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“Yes and no. I’ll continue to care for Penny just as any nanny would. It might be my cover, but I truly do enjoy spending time with her, Aiden. No one will be the wiser. I also happen to be equipped with skills honed by eight years of working in the FBI as a federal agent and the last few years as a protection specialist for Shining Knight Protective Services. I’m more than just a nanny or bodyguard. I’m also an investigator. Part of my job here is to find out who is behind the threats to your family and give you your life back.”
I should be relieved by her words, but then it hits me that we are nothing more than a job to her and that once this is over, she’ll leave. My plan to get her to open up is now null and void since she’s come clean, which means I need to go back to keeping my distance. Now that I’ve had a taste of her cherry lips, I don’t know how easy that will be.
“Anna, I need a word with my parents alone,” I tell her.
“Sure. Do I get a goodnight kiss first?” she asks playfully before taking her mug and placing it in the dishwasher. Before she heads upstairs, she winks at me and blows me a kiss. I’m used to catching kisses from Penny, and I instinctually catch Anna’s and place it on my lips. My parents’ eyes widen and so do mine when I realize what I just did. Savannah’s cackle can be heard as she continues up the stairs.
I wait until she’s gone before I face off with my parents. “What am I going to tell Penny? She adores Anna and will be heartbroken when this is all over. How do I tell her that we’re just a job to Anna?”
Mom shrugs, but it’s my dad who makes the unlikeliest of suggestions. “Maybe you’re not ‘just a job’ to her. I’ve seen the way you look at Savannah and the way she looks at you. There’s a chemistry between you. Maybe see what develops and if there’s anything worth pursuing. Remember that in a few months, there will be nothing tying you to this city.”
“You mean other than the two of you?” I ask.
My mom stands up and hugs me from behind, then kisses me on the cheek. “Aiden, your dad and I are more than ready to retire and do some traveling. If that happens to include monthly visits to wherever you end up, then so be it. Moving away isn’t going to be the end of the world. In fact, it might be a chance for a new beginning. Savannah mentioned a school up in New York City that is for bright and gifted children. Penny might enjoy something like that. Just a little food for thought.”
“I don’t know if I can trust her, Mom. Savannah is hiding something, and I think it’s more than her job and her name.”
“Aiden, I learn new things about your father every day. Relationships are about growing together, developing trust, and learning to communicate. Savannah doesn’t know you and has no reason to divulge anything about herself that she isn’t willing to share. The same goes for you. You can’t expect to learn a lifetime of history in a day, and she obviously has reasons to keep her identity a secret. And for the record, Savannah never wanted to keep anything from you and only did so because I asked her to.”
I huff with disbelief, “Really?”
My dad stands up and takes Mom’s hand, “It’s true. We think whoever is behind the threats is close to you in some way. We didn’t think that you would want to know that a person living under your roof would be watching everyone and scrutinizing every detail. We wanted you to feel comfortable in your home. That being said, and now that you know, it’s important to continue to act normal around your friends and family who visit.”
“I got it,” I tell them reassuringly. “Are you planning on staying here tonight or going home?”
“If it’s all the same to you, we’ll stay here. Goodnight, Aiden. Try to get some rest. We love you.”
“I love you, too. And thank you for everything. You may not have gone about it the right way, but I appreciate the gesture and am very appreciative of all you do.” They both nod and head toward the room in the west wing that I keep stocked just for them, even though they live less than a mile down the road.
I sit alone at the kitchen table for another minute before going to bed, pondering my parents’ words of wisdom. Now that I know Savannah didn’t want to hide anything from me, it changes my perspective. I still want her to trust me enough to open up and share her secrets, but this time, it’s because I want to share mine with her.
After Patricia left, I didn’t ever believe I would be willing to open up my heart again. But like Penny said, if she can do it, then so can I.
Chapter twelve
Savannah
Iwoke up early this morning to start breakfast with a smile on my face; the weight of keeping my identity a secret from Aiden lifted from my shoulders. Undercover work doesn’t usually bother me, but for some reason, this time it did. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been a fan of Aiden since I was a teenager or the way he seems to try and peer beyond what I show everyone else. All I know is that I want to get to know him better, and it starts without me being hidden behind a façade.
The kiss he gave me last night was one born from gratitude and fueled by adrenaline rather than by true desire. I know this because it was the reason I initially kissed him back. It had absolutely nothing to do with my deep-seated attraction to a man that I’ve always admired. Maybe if I keep telling that to myself, I’ll eventually believe it.
I open up a music app on my phone and set it to route through the wireless speakers in the kitchen and sing softly to the songs as they play one by one. I don’t want to wake anyone up by being too loud. However, when one of my favorites comes on—Rachel Platten’s Fight Song—I can’t help but sing with my whole heart as I whisk the eggs to make whole-grain pancakes. I dance around the kitchen, and when the chorus hits, I set down the bowl, belt out the words, and shadowbox against the one thing I fear can bring me down—my past.
“You have a lovely voice, Anna,” Aiden says in his deep baritone, startling me and making me jump back a few feet.
“Goodness gracious! You scared me half to death, Aiden! Don’t you know that you can’t sneak up on a girl when she’s shadowboxing? What if I had hurt you?”
He guffaws. “I’m used to taking some hard hits, Anna.” He raises his shirt to show me the deep purple bruising around his left kidney.
“Is that from yesterday’s game? Boy, the Jackals really did a number on you!” I saunter over to lightly touch the bruised area and pull back when he winces. “Are you even going to be able to play today?”
“I’m certainly going to try. We have three weeks left in the season, and we have to win at least one more game to have enough points to go to the playoffs.”
I grab an ice pack from the freezer and wrap it in a dish towel. “Sit down and hold this to your side. I’ll be right back.” I run up the stairs to my spacious bedroom and rummage around in my bag. I grab my medical kit and return to Aiden as quickly as possible. I don’t want Penny to see the bruising, even if it is a regular occurrence.
I pull out a tube of arnica cream and rub it between my hands to warm it up a little before applying it to his injury. “This should help with the bruising and reduce a little of the swelling. You need to let it dry before reapplying the ice. I have some kinesiology tape, too. I’ll get you patched up soon enough.”
I wash my hands to remove the residue from the cream and then turn on the griddle to warm it up. Once that’s done, I return to Aiden and get down to business.
