Page 79 of A Secret In The Garden

“It’s the second-most exquisite thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said, never removing his dark, haunting eyes from mine.

“Thank you again. For everything.” Gratitude made my voice tremble.

“Thank you. That’s going to make me a lot of money,” he teased. “Are you hungry? Let’s eat. There’s pizza in the kitchen.”

“Oh, I love pizza!” I exclaimed excitedly, realizing how hungry I was.

“I know,” he muttered with a serious face and eyes tethered to mine.

After cleaning up and moving our paintings inside to dry against the wall in Jaspers’s giant bathroom, we went to the kitchen and enjoyed the rest of the night in easy, comfortable companionship, laughing and thriving in each other’s company until he said good night with a kiss on my forehead. It had been the perfect night, one that I would never forget.

It took me another hour or so to fall asleep after that, unable and unwilling to allow myself to go to another dream world when this one suddenly felt so good.

Tonight, Jasper had shown me kindness, generosity, respect, patience, and encouragement—things I wasn’t used to experiencing but would now demand.

He was amazing, and I was forced to finally admit that I was falling in love with him.

It wasn’t only the thoughtfulness of the date, but the way he had paid attention, listened to me talk about what I loved, and then sat back in full enjoyment and watched as I did something that brought me joy. It was the encouragement, the acceptance.

Suddenly, I knew: I wasn’t going to let my fear stop me from being with Jasper. I knew that there was still a reasonable amount of doubt and questions around what happened with him and his mother, but I couldn’t believe he had anything to do with that.

I trusted him.

Chapter 24

Eliza

The hallway was quiet.

Too quiet.

My hand hovered over the doorknob to Jasper’s office; my pulse hammered behind my ribs. I didn’t even know why I was shaking. I just had to look around. Yes, I was snooping. Yes, I’d stolen a key from one of the maids to get in.

But this was more than guilt. It was instinct. The locket burned against my chest. It was the last place for me to look before I had to leave, and I knew I wouldn’t get another chance.

Something was in there.

Something she wanted me to see.

I pulled the locket away from my chest, afraid it would leave a mark it was so hot. I let out a breath. I was betraying Jasper. If he caught me snooping, I was fucked.

The key slid into the lock with a soft metallic click.

I stepped inside, eager to get out of the hallway’s unprotected view.

The air was cooler, sterile with a hint of leather and wood. Everything in here was Jasper: dark wood, iron hardware, sharp lines. No windows. I quickly flicked on the light switch, disappointed when no light came on overhead. Before the door closed and the light from the hallway disappeared, I ran to the corner and turned on a small table lamp that barely did anything more than cast a deep amber glow across the space, adding to the eerie feel. The door whispered shut behind me. I returned to it and turned the lock.

Ten minutes. In and out.

My eyes scanned the room. Cabinets, shelves, files. I moved fast to the desk.

Top drawer. Locked. Of course it was.

I slid open the one beneath it. More files. Financial records, some land deeds. Dull, and nothing that would help Hester.

Then my breath caught as I sat slowly in the desk chair, heart pounding. I opened the file and tilted it toward the low glow of the lamp.

Oh my god.