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“What does it look like?” Kayla replies, apparently having recovered, as she raises her eyebrows and motions expectantly down at the shopping cart. “I’m buying groceries.”
“I thought today was family day,” I retort, shooting a pointed look towards her guards. “Shouldn’t you be at your parents’ house?”
She sighs, sounding slightly annoyed. “He was called away for an urgent meeting, so family day was cancelled.”
“So you’re…?” I wave a hand towards her shopping cart.
“I’m cooking for my event planning group.”
“Your event planning group? You mean Aurora, Jenn, and Lionel?”
“Yes.” She gives me a look full of challenge. “So?”
Yes, ‘so?’, indeed. Why does the thought of Kayla cooking for Lionel make me want to shoot someone in the face? Preferably that slimy little fucker Lionel himself. It shouldn’t bother me. Kayla is just a job. A means to an end. She can cook for her friends whenever she wants. It makes no difference to me.
Irrational jealousy twists inside my stomach like snakes.
No. Fuck this. Kayla is not going to cook for Lionel fucking Henderson.
“So this is what you’re planning to serve?” I ask instead, making a show of looking down into her shopping cart.
That immediately makes her defensive. Probably because she, just like Eli and Raina, doesn’t actually know how to cook. From what I’ve seen these past few weeks, she either eats out or has food delivered from some fancy catering company that her family has a partnership with.
“What of it?” she retorts, crossing her arms and giving me a sharp look.
I continue studying the groceries she has picked, trying to figure out what on earth she’s planning to make. Then surprise jolts through me.
Meeting her gaze again, I arch a surprised eyebrow. “Italian?”
“Yes.” She sounds almost a little self-conscious.
Amusement ripples through me, but I keep it firmly off my face and instead frown at her. “Do you even know how to cook?”
“Of course I do.”
Giving her a dubious look, I pick up one of the ingredients that I know for certain is really difficult to get right, and hold it up in front of her face. “What are you planning to do with this?”
She snatches it out of my hand and slams it back down into the cart again. “I’m sure I can Google it.”
“No, no, no.” I shake my head at her and then lift my hand to beckon at her guards. “I’m not letting you desecrate my native cuisine like this.”
“I… What are you…?” She frowns in confusion as her guards return. “What?—”
“I’ll take it from here,” I tell her father’s guards. “You can head home or to your other assignments or whatever. I’ll guard her the rest of the day.”
Surprise flits across their faces as they exchange a glance. Then they look to Kayla for confirmation. She continues scowling at me for a few more seconds before turning to meet their eyes. Heaving a resigned sigh, she gives them a nod in confirmation.
They nod back in acknowledgement. Then Ryan, the tall dark-haired one, gives her an apologetic grimace while pulling out his phone.
“I’ll call it in, but Mr. Ashford will no doubt need to hear it from you as well, ma’am,” he says.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Kayla replies with another sigh. “Call him up.”
While they call Trent Ashford to clear the guard change, I pull up my own phone and send a text to Eli.
Me: Change of plans. There was an emergency so I need to handle Kayla’s security today too.
He replies within seconds, which means that they must already be home.
