Page 96 of The Scarab's Game
I darted across the street when there was an opening, focused on Emmett. My stomach did a few flip-flops, and I did my best to hold down the smile that would give us away. Although, Will wasn’t the type to figure out something like that. Not like Rav. If I smiled at Emmett the way I wanted to, Rav would know in an instant.
Although, had Emmett already given it away? He’d said we wouldn’t tell anyone yet. Emmett was always so smooth. But could he hide…
Wait a second. Did Emmett’s feelings exist outside of the bedroom? Well, outside of the hotel suite? They certainly hadn’t been confined to a bedroom last night. Or this morning.
Emmett’s rich brown eyes met mine, and he gave a curt nod. Yep. He was hiding it plenty fine. No problem at all.
Will craned his neck around to face me. Just as serious.
Had their meeting not gone well? Was that why Rav was marching off, with Jayce practically running to keep up with him?
As I approached, Emmett said, “Looks like you did well.”
I sat at the table, put down my bags, and fished Emmett’s credit card out of my purse. “I have all the receipts.”
“That didn’t answer my question.”
I peered into the bags and pointed to them in order. “Shoes, clutch, dress, jewelry. The shoe and jewelry selection was limited, but Chloé selected some beautiful pieces. She also had a few dresses that arrived last week, so I’ve got something brand new from a local designer.”
An array of boxes and gadgets littered the table in front of Will—his default, as long as I could remember. Will was Scarlett’s little sister’s best friend, so he’d been a part of my life almost as long as the rest of the Reynolds family. His father had been a carpenter and taught Will how to carve and fit woodwork. As he grew older, the materials grew more complex. He and Brie used to spend hours assembling electronics of all sorts.
“Will,” I said, “I haven’t seen you since your father passed. I was sorry to hear about it.”
Will gave me a tight-lipped smile.
“Are you still living in London with your mom?”
“I am.”
“Any thoughts of moving back home?”
“My sister’s staying with her right now.” Will looked up at Emmett and then at me. “I expect when I get home, we’ll start talking about assisted living.”
Emmett said, “Brie mentioned you were already looking into it?”
“She’s so young.” Will pulled the dark tablet from the center of the table, staring at it. “Whenever she’s in the hospital or gets particularly bad, I look into options. The waitlists are so long… And when she comes out of whatever spot she’s in, we switch back into our normal routine, and I don’t have time to think about it.”
I put my hand on Will’s. “It might be better to start the process early and defer if you have to, rather than waiting until it’s too late?”
“Some voice in my head says I can fix her like I can fix anything else.” Will nodded slowly and started packing his things into his backpack. “But I can’t.”
Despite my father being a judgmental jerk at times, at least I had him and my mom.
“You’re a good son to—” My phone rang, and I pulled it out of my bag.Shit.I showed it to Emmett. “It’s Dante.”
After I’d retrieved my phone from security at Casino Rocher last night, I’d found one call and a few texts from Dante, asking if I was all right. I’d messaged him, claiming my stomach was still upset, but I’d be fine.
“I should go,” said Will, standing with his backpack. “I’ll see you?—”
“After the auction,” said Emmett. He gestured to my phone. “Let me listen.”
I took a deep breath and answered the call, while Will wandered away. “Hello, Dante.”
“Jenn, how are you feeling?” Dante’s voice was warm with concern. “You left the yacht so suddenly yesterday.”
I glanced at Emmett, who leaned close enough to hear both sides of the conversation. “I’m much better. The seasickness passed this morning.”
“I’m glad,” Dante said. “I wanted to update you on… Papa confirmed there was indeed a mix-up, and we suspect the conservator was behind it. That’s likely why he’s not returned to town. We believe he swapped the paintings, planning to eventually sell the real Constable on the black market. We’ll ensure the correct one gets to the auction tonight.”