"I'm feeling shaky," I admitted, because I couldn't hide the trembling.
He crossed to me in two strides, his hand on my elbow to steady me. "When did we eat last? You've had nothing but coffee and that breakfast I made hours ago." He guided me toward the couch. "Sit down before you fall down."
"You don't have to—"
"Yes, I do." He settled me on the couch, then moved to the kitchen. I heard him opening cabinets, the sound of a pot on the stove, a can opener.
He returned a few minutes later with a glass of water. "Drink this first."
I took it with both hands, grateful for something to focus on besides the file folder contents burning in my brain.
He went back to the kitchen. The smell of tomato soup filled the cabin. Simple. Comforting.
When he came back, he carried two bowls and a plate of grilled cheese sandwiches cut into triangles. He set everything on the coffee table and sat beside me.
"Not fancy," he said. "There's the contracted dining service at the resort, but that's a walk through the cold and I wanted to get food in you fast. This was quicker."
We ate in silence. The soup was hot and salty, the grilled cheese perfectly golden. Basic comfort food, but it helped. My hands stopped shaking. The lightheadedness faded.
But the knowledge of what I'd found in those files?
That wasn't going anywhere.
"Ruby," Gil said quietly. "Talk to me. What's going on?"
I looked at him—really looked at him. At the concern in his steel-gray eyes. The way he'd noticed I was shaky and immediately took care of me. The way he'd made me simple food and sat with me to make sure I ate.
This man wasn't my enemy.
But I couldn't tell him the truth. Not yet. Not until I figured out what the hell to do with everything I'd just learned.
"I'm fine," I lied. "Just needed food. Thank you."
His jaw tightened. He didn't believe me. But he nodded.
We finished eating in tense silence, and I knew—I knew—that something had to break soon.
Either I told him the truth.
Or this whole thing was going to explode in my face.
Chapter Four
Gil
