Page 3 of Devil
Pausing at the entrance, she savored the frosty air wrapping around her. When she’d cooled down enough that her dress wouldn’t stick to her skin, she made her way through the charming and comfy lounge and into the cozy bar, waving to the two employees at reception as she passed. There were three other people occupying stools, a man on his own and a couple who were paying their check. She passed by all three and took a seat at the farthest end.
The bartender spun around, and Devil smiled. “Esteban, how are you?”
A huge grin split the young man’s face. “Dr. Devillier, it’s great to see you. I’m well, how are you? Your regular?” he asked, walking to stand in front of her.
She nodded. “And Angelica is meeting me, so hers, too, please. How is your sister?” she asked as he flipped a tumbler over and added two small ice cubes.
Esteban beamed. “She made the dean’s list in her first year.”
“That’s wonderful!” Devil exclaimed, truly pleased. Esteban had come to work at Smith House after a run-in—or four—with the law. He’d been going down a path he hadn’t wanted to be going down but, like so many in his position, hadn’t known how to step off. And since he was the primary provider for his family, which included his younger sister and chronically ill mother, they had suffered, too.
That had changed three years ago, though, when Smith House had given him an opportunity to make different decisions. He’d grabbed on to that opportunity and started working at the inn, first as a cleaner, then as waitstaff, and now as the head bartender. The choices he made allowed him to keep a roof over his family’s head and food on the table. They also allowed his sister to attend community college where she was studying accounting. Devil had a feeling Esteban would eventually go to college, too, but for now, his priority was getting his sister through.
He beamed again and set the tumbler in front of her, and the two fingers of Ardbeg beckoned. “And you? How’s the research?” he asked.
Devil inclined her head. Her research wasn’t top secret by any means, but having been bored to near death listening to her family go on and on about their businesses more than once, she didn’t tend to talk about her work much. “It’s going. I’m finishing up a study on the effects of a new cancer drug. Unfortunately, it’s not looking great. There are some redeeming qualities to it, though, so if we can salvage those, I’ll be happy.”
Esteban nodded and set a Coke down beside her. “Always good to be happy.”
She smiled back as the thought occurred to her that she probably should have checked her phone before asking Esteban to pour Angelica’s drink. As the assistant manager, her schedule wasn’t always her own. “And how is your mother?” Devil asked, reaching for her purse that she’d hung on the back of the chair.
All the happiness in his face bled away before her eyes. He blinked and looked away, keeping one hand on the back bar as if to steady himself. Her fingers closed around her phone, but she hesitated to pull it out. “Esteban?”
He cleared his throat, then met her gaze. “She’s not well,” was all he said. Esteban’s mother had been diagnosed with MS nine years earlier. It had progressed rapidly in the first few years but then had seemed to slow down. The disease wouldn’t lead to her death anytime soon, but Devil had a pretty good idea of the kind of pain she might be living in.
“Have they given her new medication?”
Esteban didn’t exactly nod.
“Talk to me. You know I can help,” she said.
The young man looked away, then, after a beat, turned back with a shrug of his shoulders. “I can’t get her to go to the doctor,” he said. The pain in his voice hit Devil in the chest. She didn’t wish her family ill, by any means, but they weren’t close. And they certainly didn’t love each other the way Esteban clearly loved his mother.
“I’ll send someone,” Devil said immediately. Esteban started shaking his head. He even took a step away from her.
“You can’t, Doc. You don’t need…”
“I don’t need to, but Ican, Esteban. You know I can.”
“We’ll figure something out.”
Devil shook her head at his reluctance. “Look at me, Esteban.” She waited until he complied. Fear, ego, and uncertainty swirled in his eyes. “We all need help every now and then,” she said. “I know it’s a cliché, but it’s true. Iknowyou. I trust that when you say she isn’t well, you are already doing everything you can to make it better. But sometimes you need to let friends help. Since starting at Smith House, you’ve taken every opportunity available to you and you’ve made something of it. Take this opportunity, too. If not for you, then for your mom.”
He blinked, moisture gathering in his eyes, but he didn’t look away. She held his gaze until finally, he nodded and whispered, “Thank you.”
She nodded back, then smiled, lightening the weight that had fallen between them. “I’ll have someone call you tomorrow to get it set up. Now, do you want to take bets on whether Angelica got pulled into something and that Coke is going to waste?”
Esteban hesitated, then smiled back. “It won’t go to waste, but it might not be Angelica who finishes it.” As he spoke, he picked the drink up and took a sip, setting it down on the back bar.
Devil laughed as she pulled out her phone. Sure enough, there was a message from her friend saying there was an issue with a room on the third floor she needed to deal with, but that she’d stop by the suite later to say hi. Devil showed Esteban the message, and he laughed.
“She can have a drink up there. You going to take yours up?” he asked.
Devil slid from the stool. “I will, thank you. And we’ll talk tomorrow after you speak with the doctor.”
Esteban nodded and she turned to leave, not bothering to pay. She had a running tab at the hotel, and the staff knew to add a twenty-five percent tip to every meal and drink. With a little wave, she walked toward the lounge and the elevators that would take her to the top-floor suite.
“Ma’am,” a voice called out. Devil glanced back to see a porter holding her silk wrap. Once again, she’d been about to leave it behind. Only this time, it must have fallen from her purse when she’d replaced her phone.
