“Now, before you get angry,” she prefaced, bracing herself, “remember that I am only trying to make the space a bit better for you and that you musttryand keep an open mind.”
“I don’t understand why you’re explaining yourself so much,” Evan shrugged casually and then walked past her, finally entering the study. He stopped in his tracks, and Isadora felt nervousness shoot up in her system.
Oh, he hates it. He’s going to chide me over it.
“I—I thought that the place was unusually dark,” she tried to explain herself, “and that it could use some brightening up.”
Evan said nothing.
Instead, he turned, slowly taking in the room—the rich new color of the walls, the strategic placement of the desk, the way the light spilled in through the unobstructed windows. Isadora found herself holding her breath in the meantime. His expression gave nothing away—and if the staff were to be believed, then Evan was not going to be happy in the slightest.
“You did this?” he finally asked though the answer was obvious. “Did you have any assistance?”
“I… well, the staff helped me, of course,” she stammered. “You could say that I supervised them.”
Evan shook his head, “No, you’re trying to do that thing again that you always do.” He turned to face her, and Isadora could not quite place the expression.
Was he happy? Mad? Annoyed?It was maddening just how neutral he was able to keep his expression at all times.
“Whatthing?”
“The thing where you shrink yourself and give credit to others—” He held her gaze. “—but I shall not let you this time.Thiswas allyourdoing.”
Isadora felt her breath hitch at the slight raise in his voice. “Do you wish for me to return it back to how it was?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Evan scoffed, and Isadora found herself confused again.
“I—what?” she blinked. What is the problem?Why can he never say outright what he means?
“You seem to have my words confused, Isadora,” he said, crossing the room. “I am not questioning whether I approve of it.”
“Then whatareyou questioning?”
“I am questioning why you feel the need to diminish your role in it.” He took a step closer. “You supervised. You made decisions. You saw what needed to change, and you changed it. That was you. Or was that someone else?”
Isadora felt as though she was being held to scrutiny. She drew a deep breath, gathering herself.
“I was only trying to gauge your reaction, Evan—” She used his name deliberately. “—but you seemed to have turned this whole thing into something else entirely.”
“I think that this is an opportunity for you to learn something from me.”
Isadora’s eyes widened at the words.
“Yes,” he continued, smirking now, “you are not the only one giving lessons.Considerthis a lesson from me—never shirk your role in something like this. Take credit when you need to.”
Isadora felt her cheeks warm. She had anticipated that this would turn into a lecture of sorts, but he had made a good point. All her life, she had been used to letting others take the credit for the work she had done.
“What you’re asking me to do,” she started, biting down on her lip, “is to act more assertively about my contributions.”
“Precisely that.”
“Oh, well,” she pressed her lips together, fighting back a smile. “But you still have not told me, do you like it or not?”
“What do you wish to hear?” he said, smoothly. Isadora was all too aware of just how close he was standing to her now—it made her lose her train of thought slightly.
“I…” She twisted her hands in front of her. “I only wish to know what you think in earnest. I only wanted to improve the space as it gave me something to keep myself busy.”
“I see.” He pursed his lips. “So, all this great effort that you put in was merely to give you something to do? Nothing else?”
