“Hi,” Faith said.
“Where have you been?” Joshua asked. “You left the office around lunchtime the other day and I haven’t seen you since.”
“You say that like it’s news to me,” she said drily. “I had some things to take care of.”
Her mom came out of the kitchen and wrapped Faith in a hug. “What things? What are you up to?” She pressed a kiss to Faith’s cheek. “More brilliance?”
Her dad followed, giving Faith a hug and a kiss and moving to his favorite chair that put him at the head of the seating arrangement.
“I don’t know.” Faith rubbed her arm, suddenly feeling like she was fifteen and being asked to discuss her report card. “Not especially. Just... I picked up another project.”
“What project?” Isaiah asked, frowning.
“You didn’t consult me about the schedule first,” Poppy said.
“I can handle it,” Faith said. “It’s fine.”
“This is normally the kind of thing you consult us on,” Joshua said, frowning.
“Yes. And I didn’t this time. I took a job that interested me. And I had a feeling you wouldn’t be very supportive about it. So I did it alone. And it’s too late to quit, because I already have an agreement. I’m already working on the project, actually.”
“Is that why you were behind on sending me those estimates?” Isaiah asked. As if this error was proof positive they were actually correct, and she couldn’t handle all this on her own.
“Yes,” she said. “Probably. But, you know, I’m the one who does the design. And I should be able to take on projects that interest me. And turn down things that don’t.”
“Are we making you do things you don’t like?”
“No. It’s just... The whole mass-production thing we’re doing, that’s fine. But I don’t need to be as involved in that. I did some basic designs, but my role in that is done. At this point it’s standardized, and what interests me is the weird stuff. The imaginative stuff.”
“I’m glad you enjoy that part of it. It’s what makes you good. It’s what got us where we are.”
“I know. I mean...” Everyone was staring at her and she felt strange admitting how secure she was in her talent. But she wasn’t a fifteen-year-old explaining a report card. She was a grown woman explaining what she wanted to do with the hours in her day, confident in her area of expertise. “You can’t get where I’m at without being confident. But what I’m less confident about is whether or not you two are going to listen to me when I say I know what I want to do.”
“Of course we listen to you.”
She sucked in a sharp breath and faced down Joshua and Isaiah. “I took a design job for Levi Tucker.”
Isaiah frowned. “Why do I know that name?”
It was Devlin who stood up, and crossed large, tattooed arms over his broad chest. “Because he’s a convict,” he said. “He was accused of murdering his wife.”
“Who isn’t dead,” Faith pointed out. “So, I would suggest that’s a pretty solid caseagainsthim being a murderer.”
“Still.”
Mia spoke tentatively. “I mean, the whole situation is so...suspicious, though,” she said softly. “I mean...what woman would run from her husband if he was a good guy?”
“Yes,” Faith said, sighing heavily, “I’ve heard that line of concern before. But the fact of the matter is, I’ve actually met him.” She felt like she did a very valiant job of not choking on her tongue when she said that. “And he’s...fine. I wouldn’t say he’s a nice guy, but certainly he’s decent enough to work with.”
“I don’t like it,” Devlin said. “I think you might be too young to fully understand all the implications.”
Anger poured into her veins like a hot shot of whiskey, going straight to her head. “Do not give me that shit,” she said, then looked quickly over at her mother and gave her an apologetic smile for the language. “Your wife is the same age as I am. So if I’m too young to make a business decision, your wife is certainly too young to be married to you.”
Mia looked indignant for a moment, but then a little bit proud. The expression immediately melted into smugness.
“I like his ideas.” Faith didn’t say anything about his house being a sex palace. “And it’s a project I’m happy to have my name on.”
Joshua shook his head. “You want to be associated with a guy like that? A young, powerful woman like yourself entering into a business agreement with a man who quite possibly has a history of violence against women...”
