Page 46 of The House Guest
“Why is that?”
“I’m getting more used to the job and dealing with some of the people who worked for my father. But there have also been some surprises—deals he made I wasn’t aware of. Things I don’t necessarily agree with in his business practices.” He sighed. “It is what it is.”
His eyes lowered to my chest and moved down the length of my body. “You look beautiful tonight, Primrose.”
I looked down at myself. I was wearing a black dress with a sheer lace design at the top. “Are you just saying that because I put on something other than a crop top?”
“Not just that. You were glowing when I saw you talking earlier, clearly in your element.”
“Jesus. How long were you watching me and not saying anything?”
“Not that long.”
“You’d never know I was bummed that you didn’t show, huh? I guess I’m a good actress.”
“You were that upset?” He cringed. “Again, I fucked up in not letting you know I was there.”
“Now that I understand what happened, it’s not a big deal. I’m not sure why it upset me so much. I guess I wanted you to see a bit of my life outside this house. I wanted to impress you.”
“You already impress me. Every day.”
Feeling shy, I looked away for a moment. “Why do we always end up talking in this closet?”
“Because you make it easy.” He grinned. “I used to hide in here, actually.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I was younger. When I wanted to be alone, I’d go right to my mother’s closet. No one would ever think to look for me in here. I’d fish in her pockets for breath mints.”
“Did you find them?”
“Sometimes. Other times, I’d find things I wasn’t meant to.”
“Like what?”
“Like a business card to a private investigator, along with photos of my father kissing another woman.” He grimaced.
My stomach sank. “That must have been hard. Were you old enough to understand?”
He nodded. “I think I was about ten. And, yeah, unfortunately, I did understand. I remember mourning the life I thought I had, figuring out that nothing was really the way it seemed. I also remember feeling this relief thatmy mother knew, and it wasn’t a secret I had to keep. I couldn’t imagine doing that. I was proud of her for not letting him pull the wool over her eyes.”
“Did you say anything to her?”
“No. But I do remember secretly wishing she’d give him a piece of his own medicine. Kind of a strange thing to hope about your mom, I guess.”
“Do you think she ever did?”
“I don’t know. It was only a few years later that she got sick. And then a few years after that, she passed away.” He let out a long breath. “I often wonder if it was the stress of my father’s affairs that made her ill. Stress can do a number on the body.” Dorian stared up at the ceiling. “I remember thinking there was no braver thing than what she did—staying married to him when she could’ve just taken him to the cleaners. They didn’t even have a prenup.”
“Do you think she loved him, or she stayed married to him for you?”
He pondered that a moment. “I think it was the latter. And I regret that. I wish she’d been with someone who respected her more.”
“Isn’t it also possible that she stayed with him because she loved him? Both things can be true, can’t they?”
“I don’t know. I don’t understand how you can love someone who does that to you.”
“When we first met, though, you said you believed your father only ever loved your mother. That’s why he couldn’t have possibly loved Christina…”
