“Sherry,” Drina called, following them into the apartment with Harper on her heels.
Pausing, she glanced back questioningly.
“Don’t jump out of your skin in surprise if Lucian is in the living room,” Drina warned.
“Lucian?” she asked with confusion.
Drina nodded. “Harper called and left a message that we were coming back. Last time he did that, we found Lucian waiting here when we arrived.” She shrugged. “I just didn’t want him giving you a scare if he’s done that again.”
Nodding, Sherry turned and continued forward, taking the four steps that led down into a large open living room. This time she looked around curiously as she went, expecting to find the grim-faced Lucian Argeneau somewhere, his hard eyes full of accusation and inspecting her as if she were a bug under a microscope. Instead, she found a glorious room empty of people, but filled with beautiful furnishings. Most of the large space was set up as a seating area by a large fireplace, but the far end held a dining room table and chairs.
“Wow,” she breathed, setting the bags down beside one of the couches and moving to the windows. The apartment was apparently the whole top floor of the building, but this large room took up at least one corner of the floor. Windows made up the wall in front of her and the wall to her right, presenting a view of the city that was absolutely stunning.
“Nice,” Basil commented behind her, and Sherry turned to peer at him with disbelief.
“Nice?” She turned back to look out over the city skyline and asked, “You think this is just ‘nice’?”
“It’s hard to beat the New York skyline at night for making an impression.”
Sherry glanced to her right at that dry comment, to see Lucian coming out of what was obviously the kitchen. The man had a drink in one hand and a wax-paper-wrapped submarine sandwich on a plate in the other. He carried both to the sunken sofa in front of the fireplace and set them on the coffee table as he sat down.
“Sit,” he ordered, and then glanced back the way he’d come and barked, “Bricker! Do not forget the—” He ended on a grunt of satisfaction as a bag of potato chips flew through the kitchen doorway and sailed across the room toward him. Lucian caught the bag and dropped it on the table next to his plate, then glanced to Sherry as Basil urged her to sit on the sofa opposite.
Lucian’s gaze was sharp and direct. It was also penetrating. The man didn’t mess about. He went straight into her thoughts. Sherry could feel him ruffling about in there, sorting through memories and thoughts and raking up what he was looking for. When he found it, he grunted with seeming displeasure and immediately turned his attention to opening the chips.
“Dinner?” Basil asked with amusement.
“Leigh had just put dinner on the table when I got Harper’s message,” Lucian said. “So I had Bricker stop for sandwiches on the way here.” He blinked and wrinkled his nose as the chip bag opened, and Sherry could only assume the smell that wafted out surprised him. He tilted the bag to read the label. A curse slipped from his lips then and he glanced toward the kitchen door and barked, “I said barbecued chips, Bricker.”
“They didn’t have barbecued chips,” Bricker announced, coming out of the kitchen with a drink, a sandwich on a plate, and a bag of chips of his own. “So I got you Salt and Vinegar. Trust me, Salt and Vinegar rock with subs. You’ll like them.”
Lucian growled something under his breath and set the chips down to pick up his sandwich.
“You didn’t have to pick up anything,” Harper said, ushering Drina and Stephanie into the room now. “There is food here, Lucian. And I told you to make yourself comfortable. That included eating whatever you want.”
Lucian shrugged and merely unwrapped his sandwich. “I did not feel like cooking.”
“No need,” Harper assured him. “I told Ms. Parker to get in some frozen meals and to cook up a couple of meals a week in case you dropped in.”
Basil raised his eyebrows. “Why would Lucian need to eat here? I understood Leigh was an amazing cook.”
“She was,” Lucian said, sounding glum. “But she saw some damned thing on the Internet about cruelty to farm animals and she’s gone vegetarian.”
“Oh dear,” Basil said with a wince. “So she only cooks vegetarian now?”
When Lucian merely grunted and shook his head, it was Harper who said, “Leigh still cooks main dishes of meat for Lucian.”
Basil raised his eyebrows. “Then what is the problem?”
Lucian swallowed and repeated in dry tones, “She’s vegetarian now.”
He said it as if that should clarify the matter. It didn’t. Basil simply stared at him blankly, not comprehending.
“Leigh no longer tastes what she’s cooking if it has meat in it,” Bricker explained with amusement. “So it’s a coin flip as to whether it will be good or not. Sometimes it’s underspiced, sometimes it’s overspiced, and sometimes it tastes like tonight’s dinner.” He glanced to Lucian and asked lightly, “Cow patties in cream sauce, wasn’t that what you said it was?”
“Country chicken,” Lucian corrected grimly. “But it tasted like cow patties in cream sauce.”
“Oh dear,” Basil said, sounding suspiciously like he wanted to laugh.