he said, “My bedroom suite. You can go in there to change the sheets or clean the bathroom. But cleaning only.”
He pointed to a long table on one side of the hallway. “That door there is my office. If any mail comes that needs to be attended to, you can set it on the table and I’ll get it when I’m ready.”
He turned to study her, his expression almost expectant. She knew he was wondering why she didn’t ask any questions. Her earlier behavior had proved her curiosity. But the questions she wanted to ask weren’t appropriate. Like, why are you keeping these rooms off-limits? What is it you have to hide? Why can’t I bring the mail to you, instead of just leaving it on the table outside?
None of his secrecy or demands for privacy made any sense.
Finally he continued, “The third story and turrets are off-limits.”
It was a struggle not to roll her eyes like a smart-alecky teenager, despite the unease that resurfaced. She was beginning to think the word off-limits was his absolute favorite.
“There’s nothing up there that you need to be involved in, and some of the rooms could be dangerous from disrepair. As evidenced by the roof caving in last night.”
“I thought you said the roof had been inspected?”
“It is, yearly. But as you can see, in a house this old, anything is possible. Even when you’re careful.”
She trailed behind him as they went back down the stairs, only this time he curved around behind the staircase and down another, much smaller set of stairs. Her heart started to thud as the sound of the ocean grew louder in her ears.
“Down here you’ll find the laundry room, and some storage areas where we keep extra supplies.”
He walked down the hallway. The floor seemed to be carved straight out of rock. The laundry room was industrial-sized, but obviously converted from something else that had been there for many, many years. The storage room was lined with shelves. The cool atmosphere was perfect for storing a variety of items and keeping them fresh. She could just look around these rooms and see the history of them, feel how integral they had been to a huge busy household that had many mouths to feed. The history buff in her shivered with excitement.
The other side of the hall had one large, long room with a door open at each end. The space was full of exercise equipment. Guess she now knew where Tate’s bulk came from.
“I work out every night.” Gesturing toward a phone at one end of the room, he added, “You can reach me on the intercom here if necessary.”
At least he wasn’t off-limits when he was working out. Although seeing him half-dressed and sweaty might be more than she could resist. After all, that might make her forget his current attitude...
They made their way back toward the bottom of the staircase. Willow kept expecting him to mention the sound of the ocean and the underground cave that was rumored to be part of the house, but he never did. She’d been a good girl, keeping herself focused on the essentials and not plying him with questions. But as he took that first step up the stairs, she couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“Is it true?”
He turned to stare down at her, his brooding look almost daring her to ask the question. But she couldn’t help herself.
“Are there underground caves here beneath Sabatini House?”
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