Eve saw mostly empty space, a lot of tarps, tools neatly organized, workbenches, some strips of paint on a wall.
And light, a lot of light.
“This part’s not much different from when you saw it last, but come back. Okay, they’ve gutted the powder room, and started—what’s it—stripping down and repairing the molding and stuff in I think it’ll be like a music room maybe. Or a sitting-type room or reading-type room. I keep changing my mind.
“But back here! Ta-de-da-de-dah!”
Color. It saturated. The light poured through the glass wall in the rear and saturated the saturation.
The counters, enough acreage of them to feed a battalion of starving soldiers, softened the bold—a little—in a creamy, lightly blue-grained white. The tiles behind them formed a crazed but visually stunning patchwork of colors. Eve couldn’t think of any left out, with the reds, blues, greens, yellows. Orange and pink and everything else.
The cabinets above them picked up the theme, with some glass fronted to break it up.
It should’ve been too much, Eve thought, and yet it was just right. It was Mavis.
The walls picked up the faint blue graining in the counters, and woodwork gleamed, rich and natural. Light fixtures dripped with teardrops in all the colors.
They’d gone down to the original wood on the floors, and it worked.
Somehow it all worked.
Add the eating space to one side, the lounging space on the other, where sofas and chairs already lived, and it was somehow perfect.
“Okay, wow.”
Mavis bounced on her toes. “Do you mean it, or is that covering ‘Holy shit, what’s she done?’”
“No, I mean it. It’s completely you. It’s stupid happy.”
“I am stupid happy.” Sobbing with it, she threw her arms around Eve. “With hormones! I love it so much. We can’t stay here yet. Too much for Bella to get into, and too much left to be done. But when we get the screen installed in the lounge, we’re having a vid night and snuggling on the couch. Oh, my studio. You should—”
She broke off when the gate signaled.
“Okay, okay, that’s going to be Sebastian. Let me open the gates.”
“I’ll do it,” Roarke told her.
“Thanks. I’ll tell Leonardo—he’s upstairs doing some organizing in his design center—which is total. And Peabody. She just went next door to bask a little.”
“Get Leonardo,” Eve said. “I’ll text Peabody.”
“Okay.” But she gripped Eve’s hand again. “It could’ve been you or me, remember.”
“I’ve got it.”
15
She didn’t have to like it, Eve thought as she signaled Peabody. She just had to get the details, the location, all the information she could out of the kid. Then secure the kid safely.
And they outnumbered her, Roarke had that right, Eve thought. So she scoped out the area, considered the best way to conduct the interview. Whatever she thought of Sebastian, Eve admitted—and she didn’t think much—he’d brought Dorian in, or this version of in.
If, as seemed apparent, he had Dorian’s trust, Eve determined to use him in any way possible.
“I can hear the wheels turning in there.” Roarke tapped the side of Eve’s head. “I don’t suppose it would do any good to suggest you handle this a bit organically?”
“Organically, my ass. I’m already over a line here. I can justify it, but I’ve crossed it. The kid sits in that chair, I take that one, facing her. Peabody in the third. You and the rest on that big-ass couch.”
“You don’t want her leaning too heavily on Sebastian.”
“No, I don’t.” She turned as the glass doors opened and Peabody hustled in. “You there, kid there,” Eve said. “When we need the soft touch, come into it.”
She heard the murmur of voices, turned again. Waited.
Leonardo, tall as a tree in his long red shirt, towered over the rest. His hair, a gleaming copper, tumbled down, and eyes nearly the same color were dark with concern.
Eve hoped the look she sent him—we’ve got this—settled his nerves.
She flicked a glance at Sebastian, saw worry on his aesthetic face, and his hand loosely curled around the girl’s arm.
She favored her left leg a bit, Eve noted, but otherwise looked fit, even strong. Longer hair than in her ID shot, and carrying some expertly done highlights, deep gold against the raven black.
Resentment and defiance simply radiated from her. No less than expected.