He didn’t stop until they stood in an en-suite bathroom with a giant tub, steam curling above its rim.
He set her gently on her feet but kept hold of her arm. “Margaret, this is Jol, Abeo’s wife. Jol, this is Margaret Morrow. Abeo is bringing your things. Jol will help you undress and soak before dinner.”
Mags was beginning to wonder if she might still be lying at the bottom of those stairs because this definitely didn’t feel real.
“Wait, Eze. Just wait a second.” She rubbed both hands over her cheeks, trying to center her bearings. “I appreciate you coming to my rescue. I do, but this is too much. How about this, I’ll gladly take a bath, which I don’t need any help with, thank you, though, Jol, and then you take me home.”
“No. Jol will assist you now.”
So much for compromise. Without another word, he spun on his heel and left, shutting the door behind him. Mags looked at Jol and shook her head. “Is he always like that?”
Jol grinned as she began to unbutton Mags’ blouse. When Mags tried to take over, she got a stern look for the trouble. “No,he isn’t usually like that. My husband said your call scared him, and then Abeo said you cried when Eze picked you up.
“Eze is a gentle man who feels deeply. I believe you are his first close friend. I’ve seen him lighter in spirit since you two met.”
Mags let Jol do her thing, her cheeks only burning a bit warmer when she stood naked in front of the other woman. She helped her into the tub and adjusted a warm towel behind her neck.
“You will soak for thirty minutes. I will wait for you in your room.” She turned at the door and added, “Comforting you comforts him, Miss Morrow.”
Mags was curled up on one of Eze’s living room sofas, a plush robe wrapped around her body, while she sipped on a delicious warm tea that Jol handed to her.
It was late, and her eyes were beginning to droop, but with everything Eze had done for her tonight, the least she could do was stay awake for what she assumed would be a lecture.
“I want you to hear me out without interruption. Can you do that?” he started.
“Of course.” At Eze’s disbelieving look, Mags tacked on, “I’ll do my best.”
Eze sat forward on his chair and steepled his fingers. “We haven’t worked together long, but?—”
“I knew you weren’t destitute, but come on, Eze. All this,” she said, and waved her hands around the room. At his pointed look, she realized she had interrupted. “Whoops.”
“In that time, I’ve come to know how close you are to your friends. How much you love them, and they love you. I knowhow much you love Art History at Trinity. I know your mother has cancer and is still out of the country, and that your parents asked you to keep it to yourself.
“I know you miss your parents. You miss the closeness with your friends because your deceit, whether well-intentioned or not, has been slowly building a chasm between all of you.
“I know you work three jobs, four if you include cleaning the gallery.”
“Light cleaning,” she couldn’t help but interject, which he ignored.
“I know you dropped out of school because you couldn’t afford it, and you didn’t tell anyone. I know you live in an attic with no heat, air, or plumbing because you felt you didn’t deserve to stay in your friend’s townhouse if you weren’t in school, and you were too embarrassed to tell them.
“If they are half the friends you say they are, you should have trusted them with the truth, despite what your parents asked of you.
“You called me tonight because you didn’t want to bring them anywhere close to your truth, but what you didn’t account for, Margaret, is that I am a good friend, too, and I won’t let you continue on the way you have been.”
Mags felt her heart pounding a frightened rhythm with every word Eze spoke. “Can I speak now?”
