I’m making salmon wellington, a play on the dish with a little more flair. And I can’t lie—I’m taking a little inspiration from that restaurant Cole took us to, with the blackberry compote and roasted squash.
Cole is in the corner, mixing cocktails with a purposeful consideration like he’s on the set ofBreaking Bad. Dane takes a swig of his water and returns to the couch, sitting next to Lucy and grabbing her feet, pulling them up into his lap.
“I’ve been thinking,” Dane says, and his voice is back toCEO,notbedroom directorlike earlier. Lucy accepts a drink from Cole, then looks at Dane as she sips it. I slide the wellington into the oven, throw the towel over my shoulder, and come around the corner, leaning against the counter and crossing my arms.
“Dangerous,” Cole mutters, sitting in the armchair and taking a sip of his drink.
Dane flicks his eyes to the ceiling, his version of an eye roll. “Lucy, I think we need to fire you.”
She sucks in a breath, pulling her feet out of his lap, her brows tucking in together. I want to reach out and smooth a thumb on the patch of clear skin between them, tell her not to worry like that.
“Why? I like my job. I can be discreet?—”
“Hear me out.” Dane leans over, sets his drink on the coffee table, and I already know what he’s going to say. And I already agree with him. I meet Cole’s gaze over his head and his quick nod tells me he agrees, too. “Even if these guys—” he gestures at us, “—weren’t on board with supporting you financially, I am. Which means you don’t need the job.”
Lucy looks uncomfortable, “I mean, I don’t want to freeload?—”
I can’t stop myself from letting out a bark of laughter, “Lucy, I don’t think you understand how much money we have between us.” Circling around the couch, I take a seat in an armchair, throw my ankle up onto my knee, and study her. “Before we left the hospital, I made sure your sister’s medical bills were taken care of.”
Lucy’s mouth drops open, “Nico, you didn’t have to?—”
“Their mortgages are paid off,” Cole says with a shrug, staring into his cup like he’s not pleased with his mixing. Flicking his gaze to Lucy, he says, “Your parents, Mary and her husband. I contacted the bank yesterday.”
“You can… do that?” Lucy questions, blinking rapidly.
Dane nods, “Each of your siblings has a 529 through me. Fully funded for whatever college they want to attend. And Mary’s loans are gone. And it cost us nothing.”
“It’s notnothing—” Lucy shakes her head and sets her drink down, like it might be making her hallucinate. Appealing to each of us like she does, meeting each of our eyes at a time, she says, “That’s an… insane amount of money?—”
“All of that doesn’t even touch how much I made just in interest yesterday. And I’m not nearly as good at investing as Dane.”
“Money isn’t the same for us,” Dane says, a little more tactful than me. “What seems like a lot to you, or impossible from your perspective, it’s not the same for us. We could pay for you for the rest of your life and really, feel nothing. Other than satisfied.”
“I can’t…”
“This is obviously an unusual relationship,” Cole says, his voice flat, even, as always. Each thing he says is just a fact being delivered. “Maybe it feels unusual for you to have no job and let other people pay for you, Lucy, but we’re already breaking society’s rules.”
“I’ll put together a trust for you right now,” I say, crossing to the bar in the corner and taking the glass Cole left for me. I peer down into it—a twist on an old-fashioned, it looks like. I take a gulp and nod as it burns pleasantly on the way down. “If something happens, andthisdoesn’t work out, even if you can’t get a job for the rest of your life, you’ll be taken care of.”
“This doesn’t feel real.” Lucy closes her eyes, tugs her knees tighter up against her chest. “Why me?”
Usually, when people saywhy me? It’s a cry to the heavens, questioning their suffering. Leave it to Lucy to question why she’s worth it.
“Because we fell in love with you,” I say, like it’s obvious. “And we take care of the people we love.”
“Besides,” Cole adds, “it’s a liability to the company, to continue this relationship with you as our assistant. It doesn’t make sense when that’s not even your passion.”
“That’s right,” Dane swallows and reaches out, taking Lucy’s hand in his own. “I was thinking you could spend more time painting. We could hire an MFA coach to help you get your application materials together.”
Lucy blinks at all of us, her arms loosening slightly, her tight posture unraveling. “But… I was planning on applying to places outside the city. What if…”
“Wherever you want to go,” Cole says. “I’m coming with you. If you want me to.”
“God, I want you—” Lucy chokes through a laugh again, shaking her head and running a hand through her hair. I’m struck by how much the gesture reminds me ofmyself, and wonder if we’re already rubbing off on one another.
“It’s just—my grandma used to sayif something’s too good to be true, it probably is.That’s what I feel like, right now—I feel like there’s something that might go bad, and I’m not experienced enough to know what it is.”
We’re all quiet for a beat, considering that. Dane clears his throat, and Cole shifts uncomfortably.
