“OK, he’s really hot,” I said. “But I try not to think about that. I mean, he’s my boss.”
“Sure, and he’s mine too. Doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to notice things though, right?”
I glanced around, almost worried that Jason might be hiding behind the corner listening in.
“He probably goes on tons of dates, I bet,” I said. “Rich, good-looking guy like him—he can probably have whatever woman he wants.”
She shook her head. “Nope. He’ll go out every now and then with some babe on his arm, but you never see them after that. You’re right that he could have whoever he wants, but he’s not about dating around. His life’s his work and Willa, and that’s it. Sometimes…”
Now I was curious. I’d only just met Shauna, sure, but she seemed to know the ins and outs of Jason. If I could get some clue as to what he was like, it might give me a leg up.
“Sometimes what?”
“I don’t want to speak out of turn here, but sometimes I wonder if after what happened to his wife, he just decided to give up dating.”
“What happened?”
“Such a sad story. I don’t want to get into it—that’s Jason’s business—but he was married. Lost his wife in…a tragedy. It wasn’t long after Willa was born. This was before I knew him, but I can’t imagine being the same person after something like that.”
A tragedy. What kind of tragedy? I was curious as hell, of course, but I wasn’t about to pry more than I already had. But my curiosity was piqued.
“Anyway,” she said. “Spilled too much already.” Before she could go on any further, her eyes went wide as her phone buzzed in her pocket. Shauna took it out and checked the screen. “OK, he’s ready for you now.”
She took one more sip of her coffee before rising from her seat.
“Come on—he’s in his office.”
We left the kitchen and went back into the entry hall, Shauna leading me up the spiral stairs to the third floor.
“I’m sure you have a lot of questions.”
“You’re right about that.”
“I’ll be around if you do. Jason can be…a hard man to know. He’s serious-minded, totally focused on Willa and his work—in that order. You have anything you want to know about how this place works, just shoot me a text.”
I took out my phone, and she gave me her number.
“Or if you just want to get some happy hour drinks on a night when you’re off the clock, I’m always down for that too.” Another flash of a smile.
“Thanks. I really appreciate it.”
“My pleasure.”
We made our way down another long hallway, chandeliers above our heads and oriental rugs beneath our feet. Soon we were at a tall set of double doors. Shauna gave them a knock, and Jason barked out a “come in” from inside.
Shauna opened the door, mouthed “good luck,” and was off.
Jason flicked his eyes up at me from behind the massive, oak desk at the far end of the study.
“April. Good to see you. Please.” He gestured for me to come in, and I did, the doors shutting heavily behind me.
“Good morning, Mr. Ryder,” I said, trying to keep myself in check.
The office was huge and impressive, like everything else about the house. Tall bookshelves stood packed with leather-bound volumes, vaulted ceilings towered, and furniture that appeared both antique and expensive elegantly filled the space. But there also some modern additions—a large TV hung over the fireplace, and a high-tech computer setup sat on Jason’s desk.
“Have any trouble finding the place?” he asked as he rose from his desk and approached me.
“Not even a little. I turned on the block, and the house was so easy to make out it might as well have been lit up.”