Page 39 of Waiting for You

"Oh," she said, unconvinced. "Okay."

I held her calculating stare one beat longer than I needed to.

She pressed her lips into a thin line and picked up her coffee mug, dropping the interrogation.

Eliza glanced around the cavernous hall. "So what do you even do in an estate like this? Just… explore the place?"

"Pretty much whatever you want," Simon offered. "Walk the grounds, raid the library, relax in the drawing room. The kitchen staff's on call for whatever you need."

"As long as you don't break any historic artifacts," Violet added drily.

Eliza laughed. "That seems like a low bar to clear."

"You'd be surprised with this group," Simon joked. The table chuckled, and I let myself sit inside the warmth of that shared laughter for the few seconds it lasted.

Then I set my coffee down. "I'm going to head back to the city after breakfast."

Violet snapped her head toward me. "Why?"

"I need to talk to my father. And I have an appointment to meet someone."

Xavier's coffee cup hit its saucer with a sharp clink.

"Who are you meeting?" he asked, his voice low.

Violet looked at him. Simon became fascinated by his eggs. Eliza's eyes drifted toward the windows.

"Someone my father's insisting I meet," I said, keeping my voice level. "A friend."

"Oh," Violet noted, connecting the dots. "Okay."

We survived the rest of breakfast without anyone saying a single thing of substance, pretending the tension wasn't there.

When I pushed my chair back to go pack, Violet trailed me out of the room.

She followed me all the way down to the gravel driveway where my hired car was already idling, jamming her hands deep into her pockets as the brisk morning air swirled around us.

"You're bolting because of Eliza," she said, point-blank.

"I'm leaving because I have somewhere to be, Violet."

"Sloane."

"I do," I insisted. "I have a meeting."

She just stared at me, unimpressed by the lie.

"It's someone my father arranged for me to meet," I confessed. "His name's Andrew. I told my father I'd give him a chance, and I'm following through. That's the truth."

"And how do you feel about Xavier bringing a girlfriend?" she pressed. "How do you feel about Eliza?"

I stared at the idling car. The driver sat rigid behind the wheel, staring straight ahead, pretending he couldn't hear us.

"She's nice," I admitted, the truth bitter on my tongue. "She's sweet, she's gorgeous, she got a devastating tattoo to honor her dead twin sister, and she shook my hand and called me pretty." I let out a jagged sigh. "I really wanted to hate her."

"I know you did," Violet murmured.

"So Xavier's moved on. He built a new life. Which means it's time for me to do the same thing." I turned to face her and lifted my chin. "That's a mature realization, isn't it?"