Page 5 of Tempting Eden

“Why not?”

“Family issues.” His voice softened, making him seem even younger.

Lord, I knew all about those. I’d had enough experience with “family issues” to last a lifetime. He didn’t offer any more insight.

“And where are you from originally?”

He turned his head, looking out toward the crisscrossing railroad tracks and industrial buildings, toward the poorest areas of town. “Lowood.”

Surprising. Few had the ability to make it out of such humble beginnings. Maybe he was a person of pure will, one who was always meant to rise. I never had to worry about whether I had what it took to make it. I came from a prestigious family. If Jack had looked through the window behind me, he could see my family manse perched high atop Red Mountain, looking down at the city with an arrogant, if beautiful, façade.

“Do you still have family in Lowood?”

“No.”

“Your parents?”

“They don’t live there.”

“Where do they live?”

He shrugged.

I should have stopped prying, but his quick answers made me want to know more. “No aunts or uncles?”

“Several, I’ve been told, but I don’t know where they are.”

“Brothers or sisters?”

“Maybe. I don’t know.”

Maybe?He was definitely a hard case of some sort. I was intrigued.

“So, no family connections. How did you get recommended for this position?”

He turned back to me, stoicism still threading through his expression. “Mr. Fairfax knows my godmother, Ms. Temple. She recommended me.”

“So youdohave family, then?”

“She lives in Homewood, not Lowood. And she’s not blood.”

I let the silence return, giving him a reprieve. I’d done enough prying…for now, anyway.

I let my ankle go and leaned back in my chair. I could swear when I crossed my legs at the knee, his nostrils flared the tiniest bit. It was the most reaction I’d seen yet. Interesting.

“Well, Jack, this is a beginning. I don’t want any dead weight on my team.” I pinned him with a stare. “Piss me off, I’ll cut you. Fuck something up, I’ll cut you. You already have one strike against you for that shit at the front door.”

“That wasn’t my fault.” He shook his head.

“You were holding the door for me at a ridiculously awkward distance. That’s what made me trip. I was trying to get to you, and then I actually looked at you…” My cheeks heated.Jesus, Rochester, get your shit together.

His smirk returned. Cocky bastard.

I waved my hand at him. “We’re done here. Get with Fairfax if you haven’t already. He’ll give you pointers on how I like my day run.”

“He gave me a crash course last week, so I intend to hit the ground running.” He gave another perfunctory nod before turning to leave. He was a good dresser, his medium gray suit hitting him in all the right places. It helped that he had a stunning body; broad back, narrow waist, and long legs.

The only thing that gave away his humble beginnings was his accent. It was faint, barely noticeable. Still, I could detect a certain local dialect—one frowned upon in the Rochester family social circles. He must have taken pains to erase it, to make himself sound as if he came from one of the more affluent suburbs, like Homewood where his godmother lived. Little things like that would be of no moment to the average ear, but a born-and-raised snob like myself could hear it right off, even if I didn’t ascribe any import to it. That was more of an old guard issue; one that I hoped would die off.

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