Page 139 of Beautiful Ruins
“Well, that’s rarely boring.”
I took another sip of coffee.
“That depends on how long he stays.”
A few minutes later, footsteps approached down the hall.
The maid appeared first.
“Mr.Cavalho,” she nodded politely, stepping aside.“Your guest.”
Archie stepped into the doorway behind her.
And then he stopped.Not enough that anyone who didn’t know him would’ve noticed.But I noticed.Because Archie was many things—careless, reckless, irritatingly composed—but he was rarely still.Yet there he stood in the doorway like a man who had forgotten the next step in his own entrance.
His eyes had landed on Tone.And stayed there.
It wasn’t obvious.Archie had too much self-discipline for that.His expression stayed neutral, posture relaxed, hands loose at his sides.
But there was a beat—half a second too long—where the rest of the room didn’t exist for him.
I groaned into my coffee.Because the universe apparently wasn’t finished entertaining itself with my life.
Archie blinked once, the moment passing, and his attention turned to me.He must’ve seen the look on my face.
His mouth twitched faintly.
“I see I’ve arrived at a delicate moment,” he announced.
“You have no idea,” I muttered.
He glanced toward Tone again—quicker this time—then back to me.
“I’ll wait in the office.”He was almost apologetic.Contrite.That alone told me he knew exactly what he’d just done.
I sighed.
“Sit down, Archie.”
Archie paused.
“For breakfast,” I added.
He hesitated for half a second longer, then nodded and stepped into the room.He took the empty seat across from Tone, lowering himself carefully into it.
Izzy watched the whole thing unfold with the amusement of someone who knew exactly what was happening and was enjoying every second of it.
“You’re without your cane today,” she noticed after a moment.
Archie glanced down at his empty hand like he’d forgotten about it.
“I left it in the car.”
“Why?”Izzy asked.
He lifted one shoulder slightly.
“It makes people uncomfortable.”
