Yes, I did, and I was in big trouble.
Her cell phone rang again, breaking the mood. She looked at the caller I.D. and sighed. “It’s Robert again. I should probably answer.”
I nodded. “Go ahead.”
She hit the accept button. “Hey, what’s up?” She was quiet for a few seconds and then laughed outright. “All right, Dad, are you grounding me for staying past my curfew?” She glanced at me and winked. She covered the phone with her hand and whispered, “He hates it when I call him Dad.”
I bet he did.
“You have nothing to worry about,” she said, turning away slightly, holding the phone close to her ear. “I’m fine. Troy’s here.”
I could hear his voice rise on the other line but couldn’t make out what he was saying. He didn’t sound happy though.
“He’s a perfect gentleman.” Her voice rose to a higher pitch. “You’re blowing this out of proportion. I’m completely safe.” They talked a little longer and then she told him she had to go. When she got off, I was tempted to ask what that was about but decided to wait until she brought it up.
She put the phone in her purse and glanced at me apologetically. “Sorry about that. He gets overprotective at times.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Okay…”
“He’s a good guy. He just cares too much.”
“What was his issue now?”
“He didn’t like that I was out so late. Reminded me that the job was over at midnight and it’s one-thirty.”
“How did he know you were still here? Were you supposed to call him after you were done?”
“I gave him access through an app so he can track my phone. He could see I wasn’t home.”
I frowned. “Why does he need that kind of access?” I understood that he was a good friend, but that seemed excessive considering she already had security following her.
“When Daniel passed away, I was afraid all the time. When Robert suggested the app, I was all for it. At least someone would know where I was and if I didn’t make it home. I needed that reassurance, and he was there for me.” She looked at me as if she knew this would be hard to understand. “He was a pillar of support back then.”
“All right, I get that, but it’s been four years and he’s still tracking your whereabouts?”
She grimaced. “He cares.”
“Seems a little controlling to me.”
“I know how it looks, but he’s just trying to help.”
“He wants to be more than your friend.”
She glanced away. “He knows where we stand.”
“You sure about that? From the sound of things, he seems jealous.”
She sighed. “Yeah. I need to set better boundaries with him, but I don’t want to hurt him. He’s a good friend.”
“Male-female friendships can get sticky at times.”
“That’s an understatement. We should probably go.”
Yeah. It was definitely time. We’d already bonded more than we needed to—something I shouldn’t have allowed to happen.
When I got home after dropping her off, I stared out the window at the California mountains looming in the distance, wondering how I’d never noticed how beautiful the rolling hills were, how perfect and amazing God’s creation was. It was as if my mood and viewpoint had shifted, and I was seeing things differently because of Kayla.
Lord, what do I do about her? I like her, and she knows it. I’d pursue her, but she’s off-limits. I finally got a promotion, and I don’t want to mess that up, but I also don’t want to let her go.
For the next few minutes, I remained quiet as I tried to think clearly about the situation. Just being around her made me feel good, made me crave more of her time, and that wasn’t good. I either had to clamp down on my feelings or call Will and tell him I couldn’t do the job. It was as simple as that.
I’d never had to excuse myself from a job before. Maybe it was pride, but I didn’t want to admit defeat and give up. I let out a heavy breath, knowing exactly what I had to do. Whatever feelings I had for Kayla had to be put away, at least for now.
Chapter 13
Kayla
I slept in on Monday morning, and when the sunlight peeked through the blinds on my window, I rolled over in bed and thought about the previous night. I enjoyed working late at night, but sometimes it took a lot out of me. A smile tugged at my lips when Troy came to mind. Last night was the first time we’d hung out together and talked about topics not having to do with my case. It was nice. Really nice, in fact. My stomach fluttered thinking about the way he’d smiled when I threw those phone numbers away.
I had the slightest suspicion that he liked me as more than just a client. When I’d teased him about it, the look on his face was telling. Still, I had to be careful I wasn’t seeing things that weren’t there. I wanted more than friendship, but that didn’t mean he was ready and willing to make that happen, especially considering the no-fraternization policy his company enforced. As long as he was my bodyguard, we had to keep our relationship professional.
Today was his day off, and I’d already told him I didn’t need the other man’s services as I planned on staying home. I’d been doing that each time he had a day off, mainly because I’d grown accustomed to Troy
