I’d been here only a little while, but I’d already noticed that Miguel and Sophie seemed to have standing client meetings at four o’clock in the afternoon a few times per week. I mentioned that Soph was a terrible liar? Yeah, every time she said “client meeting,” she got a crinkle in her nose and she tipped her head. Something was up with my friends, and it took all of my restraint not to demand to know what.

It was dark when I packed up my work to finish at home. I used an app on my phone to call for a car to come collect me and left the office, switching off the light as I went because I was the last to leave.

I locked the doors behind me, feeling weary all the way to the marrow of my bones. Thank goodness Booker had been quick on his feet and stalled Miguel. It bought me the morning and I was going to need it.

The driver let me off at the gate. I used the security pad to enter, waiting until the gate closed behind me before striding up the walk. I didn’t want to let any more surprise guests inside the grounds. I still felt bad about that, and knowing that Mr. Daire—he’d gone back to being Mr. Daire after he yelled at me—was in a wheelchair only made it worse.

What if something awful had happened to him, and it was my fault for letting in the perpetrator? I thought of his muscled arms and chest and realized that it was highly unlikely that someone could get the best of him, but there was something wrong with his leg. I wished Soph could have told me more.

I arrived at my house, exhausted but knowing I needed to work well into the night to come up with a concept that really dazzled for the Schneider account. I had the work the team had already done and it was okay, but I knew if I wanted to redeem myself, it needed some wow factor. Ugh.

Once inside, I dropped my stuff, flicked on the lights, and crossed the room to open one of the French doors. There was no sign of Sir, which made me sad and a little worried. I was late; maybe he’d given up on me and gone to forage dinner elsewhere. I tried to remind myself that he wasn’t a pet, but right now he was the only source of daily affection I was receiving, and given that today had been the Mondayest Monday of all the Mondays, well, a little kitten love would not have been out of order.