“I love you too.”
Angela left Kiara’s room, closing the door softly behind her.
Rather than return to her room, she headed downstairs, hoping that maybe she could have a conversation with Duncan. There was an hour until dinner, and the workday should be over, but Angela had come to realize that Duncan didn’t hold to conventional business hours.
As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she spotted Julian coming from the direction of Duncan’s office.
“Hey, Julian,” she said. “I didn’t know you were back.”
“I just got here a couple of hours ago.”
“Are you here for long?”
“Probably a week or so.”
Angela looked at Julian more closely. He didn’t look good. Gaunt was the first word that came to mind as she took in his features.
“Are you feeling okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. Why?”
“You look like you haven’t slept or eaten in ages.”
“I’m fine,” Julian said dismissively.
Angela didn’t know him well enough to push the subject, so instead, she said, “Is Duncan in his office?”
“Yep.”
“Do you think he has time to talk to me?”
“I’m sure he’ll make the time. Just knock on his door.”
Angela watched as Julian turned and walked up the stairs. Something was wrong with him, she was almost positive. But maybe that was just how he was. Without knowing him better, there was no way for her to be sure.
When she reached Duncan’s office, the door was closed. She hesitated for a moment, then knocked. When she heard Duncan respond, Angela opened the door and entered the office.
It was hard not to feel intimidated by the space. But before she could dwell too much on that, Duncan got to his feet, a smile on his face.
“Angela.” He came around the desk to greet her. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I wonder if I could chat with you for a few minutes,” she said, clasping her hands together tightly.
It was the first time she’d sought him out, let alone initiated a conversation of importance.
“Sure.” Duncan motioned to the sitting area in his office. “Why don’t we go sit over there by the fireplace?”
Once they were seated, Duncan said, “So what’s on your mind? Are you doing okay?”
“I’m fine,” she assured him, then smiled. “Better than fine actually.”
Duncan returned her smile, a twinkle in his eyes. “Does it have something to do with Jude?”
“It might,” Angela said, not sure how much she wanted to talk to him about it.
“Well, I hope this makes you both happy. Jude is a good man. The best.”
“Yes. I think he’s pretty awesome.”
