“You never have to ask,” he said, puffing out his chest as if he were the big man in the office, and, to be fair, he was the owner and ran this place in an efficient manner. Daniel had always admired him for his ability to lead. “All you have to do is beckon, and I’ll be there.” He stepped even closer, his gaze dropping to my lips, causing the moment to feel much too intimate. The hairs on my arms stood up, but not because he intimidated me in any way. I just didn’t want him to get the wrong idea about us. Sometimes it felt like he was on the precipice of stepping over the line between friendship and wanting more. He had promised that wasn’t the case anymore, but I wasn’t so sure.
“That’s good to know,” I said. I kept my tone light and instinctively backed up. The second I did, his expression faltered, and I knew he was taking it as a rejection, but there was nothing to be done about it. Hurt flashed in his eyes, and I instantly felt bad. Even so, I refused to give him hope when there was none. I respected him too much to play those kinds of games.
His gaze swung to Troy, and his eyes narrowed again. “I think we can leave him behind. I’m perfectly capable of keeping you safe.” He stepped forward again, retrieving the space I’d put between us.
“Mr. Sunder, you hired me for a reason,” Troy said, sounding almost annoyed. “Please let me do my job.”
Robert was about to open his mouth with a retort when I jumped in. “He’ll be in the background. You won’t even know he’s there.”
“I seriously doubt that,” Robert mumbled, but then he plastered on a smile. “Fine, but he doesn’t sit at the table with us.”
“Not a problem,” Troy said, a muscle in his jaw tightening.
Robert glanced down the hall and then back at me. “Great, give me five minutes to finish up. I’ll meet you in the lobby.”
I nodded. “Sounds good.”
He walked briskly down the hallway and stepped into his office. Just as I was about to head to the lobby, a door opened and a woman with shoulder-length brown hair with a touch of gray at the temples stared at me, shock showing on her face as her brown eyes grazed over me. She drew a hand to her collar bone and gasped. “Kayla… I can’t believe you’re here.”
She was one of the coworkers Daniel and I had often socialized with, and after he died, she called to check on me many times, but we hadn’t gotten together, mainly because I shut myself away after his death. Being around his coworkers had been too hard, so I’d dropped out of that social circle. I felt bad about that now, but it had been my way of coping. Robert was the one exception since he basically wouldn’t take no for an answer. He’d barged into my life, and I’d come to appreciate his stable friendship.
Lillian looked almost exactly the same, and it warmed my heart to see her again. “Lillian. My goodness, it’s been so long.”
She broke out into a huge smile and pulled me into a tight hug, not letting go for a good five seconds. “I’m glad you finally stopped by, young lady.”
I waited for a wave of sadness to hit me, seeing her again, but all I felt was the joy that came from being around an old friend. Maybe I really was moving past my grief. “I wondered if I would run into you today.”
Her gaze traveled to Troy, and she lifted an eyebrow, a teasing smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “Is this your new beau?”
My face heated at the question, and I shook my head. “No, he’s my bodyguard.”
Alarm washed over her features. “Bodyguard? What’s going on?”
“Long story.”
She glanced both ways and then tugged on my arm, pulling me into the file room.
I gave Troy a reassuring smile. “It’s okay. She’s an old friend. Go ahead and wait in the lobby.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Lillian is safe.” I glanced at her and chuckled. “We go way back.”
“All right. I trust your judgment.” He turned and walked away, and I warmed at his faith in me.
Once in the room, Lillian closed the door and locked it. “Fate brought you here this afternoon. Today is my last day.”
It wasn’t fate. It was God’s providence, but I didn’t say it out loud. Lillian already knew what I believed.
My eyes widened a little at her confession though. “What happened?” Lillian was the longest standing employee, and I’d always assumed she’d stay until she retired, but she was years away from that.
“Gary’s retiring and he wants to travel.” She paused and then lowered her voice. “At least, that’s the official answer.” Her husband Gary was a decade older, and he’d often joined our little group for dinner.
“What’s the real one?” I asked in a whisper. “I can’t believe you’re leaving.”
She hesitated for several long moments, looking unsure about something. Biting down on her bottom lip, she glanced to the side, a crease forming at her forehead. “There are rumors that Robert plans to file bankruptcy.”
My mouth dropped open, and my heart sunk to my stomach like a led weight. “Are you sure? He never said anything to me.”
“I can’t confirm how accurate that is, but things have been strange around here for a long time. I never wanted to bother you with the details when I called, but it’s gotten to the point where I don’t feel comfortable anymore.”
“I don’t understand. What’s making you uncomfortable?”
“Just… I’m not sure everything is on the up-and-up.”
I frowned. “What does that mean exactly?”
The sound of Robert’s voice filtered through the
