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Her lip trembles and her hands shake, and I crouch down before her and take her hands in mine.
“Tell me. Let me help you.”
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“About what?”
She sighs and takes a deep breath.
“I, well, it doesn’t matter.”
“Laura.”
At the tone of my voice, she stares at me with a hint of fear and there is something so vulnerable about her shivering in the chair that brings out the protector in me that I never knew was there.
“Tell me and I’ll deal with it.”
“I can’t.” Her voice breaks and she turns away, biting her lip in a strangely adorable way.
I’m not sure why, but I want to wrap my arms around her and hold on tight, keeping her safe from whatever, or whoever, has broken her.
I don’t take time to process this and react for once and as I stand, I pull her up with me and into my arms and as she attempts to pull away, I whisper, “It’s okay. I’m here for you. Let me help you.”
For a second, she sags against me, and I bury my face in her hair, loving the delightful aroma of flowers. She feels so vulnerable in my arms, as if she’s a wounded puppy needing a loving home.
I can’t stop myself from stroking the back of her head and whispering, “It’s okay. I’m here.”
Then, as if my words are a bucket of cold water hitting her, she pulls back and shakes her head, her eyes wide and fearful as she steps away and says with a catch in her voice, “I’m, um, sorry. I’ll be okay, it’s just, well, yesterday was a lot to deal with.”
I’m trying so hard to remember if I did anything to cause this and I’m spared from answering as she takes a deep breath and attempts a smile.
“Thank you, sir. I don’t know what came over me. I suppose it was seeing you all sitting there as a family. It made me miss myown. It’s been a lot to deal with. The new job, moving home, you know the kind of thing. I suppose I haven’t been eating properly and I couldn’t sleep last night, and to cap it all, my college crush crashed back into my life, and I don’t know how I feel about that.”
She peers around the room as if there’s a fire exit she can dive through and says quickly, “I love this room, by the way. The um, wood paneling is so, well, you, really and as for the–”
“Laura!” My voice comes out harsher than I wanted it to, and she jumps on the spot and her face flames with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, sir, but well, the roomisnice.”
“I don’t give a fuck about the decoration in this room, but I do give a fuck about you.”
“Me?” She twists her fingers together and shifts nervously on the spot.
“Yes, you.” I shake my head with exasperation because I am out of my depth here. When I saw how upset she was, it concerned me — a lot. Then when she mentioned her college crush, a bolt of jealously hit me hard.
Another man? Not fucking likely, so I say more edgily than I intended, “Whatever happened yesterday has no business being here today. Leave it there and move on. We have a busy day ahead of us, and I require you to be sharp and focused.”
“I’m sorry, sir.” She looks mortified and I say with a sigh.
“Come. You can clean up in my bedroom and I’ll ask my sister to bring you a change of clothes.”
“Why?” She peers down at her dress, and I say roughly, “Because it seriously messes with my OCD if I see the same clothes two days running. It means they haven’t been cleaned and I can’t tolerate that.”
“Are you kidding me?” She stares at me in astonishment, and I’m relieved to witness a small smile as she finds this information funny.
“Yes, if you must know, it’s my unbroken rule. I never wear the same thing consecutively, and my wardrobe is on a strict rotation.”
Her eyes widen as I shrug. “It’s who I am, so to save me from having a migraine, I suggest you take me up on my offer or suffer the consequences.”
“Which are?” She appears more interested than nervous about what they are, and I say with a sigh. “I would have to take you to Saks and have the personal shopper kit you out for a new wardrobe. I would choose every item and expect you to arrange your weekly wardrobe schedule in a strict rotation to complement mine.”
