Page 29 of Billion Dollar Vow (The Lincoln Brothers #4)

Karley

The doorbell chimes and I set down the financial paperwork I’ve been reading for my house.

Oliver’s been gone all day. This morning, his breakfast note left me both relieved and disappointed.

Off to Jeremy’s bachelor party. Try not to have too much fun without me. Call me if you need me. And no watching our show until I return. Hubby xo

I open the door, and Evelyn steps inside, eyes wide. “Are you kidding me?”

I laugh, closing the door behind her. I probably had the same reaction when I first saw his place.

Her gaze darts around. The herringbone timber floors, the dark wood, the high ceilings.

“Okay, this place is insane,” she whispers, eyes still moving. “Have you ever been here before?”

I shake my head. “Nope. First time.”

Evelyn pauses in the long entryway, looking around like she’s in a museum. “He always came to your place. Kind of makes you wonder why, doesn’t it?”

I shrug, but the question hits differently now that I’ve been alone in his house. It’s quiet, empty… lonely.

She grabs my arm, eyes bright with a grin. “What if he had a secret crush on you and came over just to see you?”

I laugh, swatting her hand away. “Please. He came to see my brother, not me. So don’t even put that idea in your head.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Okay, Mrs. Lincoln.”

I groan. “Come on, stop making up stories, and let’s go look around.”

As we walk through, she glances over. “Has he texted since he left?”

“Maybe,” I admit, shrugging. “He just checked in earlier, making sure I’m not trashing the place.”

“What did you say?”

“I told him I’m hosting a party and destroying his house.”

She bursts out laughing. “No way!”

“Oh, yes, I did.” I show her the text, and she laughs even harder. Oliver hasn’t responded yet, so I put my phone away and take her on the tour.

When we reach his office, Evelyn stops dead in her tracks, her mouth falling open when she spots my painting on the wall.

“Wait, is that yours?” She moves closer.

“It is.”

She peers over her shoulder at me with a raised eyebrow. “And he has it displayed in his office? Karley, do you know what this means? He’s had your work this whole time.”

“It’s probably just something his mom gave him.”

She turns to face me. “In his private office? Nobody keeps art they don’t love in their workspace.”

I open and close my mouth, unable to find the right words. Lucky for me, she gets distracted by a medical book on his shelf.

By the time we’re back in the living room, Evelyn flops onto the sofa. “I think I need a nap after that.”

“I know, it’s crazy. I’ve never seen a house like this,” I say, looking around. “It doesn’t feel real.”

Evelyn nods, eyes shining. “And those arched windows... I mean, wow. Have you ever seen ceilings this tall?”

“Never.” I laugh.

She perks up. “Hey, we didn’t snoop in his room!”

“No way,” I say, shaking my head and crossing my arms. “I don’t want him going through my stuff, so I won’t go through his. I saw it briefly. Trust me, that’s enough.”

She huffs. “Fine, but have you told him they’re yours?”

I shake my head vehemently. “No, and I’m not telling him.” I feel a twinge of anxiety just thinking about it.

She gives me a reassuring look. “That’s fine. I won’t say anything.”

I sigh, uncrossing my arms. “Thanks. I just can’t... It's hard to explain, but the thought of people knowing who I am makes me freeze. I just can’t handle it.”

Sensing my discomfort, she nudges me gently. “So, how’s work?”

“Nice change of subject,” I say, smirking.

“Oh my God, I almost forgot to tell you what happened last night.” She sits up straighter. “This woman in her forties, totally put together, Chanel bag, perfect hair, comes to the front desk, asking for her husband’s room key. Says she’s surprising him for their anniversary.”

I wince. “Oh no.”

“Oh yes,” Evelyn nods. “So protocol says I need to call the room, but she begged me not to spoil the surprise. She was so sweet about it that—”

“You didn’t.”

“I did! I gave her the key,” she groans, covering her face with her hands. “Twenty-five minutes later, security calls down because there’s a disturbance on the sixth floor.”

“Let me guess, no anniversary surprise?” I ask, pretending to be shocked.

“Not unless you count the surprise of finding your husband with his twenty-something assistant,” Evelyn says. “By the time I got up there, she’d already thrown the ice bucket and all his clothes off the balcony, and was in the process of destroying his laptop with the hotel phone.”

I burst out laughing. “No way.”

“The poor security was standing there, lost for words. The husband was trying to cover himself with a pillow while the assistant was hiding in the bathroom.”

“What did you do?”

“What could I do? I just stood there, saying, Ma’am, please put the phone down, while secretly thinking, Get him, girl .”

I’m laughing so hard my stomach hurts. “Did you get in trouble?”

“Yeah, the manager wrote me up for not following protocol, but then the wife comes over, totally calm now, hands me a hundred-dollar tip and says, ‘Thank you for the anniversary gift of freedom.”

“Wow, that’s insane,” I say, shaking my head.

“On the bright side, the woman broke a piece of art from the hotel, and I offered to replace it with one of mine,” she says with a wink. “Free marketing.”

I tap the side of my head. “Smart thinking. We poor folks have to get creative.”

My phone chimes and Evelyn leans over. “Is that him?”

I shrug, but my pulse rises at the possibility. Grabbing my phone from the coffee table, I see his name. “Yes. He’s asking for a picture of the house.”

She smirks, pointing. “Send him one of the room. Really sell the ‘mess’ you’re making.”

I nod, loving her idea, snapping a photo and sending it without a caption.

He replies immediately.

Oliver: Never pictured you to be a liar.

Me: You really wouldn’t care if I trashed your house?

Oliver: Of course I’d care, but I know you wouldn’t do it. Plus, I'd be offended if you partied without me.

Me: I forgot that you are a party guy.

Oliver: Was! I’m a married man now.

I feel a twinge of satisfaction at his response.

Me: Good to know. How’s the trip going?

Oliver: It’s actually great. I’m spending time with my dad, brothers, and friends. We haven’t done anything like this since we were kids.

Me: Then I won’t keep you. Have fun.

Oliver: Actually, I’m already in bed.

Me: Shouldn't you be out partying it up?

I can’t help the skepticism in my response. After all the worry and anger I’ve felt, his tame behavior seems almost suspicious.

He sends me a photo of the TV in his room, mirroring what I’d done to him earlier.

Me: Well, if you’re bored, can’t your brothers entertain you?

Oliver: I think I’ve had enough of them. I’m ready to come home.

Me: What time do you fly out tomorrow?

My insides vibrate at the thought of him coming home. I’m surprised by how conflicted I feel. Part of me still wants to hold on to my anger, but another part misses him more than I care to admit.

Oliver: Why, trying to figure out how much time you have to clean up the house?

Me: Not at all. I’ll be sure to leave you a mess.

Oliver: I think the plan is to be home in the afternoon. But I need to tell you, we’ve got a double date Saturday with Dan Warne and his wife.

Me: Wait, what? Since when?

Oliver: Sorry, I’ve been meaning to tell you.

Me: So... where is it?

Oliver: Golf first, then lunch. Nothing fancy, I promise.

Me: Easy for you to say. You actually know how to play.

Oliver: I can teach you.??