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“Uncle Oscar seems pleased with Liam’s work,” I said, forcing my voice into a pleasant tone that concealed both my annoyance and my frustration that this underqualified outsider had trespassed on my plans.
“Oh, he’s quite bright. And such a nice, thoughtful young man. He’s working out quite well.” Aunt Vivian snapped a dead twig off a hedge as we walked past and spun it between her fingers.
“But how did you find him?” I asked. I still didn’t understand why my uncle would have chosen to hire someone who hadn’t even attended university when there had to have been any number of more qualified candidates. Like me.
Aunt Vivian cocked her head at me. “Are you concerned, dear? You needn’t worry about us. Or, perhaps… Are you interested in him? He is rather attractive, I suppose.”
“No,” I said, more forcefully than I’d intended. “I mean, it’s just strange, that’s all. Uncle Oscar’s never had a secretary before. And I guess I thought it would be just the three of us for the holidays.” I mentally kicked myself. Why was I hesitating? I couldn’t make myself say that I wanted Liam’s job.
“Well, the more the merrier, no? It is the Christmas season, after all.” We walked a few more steps in silence. “Do you want me to find out if he has a girlfriend?”
“Auntie! No!”
She tossed her head back and laughed.
“He’s not my type,” I said, not that it mattered. Once I figured out what he was up to, he’d be sent packing. No point in getting attached.
“And what type is your type, my dear? That Connor of yours, I presume?” She opened the door to the mudroom and wiped her boots on the mat.
“Not Connor.” I grimaced. “I don’t know…I suppose someone smart…driven…athletic…” Someone who would stand up for me and believe in me. Someone who had my back, unlike my ex-boyfriend, who, when I’d told him about the things my boss had been suggesting I assist him with, things that were definitely not part of the job description, dismissed the whole thing asno big deal.
“Hmm,” Aunt Vivian replied, interrupting my thoughts. “Liam is smart, and driven, and fairly athletic. He’s taken to chopping all our wood.”
I shook my head. Chopping wood was not an Olympic sport. “Maybe he is smart, but he said himself he didn’t go to university.”
“Ah! You sound just like your father. So Liam didn’t go to university. Neither did I. You’d think the world didn’t function before they invented universities.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” She was right. I did sound like my father. This so-called secretary had gotten under my skin. “I’m just worried he’s taking advantage of you and Uncle Oscar.”
Aunt Vivian slipped her arm around my waist and gave me a warm squeeze. “It’s all right, dear. Liam’s harmless. You’ll see.” She waved me into the kitchen. “Now go on up and shower. Your uncle will be ready for a break in another hour or so. We’ll have some lunch and you can tell him about your plans.”
I kicked off my running shoes and sprinted through the kitchen and up the back stairs. If Uncle Oscar didn’t mind having an assistant with no credentials, it should at least be someone who had his best interests at heart. Someone like me. I inserted a new step in my plan. First, I’d figure out what Liam was really up to and get rid of him before he could do any harm to my family. Then I’d take over as Uncle Oscar’s assistant. And maybe get my attic room back in the process.
As I passed the room Liam had been poking around in last night, I slowed to a stop. An hour gave me plenty of time to have a look around before I showered. Maybe I could find something to help me out with step one.
A sound in the hall pulled my attention away from cataloging. I bent my head around the wardrobe door so I could see into the hallway, only to find Evelyn standing in the doorway in full running kit minus the shoes.
I stepped out from behind the boxes that blocked me from her view. “Looking for something?”
She froze when she saw me. My predatory instincts kicked in when I sensed the surprise and fear rolling off her, but years of living among humans had conditioned me well. I’d squashed any flicker in my glamour with a thought while she pulled herself together and adopted a more casual posture.
“I thought I heard something digging around in here,” she said. “I’m glad it’s you and not some rodent.”
I grinned. She was a terrible liar, but I could play along. “Nice to see you again, as well.” I stepped away from the wardrobe and closed the door on the boxes I’d been sorting through. Cataloging could wait.
“What are you doing in here anyway?” She leaned against the doorframe and placed a hand on her hip, exposing a tiny slice of skin between the hem of her running shirt and the waist of her tights. Lust fanned the embers of the predatory instincts I’d managed to rein in.
“Working.” I ran a hand through my hair and reminded myself of my promise to my family. “Your uncle has quite the collection. I’m just getting it sorted.”
“You are, huh?” She pushed off the wall and stepped into the room. “Find anything interesting?”
My brain had decided to clear out at the worst possible moment. “A few things. I could show you, if you want.” Her uncle’s request surfaced in my mind. “Or…I was thinking about going into town later. If you wanted to join me.”
She cocked her head, exposing that graceful neck. “I think I’ll find my own way around, thanks.” She started to turn away, and I scrambled for a response.
“Sure. But it might be more fun with a friend,” I offered. Friends seemed like an acceptable place to start with a beautiful, brilliant woman who seemed completely unimpressed with me, since charming her into my bed was out of the question.
“A friend?” Her arched eyebrows signaled her skepticism.
