Though my head was still pounding midafternoon when Patrick and I arrived back at the apartment, my demeanor changed the moment I heard activity in the kitchen. It was a little after three and for once I’d made it home before Lorna finished cooking.
With her earbuds securely in place, she didn’t hear us come into the kitchen as she spread ingredients over the counter. Placing my satchel on the floor, I moved closer.
“Oh! Araneae, you scared me to death. What are you doing home?” She looked up as Patrick came in behind me. “And I see you brought Patrick.”
“Technically, he brought me because as you know, I can’t make the damn elevator work.” I looked up at Patrick. “Or drive...or... I’m certain if I keep going, there’s a number of other things I’m no longer allowed to do.”
Patrick grinned. “Money’s on you, but don’t forget, I’ll deny it.”
“Thanks.”
“You’ve had a long day. Are you all right? Do you need anything before I go downstairs?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Not from you. I think I do from Lorna.”
Her big green eyes peered my way. “From me? What?”
“Let me give you the night off from cooking. I’d like to do it.”
“Are you sure? Patrick just said your day was long. You could go upstairs and take a bath or something.”
“Have you ever had a day where you’re tired of thinking about it?” I asked. “A day when you want something else on your mind?”
“Oh, girl, have I.”
I motioned toward all the items on the counter. “I think you have the perfect solution.”
“I can help you,” she offered.
I kicked off my heels and walked in my stockings across the marble floor. “Nope. Thank you, though. I have no idea what I’ll make, but I want to make it.” I laid my hand on Lorna’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go soak in a nice tub? I have bath salts upstairs you’re welcome to use.”
She giggled. “Who do you think does the shopping? I have a generous supply downstairs.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear that.”
Lorna looked from the counter to me. “Are you sure?”
I waved my hand toward the direction of the private elevator. “Positive.”
She reached out and covered my hand with hers. “You seem...surer about being here.”
My cheeks rose. “Remember when you told me that love wasn’t something that can be controlled?”
“Yes...”
“I know I haven’t been here or even with Sterling for that long. Yet it seems like we’ve always been together. It’s hard to explain.”
“And...”
I snickered, enjoying how easy it was to talk to Lorna. I’d told Louisa and Winnie that I loved Sterling. It seemed that if Lorna was my new friend, I shouldn’t leave her out. “And I’m falling in love with him.”
“Hell no. I’ve fallen, head over heels. He can be absolutely exasperating.” It felt cathartic to be talking to someone who knew him. “He’s overprotective and overbearing.” Smiling, I remembered the addition of will to his request for me to go home. “And he’s trying to do better. I think my biggest barrier is trust.”
Lorna nodded. “Do you trust him?”
I did, but I wanted her answer. “You’ve known him longer. Is he trustworthy?”
Her lower lip disappeared behind her front teeth. “You said the other morning that all three men share a brain.” She scoffed again. “They share more than that. To one another they’re harshly honest. I’m not sure there’s anything they won’t tell one another.” Pink filled her cheeks. “Okay, I thought of one thing. Those men all respect women too much to share our intimate secrets. When it comes to anything else, their honesty knows no bounds.”
“Why do I feel there’s a but coming?”
“It’s more of a clarification. I believe everything Reid tells me—and everything Patrick and Sparrow tell me too. I also know that there are things they do, see, or know that they don’t tell me. I believe it will be the same with you.” She shrugged. “Some could see it as lying by omission. I hope you don’t. I hope you choose to see it as I do—protection.”
I exhaled. “I’ve heard that word a lot since this all started.”
“Araneae, they believe it to their core.”
I recalled what Sterling had said about telling him the truth. “Wouldn’t omission be considered a half-truth?”
“Sparrow has told you where the three of them became friends, right?”
“Basic training and then they were stationed together with someone named Mason.”
Lorna sucked in a breath. “He told you about Mason?”
“Not a lot, why?”
She shook her head. “Not my story to tell.”
That was the same thing Sterling had said about Jana. “I feel like there’s more.”
“Honey, if he has told you that much this fast, he trusts you. That should mean something.”
I nodded. It did mean something.
“So,” Lorna said, “back to the army. He told you that they did two tours together.”
She hadn’t really asked a question, but I nodded.
“Is it a half-truth if he hasn’t shared what they did, what they saw, what they experienced? Do you need all of that for it to be the truth?”
I thought about it. “No, I don’t. If he ever needs to share, I would listen, but it would be so outside of my realm of knowledge.”
“Exactly. Back to your question, do I think he’s trustworthy? I think that I can believe one hundred percent of what Sparrow, Patrick, or Reid says. I also know in my heart that I’m only told maybe sixty percent of what they know.”
“And you’re all right with that?” I asked.
“I am. Life is too short to spend time worried about things I don’t want to know. If it’s important to me, Reid will tell me. Otherwise, I’d rather spend my time with my man doing other things.”
That made me grin.
She lightly slapped my arm. “I was talking chess. Where did your mind go?”
“Definitely chess.” I shrugged. “Maybe checkers?”
Lorna and I both laughed.
“Last chance for help with dinner,” she said.
“Nope, I’ve got this.” I looked toward the pantry. “Any chance that there’s a box of macaroni and cheese in there?”
Her eyes widened. “Tell me you’re joking or I’m not leaving.”
“I’m joking.”
“Have fun. By the way,” she said. “I dust in Sparrow’s office. I’ve noticed his chessboard and none of the pieces have moved.”
My cheeks warmed as I felt the sparkle in my eyes. “Hmm.”
With salads in the refrigerator, homemade vegetable lasagna in the oven, and a fresh loaf of French bread ready to bake, I slipped upstairs to finally change out of my work clothes. I couldn’t believe I’d just chopped and mixed and created a meal dressed in the same expensive dress I’d worn to the office.
My mind had been too consumed with the meal to think about my clothes.
As I contemplated something comfortable, my gaze went to the part of the closet with dresses too fancy for work, more for dinner parties or celebrations. Running the luxurious materials through my fingers, I momentarily thought of Sinful Threads and Winnie. Shaking my head, I refused to dwell.
I’d called Louisa and told her that Winnie was on her way home, she’d worked out well, and we could discuss the arrangement further after the baby was born. And then I’d sent Winnie a text asking if her trip back to Boulder was set. She replied saying it was.
I knew I could call Patrick and learn the particulars, yet right now, I was exhausted with dealing with other people. I was ready for an evening that included only one other person.
After a quick shower, I redid my makeup, and instead of styling my hair up, I brushed it out. From being up in a twist all day, the long tresses flowed down my back in blonde waves.
With fresh thigh-high stockings as my only undergarment, I shimmied into the red dress I’d first seen on Sterling’s airplane—yes, it had been dry cleaned. After a quick jaunt to the jewelry drawer in the closet, I added the diamond earrings and long platinum necklace. The only other accessory from that first night was the pair of Saint Laurent red patent-leather sandals.
With the bread and oil/seasoning mixture on the table instead of the breakfast bar, our two place settings ready, including wine glasses, and the lasagna cooling on the stove, I waited for the sound of footsteps.
It was nearly seven when rather than footsteps, the distinctive sound of the elevator’s pocket door alerted me to Sterling’s arrival. Lighting the candles on the table in the dimmed kitchen, I waited as the sun settled lower over the skyline, filling the sky with hues of red and purple.