Guarded King (Empty Kingdom #3)

Chapter 39

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

CHLOE

“ H ow are you feeling?”

Dad looks brighter this morning than he has in a long while.

“I feel good,” he says, picking up his toast. “I think the infusions are working.”

Happiness bubbles up inside me. After what happened with Roman on Wednesday night, that news is like the icing on the cake.

The front door opens and closes, and Carol appears. “Good morning!”

Dad clears his throat. “Morning, Carol.”

At the hint of bashfulness in his tone, I turn back to him, finding him apparently very interested in the contents of his plate.

Carol doesn’t seem to notice Dad’s awkwardness as she bustles over and sets a couple of shopping bags on the kitchen counter. “I thought we could do some meal prep today. I’ve got ingredients to make berry chia puddings for breakfast and chopped veggie grain bowls with turmeric dressing for lunch.” She pulls out a plastic carton of berries and spins to face the fridge. “And I thought we could make strawberry-mango-banana smoothies.”

Dad grunts. “Sounds great.”

Carol merely grins, unfazed by his unenthusiastic tone.

I smother my own smile. Carol has been incredible. I’ve done my best trying to cook healthy food for Dad, but it’s easy to fall into a rut of preparing the same meals over and over. Even if Dad needs time to adjust to all the new anti-inflammatory foods she’s introducing him to, at least he’s eating them.

Dad pushes himself up to stand. His movements are still slow and measured, but he seems to do it with less stiffness than before. I don’t want to let my hopes get too high, but it’s hard not to look for improvements every day.

He picks up his plate and shuffles toward the kitchen.

Carol meets him halfway and takes it from him. “Why don’t you sit and read for a little while? I’ll come and get you once I’ve got everything ready to go.”

With a slight nod, he makes his way over to the couch. I expect him to look to me for help. Instead, he sits on his own with only a little difficulty. Carol catches my eye and gives me a reassuring smile.

Once I’ve finished my coffee, I join her in the kitchen and wash out the cup so she doesn’t have to do it.

Carol pulls several more items out of a grocery bag, then turns to the fridge. “So, when are you planning to see him again?”

I blink at her. “Who?”

“Your date from Wednesday night. From that sparkle in your eye, I assume that it went well.”

Heat creeps into my cheeks. I can’t exactly confess that the man who’s making my eyes sparkle is not the man I went on a date with. Or that I’ve already seen him again. Work yesterday was interesting, to say the least. I’m surprised the entire building couldn’t sense the simmering tension every time we were in the same room. My mind is completely on board with the whole remaining professional in the office part of whatever this is, but my body hasn’t quite fallen in line. And if the way Roman looked at me yesterday is any indication, he’s struggling with the same issue.

“The date didn’t go quite the way I expected it to, but the night ended well. We just need to work around our schedules to figure out when we can spend time together again.” I feel bad fudging the truth, but for now, it’s my best option.

Carol closes the fridge door and studies me. “If you want to go out again, I’m more than happy to stay with your dad. I can even stay the night. You said the couch pulls out into a bed, didn’t you?”

I did say that. I bought the sofa bed for Dad. On occasion, his pain has been so bad it’s made walking to his bedroom too difficult to manage.

Guilt swirls through me. “I can’t ask you to do that.”

She waves a dismissive hand. “Of course you can. I was young once, and I remember how exciting the start of a new relationship is. Now that my girls are both in college, I don’t have anyone waiting at home for me. You’re young and beautiful. You should be out having fun and living life.”

I bite my lower lip. It’s true that it will be hard for Roman and me to see each other if we’re keeping this thing between us a secret for now. And Carol really seems to enjoy spending time with Dad…

She steps closer, lowering her voice. “You mean everything to your dad. He wants you to go out and enjoy yourself. And I’d like that for you too. You remind me a little of my daughters, and since your mom isn’t around, maybe while I’m here, I can help with some of the things she might have done.”

Unexpected tears sting my eyes. I try very hard not to imagine what life might be like if Mom hadn’t left us. If she’d stayed instead of abandoning us when having a family got too hard. And now, here’s Carol, offering her time and her care when she doesn’t have to.

“Oh, hun.” She wraps her arms around me and squeezes.

Reflexively, I hug her back and breathe in her light floral perfume.

With a soft smile, she pulls back and grips my shoulders. “Let someone else look after you for a while. It will make your dad happy, and it will make me happy too. Okay?”

I swallow. “Okay.” It comes out as a whisper.

She nods and rubs my arms. “Excellent. So make your plans and let me know.” With a satisfied nod, she turns back to the groceries on the counter. “Let that man of yours sweep you off your feet.”

A shaky laugh escapes me. “I will.” He already has.

In my bedroom, I pin my hair up in a bun, letting some tendrils hang loose around my face, and study my reflection a little longer. After a moment, I shake my head at myself. Roman obviously finds me attractive enough. I don’t need to spend extra time getting ready now just because we’re…

We’re what? Dating? In a relationship? He said we’d make this work, but he didn’t label what this actually is. And I didn’t ask.

I should find out. We’re taking a risk, both of us, although I can’t help but think that I have more at stake. At the end of the day, no matter what happens, Roman will still be a billionaire. Me? I could be out of a job and unable to afford the medications that finally seem to be working for Dad. And definitely unable to afford a caregiver like Carol.

And no matter how invested Roman seems right now, that could change at any time. It’s impossible to predict what will happen between two people who are attracted to one another, especially at the start of a relationship.

And he divorced his wife after six months.

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. I’m sure he had a good reason. After all, she didn’t seem like the warmest of people.

Then why did he marry her in the first place?

I shake my head, dislodging the insecurities seeping into me. Roman said I’d be safe with him. He said my job would be safe no matter what. And I trust him. He’s got so much going on at the moment. Harassing him with the where is this thing going? question immediately would be pathetic and annoying.

So I’ll just give it a little while, see how things unfold, and then ask.

With a nod at the woman in the mirror, I turn away. For now, there’s nothing I can do but see where this path leads, even though there’s a chance I’m setting myself up for heartbreak.

Roman said he’s obsessed with me, but obsession is different from love.

And I can’t help but wonder if a man who grew up the way he did knows what it feels like to love or be loved at all.