Out of Breath (Breathing, #3)(93)

We pulled into the driveway of a large white house. My eyes widened at the size of it. I turned towards Emma, and she smirked.

I knew this lady wanted to put me in my place by taking us to this house. But in truth, I didn’t care how big it was. She strutted in front of us in her tight-fitting dress, clicking her heels along the stone driveway. She practically snickered when she unlocked the door and stepped aside to let us in.

The wall of glass facing the ocean was the first thing I saw, and that was all I needed. ‘We’ll take it.’

‘But you haven’t even stepped into the house,’ she stuttered.

‘How many bedrooms?’ I enquired.

‘Three,’ she answered, looking at me oddly.

‘Perfect,’ I responded, walking further into the space without taking my eyes off the view. ‘We’ll need it for a month. I’ll give you a card for a deposit so we can move in today and arrange for the rest of the money to be wired to you by tomorrow. You’ll be hearing from a gentleman by the name of Charles Stanley. He’ll make certain it’s all handled.’

I finally pulled my eyes away from the ocean and turned to find Evan and the agent staring at me like I’d just recited a poem in Gaelic.

‘What?’ I questioned, my eyes flipping from one stunned face to the other.

‘That’s fine,’ she snapped, taking the card I held out for her. ‘I’ll have the paperwork ready for you to sign this afternoon after I speak with this … Charles Stanley. I’ll be in touch.’

‘Thanks,’ I smiled and limped past her to the truck.

‘Charles Stanley?’ Evan asked, still appearing dazed by the entire exchange. ‘And you don’t even know what it costs or what the place looks like. Emma, what just happened?’

‘I like the view,’ I answered simply, clicking my seatbelt into place.

‘Emma,’ I said sternly, causing the grin on her face to falter. Reluctantly, she faced me. ‘What aren’t you telling me?’

Emma played with her fingers nervously before swallowing and admitting, ‘I have a trust.’

I blinked in surprise.

‘A big trust,’ she continued, her voice quiet. ‘My father set it up when I was young, and Charles came to see me before I turned eighteen to let me know it existed. He helps with whatever financial needs I have, whether it’s school, or a car, or whatever.’ She kept her eyes cast down until she was done. Then she cautiously peered up at me, awaiting my reaction.

‘O-kay,’ I said, still trying to take it all in. ‘I guess we have a house.’ I wasn’t sure what else to say. Perhaps because I was still in shock from this revelation, or maybe because it really didn’t matter. The money obviously hadn’t affected Emma, or I would have picked up on it before now. Granted, Emma was pissed off at the real-estate agent for her arrogant assumptions, but then she kind of had it coming. And the size of the house didn’t matter to Emma. That was evident as well. The only thing that she’d seen was the view of the ocean before she made her decision. ‘Let’s get our stuff.’ I started the truck, and we drove the five minutes back to Nate’s house.

I waited for him to be upset with me for not telling him about the trust and the visit from Charles Stanley. But he barely reacted. He was more upset that I’d made such a hasty decision without knowing anything about the place.

Evan never reacted the way I expected, but that was something that had always drawn me to him. And that hadn’t changed.





29


Not Knowing


I RAN MY HAND ALONG THE SMOOTH surface of the marble and tilted my head up at the sun beaming in through the small window set above the Jacuzzi tub.

‘Nice place,’ Evan said from the door, spinning me around.

‘Can you believe the size of this bathroom?’ I replied, my voice echoing. It seemed more like an elite spa. It even had a television built into the long mirror over the double sinks.

‘You’re stuck on the bathroom? Have you seen this bedroom? I mean, it has a fireplace and its own private patio.’

‘It does?’ I followed Evan through the master bedroom, past the king bed adorned with a mountain of pillows, and out a glass door covered with a gathered sheer curtain.

‘No way.’ I gawked at the enclosed space, with brilliant pink flowers draping over the fence surrounding it. Two teak chairs and a table sat next to a small fire pit, along with, of all things, an outdoor shower. ‘Why would anyone need a shower on their patio?’

‘To rinse off the sand from the beach,’ Evan explained, unlatching a section of the tall fence to reveal the main deck and a set of stairs leading to the beach.

‘This is insane,’ I said, shaking my head.

‘You picked it.’ Evan grinned.

‘I liked the view.’

‘And you got so much more.’ Evan laughed, walking back into the house. I followed him into the expansive living room with the cathedral ceiling. ‘I think I’m going to go to the grocery store, if that’s okay. You should sit outside and let some fresh air get to your feet. I think I saw a hammock out there.’

‘That sounds perfect.’

‘Do you want anything in particular?’ Evan asked, grabbing the keys to Nate’s truck from the table behind the overstuffed dark blue couch.