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“Nah, I think I’ve got it. You can keep me company, though. Tell me about your day.” She put her hands on her hips, drawing the shirt tight across her chest. “What is it that you do for work?”
I raised my brows at her and slid onto a stool at the island. “You mean to tell me that Little Miss Know-It-All doesn’t know everything?”
She shrugged, a coy smile playing around her mouth. “I know plenty but not this. So?”
“Whatever’s necessary, honestly. Mostly I work from the living room, making sure everything under the Ashby umbrella is safe and secure from cyber-attacks—among other things.”
She nodded as if she were listening and turned back to the stove. “Is that what you’ve always wanted to do?”
“Yeah. I mean I guess so. When I was a kid I wanted to be Batman and then I wanted to be Virgil, but I was always on a computer. Playing games, creating games and even taking the machines apart and putting them back together.” I didn’t know how else to answer the question. “I hadn’t planned on it, but I had the skills and even Ma could see it. Insisted I do something with it.”
Bonnie shook her hair, red waves falling in a curtain down her back when the clip slipped to the floor. “Your mom is one smart lady. Tough as hell, but smart.”
“Sounds like you were privy to one of her patented talks.” Curiosity was killing me, but I couldn’t flat out ask her what they’d talked about without sounding like a nosy prick.
“Something like that,” she said vaguely.
“Want a drink?” She didn’t want to share her discussion with Ma, so I switched topics to keep the peace. For now.
“Sure, I mean I don’t think that’s off limits. Right?” The question in her voice and that vulnerability had returned, dammit, making her more appealing than ever. Stuck up, judgmental Bonnie was easy to resist but this one, wounded and cracked and vulnerable? She was like fucking catnip to me.
“I haven’t had anything all day; let’s give it a shot.”
I tucked that information away for later, smiled and stood to grab the good whiskey from the bar. “What did you do today?”
Bonnie shrugged. “Not much. Ran a few errands and came back here where I mostly researched what kinds of jobs I can get with my Philanthropy degree and level of absolutely no experience. I mean how hard can it be to get a non-profit job? I hope I have options.”
She didn’t sound sure, but given everything she’d been through lately, I couldn’t say I blamed her.
“You should look on the Ashby job boards. Maybe we have something for you.” She shook her head right away, and honestly, it shocked the shit out of me. “Good enough to take our help but not our money?”
Bonnie sighed and turned away from me, her shoulders settled low in disappointment. “No, it’s not like that. It’s not about me thinking I’m too good or anything. It’s about self-preservation. Staying here is probably dangerous enough as it is.”
She shook her head and I cut her off. “You’re safe here.”
“From The Crusaders, maybe. Not the police or anyone else who might want to slap handcuffs on me.”
She visibly shuddered at the thought and I realized I hadn’t truly realized what Bonnie had been through recently.
“Not that I’m blaming you or your family, but I don’t have anyone, Cal. I can’t afford to be caught in the middle of a fight that isn’t mine.”
“You’ve given this some thought.”
Her laugh came out bitter and quiet as her hands quickly assembled the lasagna and slid it into the oven.
“What else am I going to do all day? I’m not judging you. I swear I’m not. Your family has been really kind and generous to me, but I can’t ignore the risks.”
“I understand.”
“You do?”
“Of course, I do. You made no secret what you thought of us when you came here the first time. I doubt your opinion has changed much.”
She sucked in an outraged breath. “Don’t you dare try to blame this on me. You and your family are who you are, and I’ve never said a bad word about any of you. But your reputation in this town is what it is, and I can’t ignore that because it’s not convenient for you.”
“So your arrest is somehow my family’s fault?” It absolutely was and I knew it, with more certainty than Bonnie did, so why the hell was I arguing with her?
Bonnie took a deep breath and glanced at the timer she’d set on her phone, a sure sign she planned to run away rather than talk.
“I don’t know, not for sure. But there was no reason for them to know I’d be here at Ashby Manor.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll find a job on my own. Somehow. You don’t need to worry.”
