Page 20 of Emil

It wasn’t much, but it was all I could offer him. And I found myself wanting, clearly and unequivocally, to protect him. “Let’s get it over with.”

I stood, came out around the desk, and Anders immediately followed without question.

We headed out onto the floor, and every eye in the place fixated on us. Anders kept his head down and went straight to his desk while he gathered his things. I quietly asked Lacey to bring a box over. She did it without hesitation. Silently, she set it on the desk and put her hand on Anders’s back.

“I know it’s bullshit,” she said.

Anders nodded, but I could tell it was taking everything in him to keep his emotions under control. The nod was all Anders could manage, and Lacey knew him well enough to understand that. She gave him a sympathetic pat on the back and then headed back to her desk. Along the way, I didn’t miss the glare she sent in John’s direction. He started to open his mouth, but a low noise from me caused him to turn on his heel and slam back into his office.

“I think I’m done,” Anders said quietly. He started to pick up the box, but I brushed his hands away and took it myself.

“Don’t forget your jacket,” I said, nodding toward the garment hanging off the back of his chair.

He grabbed it and slung it over his arm, and we headed through the lion’s den. Anders followed a half-step behind me. Humiliation radiated off him, but so did pride. When I opened the door for him, I saw that his head was held high. I was inexplicably proud of him in that moment, and I also knew John would have seen it and would be fucking seething. No reason to be sad about that.

Once in the hallway, Anders hurried ahead of me to push open the suite doors and then again to push the elevator button for us. Once inside the elevator, we both studied the floor numbers like they held all the answers to the universe. I felt the worry pulsating off Anders. The tension he carried was palpable. The ding of doors announced our descent into the parking garage. Without speaking, Anders followed me to my vehicle.

“The keys are in my suit jacket. Grab them and open the trunk, please.” Anders obeyed, although his hands were shaky enough for me to feel the movement when he put his hand in my pocket. The chirp of the unlocking car was loud, but it was our silence that echoed through the concrete.

“I’m going to drive you to your mom’s so you can pack enough for a week. Then we’ll go out to the island and reassess.”

Anders stared ahead, but the tension, of course, was still there. “I’m still packed from when I got there, so it won’t take long. It’s just my toiletries.” His words were calm, unnaturally so.

“Take as long as you need. There’s no rush.”

Despite my assurances, Anders was quick inside the house. In less than ten minutes, he was exiting his mom’s house with his rolling overnight suitcase behind him and a small bag of what I assumed were his toiletries. He also carried a patchwork blanket with him, folded lovingly in his arms. I jumped out of the vehicle to open the back and load his cases.

“Do you want your blanket in here, or do you want to hold it?”

“I’d like to hold it, please,” he said with a sheepish smile.

“Of course you can hold it,” I answered. I came around to the side of the vehicle and opened the car door for him. “This drizzle is going to ruin my hair.” I hoped Anders would give a small pity laugh, but he just silently climbed into the passenger seat.

After I joined him, I realized with Anders next to me how much space the two of us took up. He was certainly broader than I was, but we were within an inch or so of the same height.

“I don’t think cars are made for people like us.”

“People like us?”

“Tall and oversized.”

Anders gave me another small laugh and then turned to look out the window. “I can’t believe I’m about to admit this, but I’ve never taken the ferry out to Almstead Island. It’s always been on my list of things to do, but I never got around to it.”

“I am genuinely shocked by this revelation,” I said with mock seriousness. “Well, now this becomes even more important. It’s a gorgeous place. I’ve been out here plenty of times, but I never seriously considered buying a place out here until a couple of years ago.”

“What do you like about it?”

“The privacy is definitely part of it, but it’s more than that. It just feels like I can breathe out here, like I’m not in a fishbowl where people are watching me. I love the company that I’ve built, but I need time away from it so that when I’m there, I can give it my full attention. Staying out here lets me do that.”

“And that’s why you built the secondary office?”

“Yeah, I wanted to keep the house a private space, so I created separate spaces for different jobs. But that doesn’t mean I don’t bring my laptop back to the house.”

“That seems like a hefty ask,” Anders offered with a hesitant smile.

I knew today obviously still weighed heavily on him, but away from the office, it seemed the load had lightened a smidgen. He clutched the blanket to his chest, but his grip was a white-knuckled one.

“Where did you pick up the blanket?”