Page 75 of The Accident

For a moment, we look into each other’s eyes, and time stands still between us. It shimmers and sparkles, and I have half a mind to skip the rest of the meal and carry her off to bed stat. But then the moment passes, and I squeeze her hand. There will be plenty of time for that later.

“So how was the broker today? Sorry it was so last minute. I completely forgot.”

Kayleigh swallows, then shrugs slightly. “Fine. He was only here for like twenty minutes. Walked around, took notes, asked about the appliances. I tried to stay out of the way.”

I nod, but keep my eyes on her. “And it was Gerald, right?”

She blinks, caught. “The broker?”

“Yeah.”

She stirs her spoon, then says, “No, his name wasn’t Gerald. It was Evan. Evan Fine.”

The name is nothing to me for a beat. Then I remember: the bachelor auction. The real estate guy, blonde, way too pretty. He’d sold for a pathetic sum but still acted like he’d won the lottery.

I frown. “I thought Gerald Stillwell was handling this. I hired Stillwell Realtors.”

Kayleigh’s hand pauses over the bowl, then continues stirring, the clink of ceramic suddenly loud. “I think Evan is with Stillwell Realtors, and just works for your friend Gerald. Or maybe he’s the advance team? I don’t know, but it was definitely Evan who came, not someone named Gerald.”

I set my spoon down, fingers flat against the marble. “Gerald said he’d be here personally. That was the deal. I don’t want some half ass associate broker poking around my place.”

She shrugs, but her eyes drop to the bowl. “Evan wasn’t bad. He knew all the stuff, the square footage, the way the lighting works. He said it’d sell fast.”

I study her face. She’s hiding something, and the way her hand shakes when she brings the glass to her lips is all the evidence I need.

A shiver goes down my back. What the fuck? Still, I’m new to this romance shit, so I decide to let it go, for now.

“Next time, you call me if there’s a change. I want to know who’s coming and when.”

She nods, but doesn’t answer. “I didn’t know who to expect, to be honest. I was hauling myself out of the bathtub trying to get ready in time.”

I nod, but my stomach churns. What the fuck? I’m a CEO and a billionaire so why the fuck would Gerald send one of his lackeys to assess my place? This place will go for twenty mill, minimum, so I’d think Gerald would want to handle it himself.

We eat in silence for a minute. The soup is cooling, the city outside running on inertia. I stew some more, my fingers tight on my spoon when suddenly, Kayleigh’s phone lights up, buzzing once, a white flash that makes both of us flinch.

She glances at it, reads the text, then at me, then flips the phone over.

“Who is it?” I ask.

She hesitates, then says, “Just Evan Fine again. He’s got a preliminary valuation and a suggested list price. Wants to know if you have time to talk tomorrow.”

My jaw goes tight. “We’re not selling through him. I’ll call Gerald in the morning and make sure he knows I want him handling this transaction, and not a peon.”

She nods, then takes another sip of soup, her hand barely steady.

I watch her, the way she curls inward, making herself smaller. There’s a charge to it, a little wire of fear that runs from her wrist to her jaw. I hate it, the way it feels — like someone else is in this room with us, pressing their thumb down, waiting to see what happens.

We finish the meal in silence. She clears the bowls, stacks them in the dishwasher, her movements clipped and efficient. I wait, leaning on the counter, the weight of her mood pinning me down.

She stands at the sink, hands braced on the rim, hair falling loose around her face. I walk up behind her, put my hands on her waist. She stiffens, then lets out a long breath and leans back against me.

“You’re mad,” she says, not quite a question.

I shake my head. “Not at you. But something about this Evan guy is off.”

She turns, twisting in my arms so we’re face to face. Her skin is flushed, eyes shining with something I can’t read.

“You just have the heebie-jeebies because he talked to me at the auction. And I’ll be honest - I gave him my number that night because he asked. But I’m not going anywhere, Trevor,” she says. “He means nothing to me. I’m here with you.”