Sawyer
And he’d called Eduard “Master Eduard” like they were in some historic novel with lords and ladies.
“Lunch today is salmon cakes with a creamy mustard caper sauce, an orzo pilaf, and roasted vegetables. Master Eduard prefers lunch to be served family style, so help yourselves.”
“Whoa,” Henry said.
“Oh, maybe we’ll have to have manners training, too. Which fork is which?” They both laughed and ignored Eduard’s pinched expression.
“It’s a little weird, right?” Sawyer whispered.
“Totally weird.”
“At least it’s not just me.”
Eduard scoffed and lifted a salmon cake from the tray. “You two can keep it up, or you can eat. I, for one, am starving. And Cecil is renowned for his abilities to source the best of local talent.”
“Wait, so he didn’t actually cook all of this himself.”
Eduard raised a brow as he continued to fill his plate. “He arrived two hours ago after receiving my call. And although he is something of a miracle worker, he can’t just blink something into existence.”
“Well, it wouldn’t surprise me if he could, not with everything else I’ve learned about in the past day,” Sawyer said.
“Touché. But no, Cecil will be hiring staff to handle most of our needs. He manages all of the details so I can focus on my work. And you can focus on yours. Of course, the Chosen One may arrive with their own staff, but at least then the house will be in order.”
Sawyer thought the whole thing was weird. He’d been taking care of his own house since he turned eighteen. His foster parents had left the house and its contents to him when they passed. It was really all they had and he was touched that they’d wanted to take care of him.
His foster brothers told him later that their parents had wanted to divide the assets between them, but they’d said no.
They were out of the house and earning their own incomes at that point, and Sawyer had still been in high school.
Of course, none of them had known that within two years of making that decision, they’d both be gone.
He’d decided to attend the local university, then stayed on to get his graduate degree.
All while living at home. It had made the most sense to him.
Once he’d gotten Pearl, he had everything he needed.
And speaking of, he’d need to take her out to play for a few hours after lunch.
She’d been cooped up in the house for too long and needed to get outside for a while.
“What?” Draco asked quietly.
“Nothing,” Sawyer said. “Just planning my afternoon in my head.”
“Want some company?”
Sawyer looked over and saw the worry on Draco’s face. He thought he’d soothed that fear earlier with their talk in the kitchen, but they clearly still had some work to do to get back to the way they were before. “Always,” Sawyer replied.
He’d never turn down time with Draco, and even though he should be more angry that he’d kept such a huge secret, Sawyer really did understand.
All of the secrets, the world Sawyer wasn’t part of, he didn’t blame Draco for not sharing that part of his life.
But what if nothing had ever changed? They could have spent their lives with the wall of secrets between them.
Now, maybe, they’d be able to build something more, as long as his weird attraction to Eduard didn’t get in the way.