Page 33 of Blue Gold

Claudia and Elliot laughed together while I tsked. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Daniel—” Claudia pinned me with a harsh look when Lucas spoke.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it, Claudia.” He then turned to look at Elliot. “Maybe you can teach me some French?”

Why on earth would Elliot teach this douchebag anything⁠—

“Yes! Of course, I teach français.”

My throat turned to dust, and I struggled to keep it cool when Claudia rubbed Lucas’s arm. “How about you stay for breakfast?”

“And why would he do that?” I asked before he could respond.

A nervous smile coated Claudia’s lips as her eyes locked with mine. “Daniel?”

“What? You don’t see me inviting the gardener to dine with us, do you?”

An uncomfortable silence settled between us as Claudia narrowed her eyes at me as if I’d said something inappropriate. If anyone was in the wrong, it was Lucas who practically invited himself to join us.

“That’s okay, guys; I need to go anyway. I’ve gotta get to my next practice.” He ran a hand through his ridiculously long hair.

Who did he think he was? Hercules? How could one expect to be taken seriously with such a messy appearance? Did he think he looked cooler with long hair? Please. If we were back in the city, I would have mistaken him for one of those people playing guitars on the subway.

“So I’ll see you on Friday?” Lucas asked Claudia, who nodded.

“Yes.”

“Cool,” he said, and the wink he sent Elliot’s way did not escape me.

Annoyed, I glared at Elliot, who pretended to be oblivious, before turning to Claudia.

“I will go cook,” Elliot said and escaped inside the house, leaving me alone with my wife.

I planned on going back to reading my newspaper, except Claudia had other plans in mind.

“What the hell was that?” she asked, voice angry.

“What do you mean?”

“You were awfully rude, Daniel.”

Annoyed with her baseless accusations, I huffed. “Hardly so.” I sat back on my chair and snatched the newspaper from the table.

“Why would you speak to Lucas that way?”

Flipping back to the page I was previously on, I shrugged. “Why would we invite a stranger to eat with us?”

Claudia clicked her tongue, an annoyed look on her face. “A stranger? He’s been working here for the last three summers. Besides, he and Elliot are friends, so I thought having him over for breakfast would be nice.”

My eye twitched at the word friends.

“We’ve been here for less than two weeks. Elliot can hardly understand a word Lucas is saying, and yet they’re already friends?” I snorted. “Apparently, those two have way too much time on their hands. May I remind you we pay those people to do their jobs?”

“Those people?” The look in Claudia’s eyes was one full of disappointment. “I thought you said you cared for Elliot.”

I do. That’s the whole problem.

“He’s here to work, not make friends.”