CHAPTER EIGHT #2
"Only because you didn’t want to do it," Angela retorted, but there was warmth in her tone. "Besides, it's therapeutic. Helps me think."
Jude found himself lingering in the doorway, drawn by the sight of Angela in her element. Her shoulders had lost their rigid tension, and her movements were confident as she worked the dough. It was the first time he'd seen her look truly comfortable since he’d met her.
"Good morning," Jude said, stepping into the kitchen.
Both women looked up. Kiara offered a cheerful greeting, but Jude's attention was on Angela. Her eyes widened as her hands stilled on the dough.
"I hope it's okay that we're using the kitchen," she said quickly. "We didn’t know where Elizabeth was to ask her, but Mrs. Stevens said it would be alright.”
"Of course it's okay," Jude said, keeping his voice gentle. "This is your home now. You don't need permission to use anything here."
Angela's shoulders relaxed slightly, but Jude noticed she still had that cautious look in her eyes—the one that appeared whenever she wasn't sure of her footing.
"I wanted to make something to thank everyone for their hospitality," she explained, her flour-dusted fingers returning to the dough. "I thought cinnamon buns would be a good start."
Jude moved closer to the island, careful not to crowd her. "I’m sure they’ll taste great. You worked in a bakery after all."
"She was the star there," Kiara interjected. "Patty took all the credit, but Angela was the one who kept that place going with her baking. People in the town loved it."
Angela shot her sister a look. "Kiara exaggerates."
"I really don't," Kiara said with a grin before sliding off her stool. "I'm going to check out the library. Will you be okay without me for a bit?"
The question wasn't directed at Jude, but at Angela, who hesitated before nodding. "I'll be fine."
After Kiara left, silence settled between them. Angela focused intently on rolling out the dough.
"Duncan asked me to talk to you," Jude said finally. "About some practical matters."
Angela glanced up. “Like what?”
"Well, things that will help you both get acclimated to life here," Jude explained. "That includes teaching you to drive, getting you familiar with the security protocols, and some self-defense training."
Angela's hands stilled again. "Self-defense?"
"Nothing too intense at first," Jude assured her. "Just some basics that everyone in the family needs to know."
"Is that really necessary?" Angela asked, her voice smaller now.
"Unfortunately, yes," Jude said, noting the way her knuckles had gone white when she gripped the rolling pin. "Given Duncan's high profile and the situation with Jim, it's important that you're able to protect yourself if necessary."
Angela's gaze dropped back to the dough. "I don't know if I'm cut out for that kind of thing."
Jude stepped closer, close enough to catch the scent of vanilla and cinnamon that seemed to envelop her. "You're stronger than you think, Angela. You survived over twenty years in a situation that would have broken a lot of people."
She looked up at him then, something vulnerable flickering in her blue-green eyes. "That's different. That was just… enduring."
"Sometimes enduring is more difficult than fighting back," Jude said quietly.
The words hung between them, and Jude saw something shift in her expression. Recognition, maybe. Understanding.
"Would you…" she started, then stopped, shaking her head. "Never mind."
"What is it?" Jude prompted.
Angela kept her gaze focused on her task. "Would you be the one teaching us? The self-defense, I mean."
"If you're comfortable with that."
"I am. I trust you." She lifted her head and gave him a quick smile. “I’m sure it’s not a surprise that I feel safe with you.”
That simple statement hit Jude like a physical blow. He'd spent years protecting the Burke family, but he'd never had one of them tell him that he made them feel safe. Not the way Angelica just had.
"That's what I'm here for," he said, his voice gruffer than he intended.
Angela nodded, returning her attention to the dough, but Jude caught the small smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. She began spreading butter, then sprinkled cinnamon and sugar across the rolled surface with practiced ease.
"When would we start?" she asked.
"Soon. Duncan wants you to at least have a basic understanding of self-defense as soon as possible.
" Jude watched her work, noting the confidence in her movements when she was doing something familiar.
Something that she liked. "We could begin with the driving lessons if you prefer. That might be less intimidating."
"I've never driven a car," Angela admitted, carefully rolling the dough into a log. "Jim said that it was only important that Craig knew how to drive."
Another piece of the puzzle that was Angela's past clicked into place for Jude. Their isolation had been complete—no television, no car, no connection to the outside world beyond what Jim and Sandra had allowed.
"It's not as hard as it looks," he said. "And I'm also a pretty patient teacher."
