As the limo pulled out of the city,

As the limo pulled out of the city, the weight of a sinking stone settled into Evelyn’s belly. Lucian was quiet until they were within a few minutes of the estate.
“Do you expect we’ll spend some time with your sisters?”
His expression told her that his mind was occupied elsewhere. “I suppose. I hadn’t really thought about that. I figured we’d use the week to focus on the two of us.”
“Lucian, are you all right?”
His smile failed to reach his eyes. “Yes. Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind.”
“You know you can talk to me about what’s bothering you.”
“I don’t want to worry you.”
That didn’t reassure her. She scooted closer to him and played with the buttons of his shirt. “Thank you for finding Parker for me. It was a wonderful gift,” she whispered, brushing her lips along his jaw.
He shifted and looked down at her. “Let’s not talk about Hughes right now.” He patted her thigh and gazed out the window. She frowned and dropped her hand from his collar.
When they arrived at the estate, Dugan carried in their luggage. Lucy, the maid of Lucian’s estate, awaited their arrival, and Evelyn followed Lucian into the great room. He went to the bar and poured himself a drink. “Do you want some wine?”
“Are you planning on getting me drunk?”
He took a long sip of the amber liquid in his glass. “I plan on getting myself drunk and figured it would be rude to do it alone.”
There was no teasing tone to his voice. Her posture straightened. “Lucian, what’s going on? Don’t tell me it’s nothing, because I know you’re lying. Ever since we had that fight last week I feel like you’ve been keeping something from me.”
He refilled his glass and drank it down. Ignoring her question, he went to sit on one of the club chairs. His tie was undone and he looked too disheveled for what their day had entailed.
“Do you know that I’m a prick, Evelyn?”
Her brow knit tightly. She’d never seen him act so peculiar. “You’re not a prick.”
He laughed. “Oh, yes, I am. Be smart. Know who you’re dealing with. I’m a first-rate cocksucker who will do anything to get what he wants without thinking of the consequences.”
She took slow, measured steps and lowered herself to the chair beside him. Something was wrong. “Did you lose a deal?” she whispered, trying to make sense of his mood.
“Oh yeah, I’ve lost.”
She reached to comfort him, but he stood. At the bar he filled his tumbler again. This time when he sat, he brought the decanter with him. She waited for him to say more. He sipped his drink and she could actually see the brandy setting in. His cheeks became rosy and his eyes a bit glassy.
“What did Hughes mean when he said that thing about boats and waves?”
“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. It’s the last line of The Great Gatsby. He read it to me last summer. Haven’t you read it?”
“No.” He stared at the ice in his glass as he tilted it side to side. “What did he mean?”
“Parker? Who knows? He’s always quoting something or other. How he applies literature to his own life is beyond my interpretation.”
“Fitzgerald wrote that, no?”
She nodded.
“What do you think the author meant? Tell me the story.”
She really didn’t have the energy for this. They were supposed to be focusing on them, not having a literature lesson. But, for whatever reason, Lucian wanted to talk about this, and she decided to tell him.
“Well,” she said, drawing her knees onto the cushioned seat. “Daisy's husband's having an affair and everyone knows it, except Daisy and the mistress's spouse.” She paused, her throat tight, distracted as she recalled the mysterious apartment. She shook away the uncomfortable thought and continued with her synopsis.
“Nick, the main character, is trying to make something of his life. The whole story’s an ongoing struggle revolving around challenges that stem from wealth or a lack of wealth. Nick lives in a poorer part of town next to a man named Gatsby, who’s rich from bootlegging and in love with Daisy, but he doesn’t find happiness. There’s betrayal and drama and no one really finds a happy ending. I don’t know why it’s considered such a great classic.”
“And do you suppose I am the laughable Great Gatsby trying to manage my destiny?”
“Lucian,” she said slowly, waiting for him to look at her. “You’re Lucian. Who cares what Parker meant?”
“What was it he said? Say it again.”
She sighed. “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”
He sipped his drink. “Do you know who Parker’s father was, Evelyn?”
His question came out of left field. She blinked, unable to connect the dots. “He was a criminal.”
Lucian chuckled, but there was no humor in the hollow laugh. “We always remember people for their worst, don’t we? Parker’s father was a legend among the gods of my field, a master of real estate. He had a gift for buying and selling at just the right moment. He could set the market on an upward trend as quickly as he could send a name into an abyss of failure. That’s how much buyers treated his word as creed. He killed himself after he was busted for insider trading, but I don’t believe that was how he made his fortune. He had a gift. I think he turned to insider dealings when he lost his gift and feared losing his fortune.”
“Why does any of this matter? Parker hates money. He thinks seeing it as anything more than a means to an end is the fastest way to corruption. He hates his father and anything to do with him.”
“But Parker will be rich all the same.”
She laughed at the absurdity of such a prediction. “How do you figure?”
“Because no matter how hard he fights the current, he will be ‘borne back ceaselessly into the past..’”
“Do you know who Parker’s working for, Lucian? Is he in trouble?”
He shut his eyes and sighed. “Ah, will your heart ever stop bleeding for him, Evelyn?”
She stiffened. “He’s my friend, Lucian. If he’s gotten into some sort of trouble I’d expect you to help him.”
He opened his eyes. Those black orbs stared through narrowed slits at her. “He’s a man, Evelyn. If he fucks up his life, it’s on him. You see him as a vulnerable boy. I assure you, he’s not. He’s got teeth sharper than razor blades beneath that charming smile. Don’t be a fool.”
She stood. “You’re drunk and now you are being a prick. I’m going to bed.”
She turned to walk out of the room and he said, “You’ll see. Your shining white knight is cloaked in secrets. One day you’ll see him for who he is. Let him sell you his bullshit about money being corrupt. It’s only as corrupt as the person who wields it. Every man is capable of manipulating others. Give them money and you’ve given them power. It’s a sword to reach farther and cut down obstacles more swiftly.”
She didn’t know what he was talking about and was developing a headache. Rather than sit there and listen to the nonsense of a drunken man, she turned and went to their room.