“Absolutely. He’s a professional.”
That sounded more like a deflection than an answer. “Am I a problem for him?”
In the driveway, Jess parked, her gaze scanning the house and surrounding areas. “You know I was a cop.”
“Yes.” Natalie guessed where this was going. “Trained to observe and read people.”
“Correct.” Jess dipped her head. “There’s clearly something between you. He’s a great guy,” she added. “What you see is what you get with him. And he’s an excellent part of our Guardian Agency team. He’s also now your primary protector until Royer is no longer a threat.”
“So I am a problem for him.”
“Not if you listen and cooperate, okay?”
Natalie swiped her finger over her chest. “Cross my heart, I’ll behave.”
Jess chuckled. “I feel better already. Have a good day, Natalie. This’ll be over before you know it.”
Once inside, Nat did her best to appreciate having the space to be alone and deal with all her nerves and feelings without an audience. She didn’t want to worry her sisters any more than she wanted to trouble Trent. She was safe. A protective detail was keeping watch. The best thing she could do was to relax and recharge. Starting with a long, hot shower.
It helped, and building on the good start, she packed an overnight bag before throwing herself into brainstorms for upcoming art workshops. Then she adjusted her ideas and plans in case she needed to handle things remotely. Working happily for several hours, once the flood of ideas slowed, her hands itched, longing to build something. She wandered into Roni’s office and found the jar of paperclips on her desk. While she toyed and bent the paperclips into new shapes, she came closer to forgetting about the man capable of terrible acts out there somewhere searching for her.
Late in the afternoon, with no sign of Roni or Celeste, anxiety crept in. Troubled, she checked in with her sisters individually to make sure they were fine.
Relief flooded her when the immediate, affirmative replies hit her phone. Roni even scolded her for picking the wrong time to become a mother hen. Nothing riled up her curiosity more and Nat vowed to get the whole story soon.
In the meantime, it looked as if she wouldn’t see her sisters before Trent arrived. Probably for the best, even with Jess’s endorsement. Whatever was happening eluded a definition and any questions or concerns would be impossible to address to their satisfaction.
Thinking about the evening ahead, she ordered supplies for s’mores to be delivered. They’d talked about a fire and she wanted to contribute in a positive way. As if bringing dessert would somehow make up for the fact that Trent was, in effect, her babysitter until he closed his case.
Even with the text updates, she jumped when the doorbell rang. She tiptoed closer, checking the view from their doorbell camera. Of course it wasn’t Royer, just the sweet older woman who’d been a cashier at the grocery store for as long as Natalie could remember.
“Groceries for you, Natalie!” she called through the door.
Nat raced to open it. “Thank you, Carrie.” She accepted the paper bag. “You saved me a trip.”
“My pleasure, hon.” With a big smile, Carrie backed down the steps. “Y’all have fun!”
“We will,” Nat called. As she looked around, she spotted Brayden Leggett sitting in the car across the street. “Hey! Why don’t you come on in?”
He exited the car and loped across the street. Brayden had been friends with Veronica forever. Only friends, which was a shame in Nat’s opinion. The two shared so many interests fromsports to favorite movies when they were growing up that a romance had seemed inevitable. Then again, that was the pre-fiasco Natalie, when she saw love and happy endings everywhere she looked.
“I didn’t know you were coming by,” Nat said when he followed her into the house. “Roni’s not here.”
“She’s with a client,” Brayden said as he locked the door. “And you’ve nearly blown my cover.”
“What?”
“I’m working,” he said, voice low. “Part of the protection detail. We’re trying to keep a low profile out there.”
Oh, crap. Another mistake. Trent needed her to do better and she would. Starting right now. “Sorry.” She set the bag next to her suitcase near the door so she wouldn’t forget it. “It’s not like anyone would believe Roni would let you sit in a car all day.”
“No one on this street knew us back in the day.”
He made a good point. “Help yourself to the tour or a snack or something,” she said, leading the way to the kitchen. “Do you know when my sisters will be home?”
“Last report has Celeste in Charleston at some networking thing,” Brayden replied. “They tell me she’ll be late. Roni’s doing some consulting work with a new gym owner.” He reached around her for a glass and filled it with cold water from the fridge, making her wonder when he’d grown so comfortable here. “Not sure about her ETA.”
“Okay. Thanks.” She’d send another text to her sisters before Trent arrived.
