“Glad you approve.”
“What would you do if I didn’t?”
“Snatch them right out of your hand. I never waste a good cookie.”
“I’d like to see you try,” he said, stuffing the rest of the cookie in his mouth. He began chewing, his mouth full like a chipmunk.
My eyes widened, not expecting him to be so eager. “Don’t choke on it.”
He winked and finished chewing. “Haven’t had something this good in a long time.”
My heart fluttered despite my determination not to react to him.
Mom glanced from me to Troy and then back again as if trying to figure us both out. Troy picked up his glass of water and took a sip.
Mom tilted her head to the side, appearing to ponder something. “Well, you two certainly have chemistry. This should be an interesting relationship.”
“Mom!” My face turned blistering hot at her bluntness. What had gotten into her? She’d never responded this candidly before. “This is a professional association, and that’s all.” I glanced at Troy apologetically. “Sorry, Mom wants me to find someone if you haven’t figured it out already.”
“I just want to see you happy. You’ve gone through so much.” Her eyes turned stormy as she rose and stood by my side, smoothing a lock of hair behind my ear. “Can’t a mother want the best for her daughter?”
“Yes, but please don’t involve Mr. Littman—”
“Call me Troy.”
“Please don’t involve Troy,” I repeated. “You’re embarrassing me.” The last part was said in a whisper.
Troy’s expression softened. “Ahh, give your mom a break. I can see how much she loves you. You’re lucky to have that.” He said it so sincerely that I took a moment to study him. His eyes were sad, but there was admiration there as well.
He didn’t seem embarrassed, but all the same, I gave Mom a look, my eyes widening as if to say “that’s enough.”
The message came through loud and clear. She picked up the empty plate—Troy had already slipped the second cookie into his mouth—and brought it to the kitchen. “Please forgive me. Sometimes I speak out of turn.”
I studied her for a moment, not sure what that statement was about. Mom always thought through what she said to others, so either she was extra nervous about my safety and saying all kinds of things to divert her focus from the real issues at hand, or Troy Littman had made quite an impression on her. I turned my attention back to Troy. He was much more patient when he was on the job. I had to give him kudos for putting up with this.
“There’s nothing to forgive,” he said, a kind smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He must have sensed my stare because he glanced at me. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You’re actually a nice guy when you want to be.”
He chuckled, and this time his smile turned devilish. “You’re right. When I want to be.”
Chapter 7
Troy
The first few days guarding Kayla were uneventful as she didn’t have any concerts or major events scheduled. She had a few errands she had to do, so I accompanied her on those outings, but, honestly, a part of me wished I was elsewhere. I would rather comb through resumes and start the interview process for the new division since that was where my focus needed to be. This assignment was just a means to an end and nothing more.
The other part of me didn’t mind hanging around her as much as I thought I would. Despite my initial impression of her at Busy Bean, she wasn’t attention-getting at all. I had to admit, for the most part, she was pleasant to be around.
“As soon as Robert gets here, we can leave,” she said, giving me that girl-next-door smile, dimples and all. To say I wasn’t affected by it would be a lie. She was cute. I’d give her that.
Today’s plan was to accompany Kayla to a charity dinner. Her friend, Robert, would be her escort for the evening, and I would shadow them to make sure all went smoothly. Robert was the guy who had reached out to Ansel Williams, the CEO of Bad Boy Bodyguards. He met Ansel at a business conference, and Ansel promised we would provide good service at a discount. Besides that, I knew virtually nothing about the man but figured I’d get a sense of him tonight. He’d taken steps to protect Kayla, so he had to be a decent guy.
Kayla glanced at the clock on the wall. “Where is he? He should be here by now.”
I didn’t feel a response was needed as she was talking to herself. Turning my gaze to her, I allowed my eyes to trail the curve of her graceful neck. She paced in front of the door in her sky-blue evening gown with rhinestones across the bodice. She wasn’t wearing heels but had opted for those red cowboy boots she’d worn the day I saw her at Busy Bean. Earlier, she’d mentioned it was her signature item, and she liked to wear them as often as she could, even to events such as this one.
There was a knock, and I quickly got up to answer the door. A man with a receding hairline waited outside in a black tuxedo. He stood about five foot ten and surprise flickered across his face when our gazes met.
“Who are you?” He was clearly thrown off guard by my presence, and that seemed strange considering Will had informed him of services starting.
I extended my hand. “Name’s Troy Littman. Bad Boy Bodyguards assigned me to Miss Keller.”
“W-What?” He stared at me, dumbfounded, his mouth opening slightly as he regarded me.
Sizing him up, I took in his thin, wiry frame, pronounced forehead, eyes that were astute and
