“But—”
“She’s your sister,” Sandra went on. “Her comfort takes precedence over Penelope’s. Moving on.” Her eyebrows rose as she glanced at me. “Goodness, Jack. I didn’t see you there.”
I smiled serenely. “I’ve been here the whole time, Mrs. Grey.”
The last time I’d spoken to Sandra was when Evelyn had landed in the hospital due to complications from a shoulder injury. At the time, Evelyn’s true role as a bodyguard for the enigmatic Wagner Company was a secret to her family. Unaware of the circumstances, I’d revealed this to Sandra, and she had been wary of my influence over Evelyn ever since.
Sandra simpered. “You’re so petite, you practically disappear against the wallpaper there.”
My navy-blue sweater stood starkly against the flowery pastel wallpaper. “I suppose we can’t all be as lavish as you, Mrs. Grey.”
A bright pink spot appeared on each of her cheeks and she turned her back to me in concession. The small victory didn’t satisfy me. I liked Evelyn’s mother, and it pained me to know she no longer trusted me around her daughter. Then again, Evelyn’s misfortunes last year—the injury complications and a major infection of her surgery site—had partially been my fault. Sandra had plenty of reasons to doubt me.
“Ah, that’s better.” Evelyn tucked a white shirt into a pair of dark green dress pants, straightened the matching jacket, and examined herself in the mirror. Indeed, she looked much more like herself. She spun for Marie and grinned widely. “See? Not so bad.”
“Fine,” Marie grumbled. “But put my head on a stake after the wedding, so Penelope doesn’t have to get blood on her hands.”
“Don’t be so dramatic.” Evelyn swiftly kissed her sister’s cheek before slipping out of the jacket and handing it off to the seamstress. “Jack and I have a few things to do tonight. Don’t wait up.” Once dressed, Evelyn grabbed my hand and hauled me out of the dress shop. “Let’s find a bar. I need a drink.”
She ordered soda water. When I lifted an eyebrow at her choice, she shrugged. “I drank a lot of free champagne. Sue me.”
The cozy bar, lit with fairy lights and fake candles, was the perfect place to catch Evelyn in a lie. I leaned across the darkened booth to get a better look at her face.
“What’s really going on, Evelyn?” I asked. “Your sister seems fine, but your mother acts like I’m a grenade she plans to smother. Why did you have me come early if it was going to cause more drama?”
Evelyn coughed as the soda water went up her nose. “Ignore Mum. She’s been acting a fool ever since she found out I was lying to her about my job.”
“Why did you lie?” I asked. “What’s so bad about being a bodyguard?”
Evelyn’s muscular stature wasn’t just for looks. She trained the way she did because her job required her to protect important people from whatever dangerous circumstances they might run into. More than once, she’d saved me from certain disaster.
“It’s not a career they approve of,” Evelyn said. “My parents aren’t risk takers. They don’t understand why I would put myself in danger for someone else’s sake.”
“Not to mention all your secrets.”
Evelyn lifted an eyebrow. “What secrets?”
“Everything you do is confidential,” I reminded her. “I live with you, and I hardly ever know where you are.”
She grimaced apologetically. “You know how it is, Jack. I can’t tell you any more than I can tell my family. It’s for your own safety.”
“More like for the safety of your clients.”
“That too,” she agreed. “But you’re my number one priority.” She gazed wistfully across the bar. “Marie was on better behavior today, by the way. If you weren’t there, she never would have agreed to let me wear the suit.”
“Your mom took care of that.”
“But Marie would have thrown a much bigger fit,” Evelyn added. “You’re making things easier on me already.”
She flashed me a smile, and my anxiety eased. I lifted my coffee cup and tapped it against Evelyn’s soda water. “To Marie.”
“To Marie.”
2
According to Yelp, the Saint Angel Hotel had the best breakfast buffet in all of downtown Chicago, so when the morning sun joined us in bed, I woke Evelyn by pressing all ten of my cold toes against her warm calf. She yelped, scrambling to get away from me.
“Why would you do that?” she demanded, a hand pressed over her heart. “It’s like sharing a bed with a ghost.”
“I’m hungry.”
She pulled the blankets over her head. “Order room service.”
“Come downstairs with me.”
“No way. You’re on your own.”
I inched my toes toward her thighs.
“Gah! Get away from me, sadist.”
I crept closer, laughing as she nearly fell off the bed in her attempts to escape my freezing digits. Finally, she rolled out from under the covers and rose to her feet with a groan. Her oversized T-shirt rumpled around her thighs, making her look like a five-year-old who’d woken from a nightmare.
“Are you happy?” she grumbled, rubbing her eyes. “I’m up.”
I tossed her a pair of jeans from the dresser. “Did we pull a Freaky Friday? You’re usually the one dragging me out of bed.”
“I figure the longer I stay asleep, the less time I have to spend as maid of honor.” Evelyn stepped into her pants then chose a cream-colored sweater to hide her pajama top. “You’re lucky you don’t have any siblings.”
“You’re lucky you do,” I said. “You had built-in best friends growing up.”
She scoffed. “More like more people to take care of. You were always a better friend than Marie.”
“Don’t tell her that,” I advised. “Speaking of your siblings, why isn’t your brother here yet?”
“Max is still in school.” In the bathroom, she splashed water over her face and used her fingers to comb through her hair. “Mum only excused him for two days. He’ll be here in time for the wedding.”
“And your dad?”
“Hiding from Marie and my mother.”
“Smart man.” I tossed her a
