Gorgeous: Book One (Gorgeous #1) - Lisa Shelby Page 0,14

wrought iron look so beautiful and not in the least bit intimidating. The house is large and clearly luxurious yet somehow manages to have a quaint look to it that would indicate a lovely little family lives inside.

Finally forcing myself to take the steps toward the beautiful front door, I'm met by Evelyn before I have a chance to ring my arrival.

"There you are, my dear. I saw you on the monitors, and I worried you were thinking you were at the wrong address when I saw how slowly you were moving." She gives me a wink that says she knows I was admiring the beautiful home and am in a state of awe. "You're in the right place. Welcome. You'll get to know Franklin Street, as we refer to it, rather well as Ronan does work and entertain here from time to time."

I follow her through the entry and into a foyer of dark wood floors and cream rugs. The walls are cream on the top and have a wainscoting of dark wood that matches the doors and crown molding at the ceiling. There is an ornate staircase of the same dark wood to the right that leads upward. I know this is a person's home and not an exhibit, but I so badly want to go exploring.

I trail on Evelyn's heels as she shows me the rest of the downstairs which includes a masculine, yet graceful and chic, dining room and sitting room, and a kitchen to die for.

The kitchen is more than just a nice kitchen; it is a room and has a feel all unto itself. The same dark floors carry through to the kitchen, but the rest of the room is all white and gray. Although the house is well over one hundred years old, and the kitchen shows it, it is still the most beautiful kitchen I have ever seen. Whites and grays against the dark floors give it a light, elegant, country feel. And the best part of the room is that it leads to a large outdoor deck that dreams are made of.

If most of my time will be spent on the main floor where the entertaining takes place, this is just fine by me. I don't know who could need more than this.

"Ladies, so nice to see you both on this fine day," he says entering the room. The massive kitchen feels as though it's shrinking with his presence. Even though the room was already filled with cooks and servers preparing for this evening’s dinner, it still felt vast until he entered. "Olivia, I hope you found us without any problems?"

As my first week at EVC carried on at lightning speed, he eventually started calling me Olivia and has continued to ask me to call him by his first name as well, but I haven't gotten there yet. He is generally a formal person, but I do notice he is less formal with Evelyn and those he works with directly.

"No trouble at all, sir. You have a beautiful home."

"Thank you. Now, what can I do to help?" he asks, rubbing his hands together as if he can't wait to get started.

"Don't be silly. We've got everything under control. Now, leave us to it," Evelyn says, shooing him away with her hands.

"Okay...okay. I'll leave you alone, but please do let me know if you need anything. I can lift heavy things, and I can reach things up high. I just might have a use, you never know."

I hear his voice trail off down the hall as he leaves, but I make it a point not to look back at him.

I don't need to.

I catch him watching me every time he leaves the room. It's something he does often. I'm not sure why, but it feels like he doesn't want to leave the room without one last glance my way. Every. Time. When he pulls this little move, he makes a point of looking me in the eyes. Because I know the look will always linger, just a little too long, I try to avoid eye contact, and I always preoccupy myself when he's leaving the room, but it doesn’t work. I always look up and he always locks eyes with mine.

This time I've preoccupied my time by stepping out to the beautiful outdoor living space that is so vast there are four sets of French doors that lead from the enormous kitchen to where I stand. He's right; it is a fine