Hidden Devotion (Trinity Masters #5)(29)

Franco groaned. Juliette pulled out a few energy bars, which were the only readily available snacks in the pantry.

“Er, thanks.” He looked dubiously at the brightly wrapped package.

“I should probably go grocery shopping.”

“I’m not one to talk, since I’m absolute crap at responsible adult things like keeping a regular schedule and cooking, but you look like you haven’t eaten or slept in days.”

“Gee, thanks.” Juliette refused to feel self-conscious. She distinctly remembered showering earlier in an effort to wake herself up, and she’d put these clothes on fresh afterwards.

“Can I, uh, would you like to…go out to lunch?”

“No, I’m in the middle of something.”

“Oh. Okay.” Franco dropped his head, studying the nutritional information on the back of the energy bar.

“Did you…were you asking me out?”

“Devon said that people still date. Members, I mean. That’s why I asked, but if that was inappropriate—”

Juliette felt herself blush, both from pleasure that he’d asked her out and embarrassment at how she’d replied. “No, it’s not inappropriate, and I’m sorry. I’ve just been so focused.”

“Wait, I realize I implied that the only reason you’d say no is if it was inappropriate.” He blinked owlishly and ran a hand through his hair, immediately looking rumpled. “I totally respect your right to just say no for whatever reason.”

They stared at each other, awkward in each other’s presence for the first time. Juliette hated that she was making this sweet, hapless guy feel bad.

“Franco, I like you. That’s why I kissed you. I just can’t go out to lunch today.”

He smiled and Juliette forgot how tired she was, forgot how much work she had to do. His eyes lit up when he smiled.

“I’m glad,” he said.

“What?” It wasn’t the most intelligent reply, but she’d lost the thread of the conversation.

“You said you liked me, and I said I’m glad.” Franco tipped his head as he studied he, then picked up his phone.

Juliette waited for a minute but he kept his head down. Miffed, she said, “I have to get back to work.”

“Lunch should be here in forty-five minutes.” He set down the phone. “I hope you like Indian food.”

“Food?”

“Yep. All hail GrubHub.”

“I…actually Indian food sounds really good.” It was nice to have someone just make a decision.

“And I’ve got my tablet with me, so I’ll stay and work.”

“You can’t. What I’m working on is confidential.”

“I’ll stay in here, or in some other room.” He slid off his stool and came over, crowding her against the counter. “I know what it’s like to focus on something so much that you forget everything else. That’s when you need someone to provide food and beverage.”

“I’ll be fine.”

He cupped her face, thumbs rubbing her cheeks. His eyes were bright blue in the afternoon light. “I’m not saying you won’t be. But I’m still going to take care of you.”

Juliette closed her eyes, letting the weight of her head rest in his hands. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Where is it safe for me to sit?”

Juliette took him to the small library, which had two desks, a long leather couch, and floor-to-ceiling bookcases. On the way, Franco grabbed his bag from the coat closet where he’d stashed it.

“Before I forget, I brought something you should look at.” He pulled a small wooden box from his bag. “This was my grandfather’s. The story, which is apparently true, was that the secret society gave him the box for safekeeping. He never opened it because he thought it was a test—if he didn’t open it, they’d know he could resist temptation and keep a secret. It got shoved into a dresser along with all his other stuff. I hadn’t thought about it in years until you showed up.”

Juliette peered at the box. The top was carved with the triquetra. She reached for it but Franco pulled it back, setting it on the desk.

“Teasing me?”

“No. I’m making sure you don’t get distracted from whatever you were working on.”

Work—the piles and piles of member files in the other room. She should get back to it. Every second those files were outside the headquarters was a risk. She’d only brought the ones for unmatched members, and there was nothing incriminating—such as a description of the trinity—in these files. If an outsider were to walk in and find them, they wouldn’t learn about the Trinity Masters, but they would certainly have a lot of questions as to why Juliette had that kind of information about so many different people.

She should get back to it.

Juliette slid down onto the couch, stifling a yawn. “What are you working on?”

“Transcribing some old letters. I finished scanning them before I got on the plane. Between the handwriting and the fading, it’s taking an annoyingly long time.”

Juliette rested her head on the arm of the couch. “What kind of letters are they?”

“…hoping to better understand the relationship between the families.” Franco finished his explanation, zooming out until the entire page of the letter was visible.