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“Um, listen, we’re just—”

“I’m just here to get some water, man. I saw nothing, I know nothing.” I shrug.

He nods. “We don’t want to make a big thing about this. The boss can’t know.”

I hold my hands up defensively. “Don’t know what you’re talking about, remember?”

“Thank you,” he says over a large exhale. He plants a quick kiss on Guinevere’s head before leaving the room.

She looks embarrassed, refusing to meet my eye and fumbling around the kitchen, trying to look busy. She opens the fridge and passes me a cold bottle of water.

“Thanks.” I crack it open and take a large swig, painfully aware of the phone burning a hole in my pocket. “Are you okay?”

“Of course.” Her voice is too high.

“Hey, I promise I won’t say anything,” I say, crouching to try and look her in the eye.

She swallows and looks away again. “Miss Wolfe has done so much for me. I don’t want to disappoint her.” Her cheeks heat and her eyes water.

“Guinevere,” I say gently. “Has Annika ever told you that you can’t date another member of her staff?”

“No,” she sighs.

“She gave you a job, that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice a life for her.”

She looks at me with a fierceness I’m not expecting. “She gave me my life back. I owe her everything.”

My brows rise and I blink at her while I wait for something to click into place. “You’re the woman who auditioned at the club?”

I don’t think a human being can be any pinker than she is right now, and I kick myself. I didn’t mean to embarrass her. “Sh-she told you about that?”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.” I shake my head at my own big mouth. “She didn’t tell me it was you, I just figured that out. She was just explaining why she started the Her Foundation.”

Guinevere smiles slightly at that. “You know, Miss Wolfe would tell you she has a block of ice where her heart should be.But she was the first person to show me an ounce of kindness in a very long time. She didn’t just give me a job; she gave me a safe place to exist and re-learn who I was. I’m given the freedom to run this house how I want, and she has never denied a request I’ve made. She’s an incredible woman.”

I feel that weight on my chest again. Guinevere has such an admiration for the woman who only a few days ago literally cut a man’s ears off. “If she’s so giving and understanding, why are you so worried about her finding out that you and Lee are in a relationship.”

She sighs, wiping a cloth over an already sparkling marble countertop. “Miss Wolfe has strong thoughts on relationships.”

I frown. “What do you mean?

“She’s never been in one, as far as I can tell.” Interesting. “She doesn’t encourage personal relationships at all. She has no friends, no family, no one.” She looks up at me with sad eyes. Sad for her employer. “I worry that a relationship blossoming under her roof will make her uncomfortable. I can’t lose this place, it’s the only place I’ve ever been loved.”

I smile gently at her. “You and Lee are in love?”

Her returning smile is amused and a little shy. “Yes, but I was talking about Annika. She may not be sentimental, but she has her ways and I know she loves me.”

I think back to what Diamond told me. “Has she ever fired you?”

She chuckles. “All the time. Mostly when I scold her for not sleeping or when I complain about bloodstains on white silk that she expects me to get out.”

“I see.” I nod my head, sharing her amusement. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think you would lose your home and your job for falling in love.”

She bites her lip and nods, looking contemplative. “Thank you, Harvey. It’s nice to have another friend.” She squeezes my forearm before leaving me alone in the kitchen.

Taking my phone from my pocket, I open it up and find a message from the captain.

CAPTAIN:Meet me at Knight Point in 1hr.