Conor rushed into his apartment and went straight for his bedroom. An empty bed stared back at him. The door to his bathroom was open, and the light was off. There was no indication she’d even been back there. It was early for bed, but since she’d fallen asleep in the middle of New York, he’d just assumed she would already be in bed.
He walked back out and saw Raul in the entryway holding a Scotch in one hand and a tablet of paper in the other.
“Where is she?” he asked, waving away the offered Scotch.
“She changed her clothes and decided to sleep in the garden tonight. She said it made her feel like she was in a fairytale, which is what she needed after her day.”
“Did she tell you what’s wrong? How long is she going to keep quiet?”
Raul held the drink closer to him. “Reconsider the Scotch. You’re too worked up.”
Conor frowned and gave him a wary glance out of the corner of his eye. He took the drink and slammed it. The liquid warmed him, and the muscles in his shoulders unknotted. When he handed the glass back, Raul gave him the tablet.
Raul said, “She got very worked up over getting a project done for you before you returned. I suggested she allow me to help her. So we made a list of things she needed to get done and things I could do for her.”
Conor looked at the paper and saw a column for Charisse and a column for Raul. Under hers were several tasks, but blood test and doctor’s appointment stood out. Conor’s emotions warred with each other, not knowing if he should be panicked that something was really wrong with her or glad that she was at least doing follow-ups and taking care of herself. Why had she lied to him?
He cleared his throat and asked as calmly as he could, “What are the blood tests for?”
“She reluctantly told me the doctor was checking her for anemia.”
“Anemia? Well that would explain why she’s so tired, but it could be a symptom of a bigger problem.”
“She insisted she was all right and promised me she would tell you about the blood test.”
Conor glanced over the list again. His temper flared. “Loans? Why the hell is she getting a loan? I gave her the salon. All we have to do is sign the papers. We’re not doing this again.”
Raul took the list away. “It’s not about her salon. It’s about the surprise for you. I told her she needed to act more like she was dating a billionaire, but she rolled her eyes at me.”
“She shouldn’t be buying me something she needs to take out a loan for.”
“It’s more complicated than that. Why don’t you go talk to her?”
Conor sighed, perplexed. “I’m going to take a shower first and let her get some more sleep. If I was a real gentleman, I wouldn’t wake her at all, but she already knows I’m a rat bastard.”
Raul nodded and said, “Very good, sir,” before walking away.
Evelyn Aster 