"Why didn''t you tell Harold you were leaving?" Ste asked softly.


    "I woke up from a nap and he was gone," Joshua replied. "I figured he had left."


    "And why didn''t you answer your phone?"


    He pulled out his phone and nced at it. "The battery''s dead."


    Ste was quiet for a few moments. "Joshua, the wind is strong tonight, and it''s cold. You haven''t fully recovered yet. You shouldn''t be out here. Let''s go back. If you want to see the ocean, I''ll bring you back during the day when you''re feeling better."


    Just then, she sneezed. She had been dressed for the auction, and her clothes were thin. In her rush to find him, she hadn''t had time to change. The biting sea wind was already making her shiver.


    Joshua leaped down from the rock and draped his jacket over her shoulders. "I''m sorry I worried you," he said, his voice low and deep. "Let''s go back."


    His understanding tone made Ste feel a little guilty. He had been cooped up in the hospital for so long; it was natural for him to feel bored and want to get out. And he had been injured because of her.


    "When you''re discharged, I''ll give you a few days off," she said. "You can go wherever you want."


    "There''s no point in wandering around alone," he replied. "Don''t worry about it."


    Back in the car, Neville watched from a distance as Ste and Joshua approached. He noted the man''s jacket draped over her shoulders, and his eyes darkened.


    They reached the car, and Joshua opened the back door. Ste got in first, followed by Joshua, who slid in beside her. On the way there, she had been sitting in the front passenger seat.


    "Mr. Connolly," Joshua said once they were settled. "Thank you for bringing Star here."


    "It was nothing," Neville replied. "It''s what I should do."<fn791f> Chapters first released on Find[?]ovel</fn791f>


    "You''re a busy man, Mr. Connolly," Joshua continued. "I apologize for wasting so much of your time. It''s Harold''s fault, really. He overreacts to everything. I was just out clearing my head, and my phone happened to die. I''m truly sorry for the inconvenience."


    Neville was no fool; he understood the subtext perfectly. Joshua was ostensibly ming Harold, but he was really telling Neville how much Ste Cared, how she had dropped everything at the auction to rush to his side. In that moment, Neville certain: Joshua had done this on purpose. He had intentionally lured Ste away from him, deliberately making her worry. The man was devious.


    turient, Neville wasi


    Unfazed, Neville smiled faintly. "Star, are you free tomorrow evening? My grandmother bought a new painting and would love for you toe and see it."


    Joshua knew Ste''s schedule better than anyone. She had nothing nned for the following night.


    Ste''s impression of Grandma


    Connolly was very positive, so upon hearing the invitation was from her, she immediately agreed. "I''m free. By the way Neville, is your grandmother a fan of paintings?"


    "She is," Neville said. "In her youth, she was a renowned painter."


    Ste''s eyes widened in understanding. No wonder the old woman had be so enthusiastic when she learned Ste was a former violinist with a minor in painting.


    Neville nced at Joshua and said yfully, "Joshua, you''re not nning on another trip to clear your head tomorrow, are you?"