He studies me for another beat. Then nods.
“Don’t tell your brother.” A hint of amusement creeps into his voice. “I’d like to live to my thirtieth birthday.”
I snort. “Silas Locke, was that a joke?”
He smiles. “Maybe.”
He turns off the lights, and the room goes dark except for the glow from the city outside. The mattress dips as he climbs in. We’re both on opposite sides, a canyon of space between us.
I close my eyes and try to sleep.
“Tania.”
I open them. “Yeah?”
“Thank you for how you handled the hotel situation.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
“It is.” He shifts. “You didn’t have to make it easy. You did anyway.”
I turn onto my side, facing him in the dark. His outline is barely visible.
“It seemed like the right thing to do.”
Silence.
The darkness makes me braver than I should be. I rarely get Silas alone, and this feels like a wasted opportunity if I don’t at least try to get to know him better. But I don’t know what questions to ask.
“You work a lot.” I immediately feel stupid for saying something so obvious.
He nods. “I do.”
“Have you had to take on a lot more since your dad died?”
“Yeah.” He doesn’t immediately elaborate, but then he continues. “The company. The will. The trust. The inheritance clause.”
“That sounds exhausting.”
“It is.”
I trace the edge of the pillowcase with my finger. “Tell me about him. Your dad.”
“My dad was an asshole.” He chuckles. “He was detached. He never actually knew us. I didn’t want him to die, but I can’t say I miss him.”
The honesty catches me off guard. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He pauses. “What about yours? Your dad. I never met him.”
“I don’t remember him at all. He left when I was little. Ben barely remembers him.”
“That must have been hard.”
“My mom made it work.” I pull the blanket higher. “My mom worked at the prep school. That’s how we could afford it, which you already know. The faculty housing was tiny, but it was ours. She made sure we had what we needed.”
“But not what you wanted.”
I pause. “No. Not always.”
