“Yes, I was there, Ben.”
“He’s good for the house.”
“He is good for the collection,” I answered.
“He’s good foryou,” Ben corrected gently.
I grunted, my gaze returning to the monitors again despite the fact that they now showed only empty corridors and rooms that had felt distinctly more alive that morning.
Ben leaned forward then, resting his elbows on his knees as he studied me with an expression that was far too thoughtful for someone who had, only moments earlier, been teasing me.
“There’s something else,” he said.
“Yes, what is it?”
“I’ve been thinking,” he continued, drawing the words, “those rideshare drivers coming up here every morning and evening aren’t ideal.”
I turned toward him, a line between my brows. “You said they were acceptable.”
“I did.”
“And now they are not?”
“Mhm,” he hummed, drawing a frown to my lips.
He watched me for a moment, clearly waiting for something that I did not immediately supply.
“Speak clearly. You told me there was no meaningful security risk.”
“Maybe there is, maybe there isn’t,” he mused. “But I believe it would be prudent,” he continued, as though the answer should already have been obvious, “for us to transport Cove ourselves.”
I stared at him. “Have you hit your head, Ben? I wanted you to drive him, but he refused. And you said that was fine.”
“I know,” Ben replied.
“Then what are you suggesting?”
Ben smirked, studying me with open amusement now. “I’m suggesting,” he said, “that whether or not there’s an actual security concern… he wouldn’t know the difference. You live on a private coastal access road with restricted entry points, multiple surveillance layers, and are a bloody billionaire. It wouldnot be unreasonable to explain that limiting unknown drivers approaching the property is simply good practice.”
“So, instead of giving him the choice, you want to..?”
“He won’t complain about it if he believes we need to take over his transport for safety concerns. You won’t be forcing him to accept rides because security concerns are out of your control.”
I considered this.
He watched my expression change with the quiet satisfaction of someone who had been waiting for me to reach exactly this conclusion.
I exhaled slowly.
Itwouldbe safer.
Itwouldbe reasonable.
Itwouldensure he arrived consistently and on time.
It would also mean he no longer spent the beginning and end of every day in the company of strangers.
“I don’t understand why you couldn’t have told me earlier.”
