“The people there don’t really like the hill, do they?”

In the bulb’s gold-tinted light, his glance looked almost melancholy. “Some are fine with it. Some think it’s a bad place. Hugh and Maria used to get their groceries delivered. I can help you set that up, if you’d like.”

For a second, she considered it. With work at her doorstep and groceries delivered, she’d never have a reason to leave the estate. She could still go for a drive anytime she wanted, but without a purpose behind it, how often was she likely to do that? She would be a near-perfect hermit.

She wondered if that was what her parents had become—recluses, never leaving sight of their home.

“I don’t mind getting out on occasion.” She chuckled. “This just wasn’t the best first outing. A boy started asking questions I had no idea how to answer. And I got a headache on top.”

“Mm.” A soft noise, one that carried an apology and something unspoken all at once. “Want me to get you something for it?”

“Thanks, I think I’m good. It’s just stress. And, well, lack of sleep probably doesn’t help.”

“Try a nap,” Kant suggested. “You might feel better after.”

Margot’s mind was stuck with her parents and how they could have gone weeks or months at a time without ever stepping foot off the land. She gave her head a slight shake to get rid of the thoughts and put some life back into her voice. “Never mind that. Did you want something to drink? You came all this way to fix my light, but there’s no reason you need to go straight back.”

“I appreciate it. Need to catch up on some work, though.” He reached toward the stepladder, then hesitated again. “I did have something to ask.”

“Yeah?”

“I had a day off tomorrow. Was going to visit my sister. I would have rescheduled, but I only see her twice a year, and we’ve been planning for months. My nephew is going to be there. She’s bringing her new son. Haven’t met him yet.”

“Oh!” Margot felt a faint rush of relief. This was an easy problem. She’d been in Kant’s shoes more than once, asking for time away from work, and had always hated the silently judgmental stare of the business owner. She wasn’t going to be that person, she decided. Kant could take as much time off as he wanted. “No, absolutely, you should go. How old is he?”

“Just eight months.” Kant hesitated, the unreadable gray eyes scanning the walls around them as though looking for some answer in the paneling. “I know it’s bad timing. Only the day after you arrived. Things are still…volatile.”