Sam’s heart skips several beats when he sees Phaedra is the client. He did think it was strange how late the meeting was, but it all makes sense now. At least, he thinks, the slightly nervous energy matches his current persona. The real him is somewhere in the middle.

“Oh, uh, a chatelaine. I love these,” he says as he snaps on a pair of thin rubber gloves. “So, what did you want to know about it?”

He goes out of his way to keep his attention on the piece rather than her. Not only to try to keep her attention there too, but also because it fits the image more.