Angela began slicing the rolled dough into even portions. "Kiara's excited about learning. She's been talking about driving for years."
"What about you?"
She paused, knife halfway through the dough. "I'm terrified I'll crash into something expensive."
Jude couldn't help but smile at that. "We'll start on the roads here on the estate. No traffic, no pressure." He watched as she sliced the log into perfect spirals, each one uniform in size. "You have good hands for detail work."
Angela glanced up at him, surprise flickering across her features. "Thank you."
“Do you think you’ll miss working at the bakery?” Jude asked, watching as she lined up each spiral on a baking tray.
“I don’t know.” She covered the filled tray with a white cloth, then set it to the side. “I love to bake, but it wasn’t always fun at the bakery. Patty could be… demanding.”
“Well, now you can choose where and when you want to bake.”
A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Yes. I suppose I can.”
The kitchen was filled with the warm scent of yeast and cinnamon as Angela moved to wash her hands at the sink. Jude found himself reluctant to leave, though he knew he should get back to his office.
"There's something else," he said, pulling out his phone. "Duncan wants you and Kiara to have new phones. With GPS tracking and some other security features."
Angela dried her hands on a towel, her expression growing uncertain again. "Tracking?"
"It's standard for everyone in the family," Jude explained quickly. "Just a precaution. If something happened, we'd be able to find you quickly."
She nodded, though he could see the wheels turning in her mind. "Like if Jim tried to take us back?"
"That's one scenario, yes." Jude wished he could soften the reality of it, but Angela needed to understand the potential threats. "Duncan takes the safety of his family very seriously."
"His family," Angela repeated quietly, as if testing the words. "It still doesn't feel real."
"It will," Jude said. "Give it time."
Angela leaned against the counter, her arms crossed over her chest. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Yesterday, when we arrived… Annie seemed…" Angela appeared to struggle for the right words. "Do you think she resents me? For coming back?"
Jude considered his answer carefully. He'd noticed Annie's reserved behavior too, the way she'd seemed to keep her distance. But he also knew Annie well enough to understand the complexity of her feelings.
It was hard because, surprisingly, he’d developed a bond with Angela. He also had a bond—albeit completely different from the one he shared with Angela—with Annie.
Because of the gap in their ages, Annie had always been like a little sister to Jude. He’d been in her life since her birth, so he knew her, and he knew that this would be hard for her.
"I don't think she resents you," Jude said finally. "Though Annie doesn’t remember you, she’s always known about you. She grew up with your pictures around, hearing stories about her twin sister. But knowing about you and suddenly having you here are two different things."
Angela nodded slowly. "I just don't want to make things harder for her. For any of them."
"That's not your responsibility," Jude said, his voice gentle but firm. "You didn't ask to be taken from your family."
"It's just…" Angela trailed off, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of the towel. "I feel like I'm intruding. Like I've disrupted this perfect life they had."
Jude moved closer, though he was careful to maintain a respectful distance. "Their life hasn’t been perfect without you, Angela. There's been a hole in this family for twenty-four years. Duncan never stopped looking for you, never stopped hoping."
Her eyes met his. "And Annie?"
"Annie's complicated," Jude admitted. "She's grown up with this ghost beside her—the sister she was supposed to have but didn't. That's a lot to process. Give her time."
Angela's shoulders relaxed slightly. "I just want to be somewhere… safe. To feel like I belong.”
"You do belong," Jude said, his voice quiet. "More than you realize."
The kitchen fell silent except for the gentle hum of the refrigerator. Angela looked up at him, her eyes holding questions that she didn’t ask.
"I should let you finish your baking," Jude said, taking a step back. "We can start the self-defense stuff tomorrow, after we get you and Kiara set up with your new phones. Just to put Duncan a little more at ease."
"Okay," Angela said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Though I'm still not convinced I won't be terrible at all of it."
"You'll do fine," Jude assured her. He was fairly confident in that assessment since Annie had picked it up quickly.
"Thank you." Angela glanced at the covered tray of cinnamon rolls. "Would you like to stay? They'll be ready in about an hour."
The invitation surprised him. "I should get back to work, but maybe I’ll come back later."
A soft smile spread across Angela’s face. "I'll save you some.”
Jude was more pleased with that idea than he should have been. And much like the warmth he’d felt earlier, the feeling wasn’t familiar.
When his one and only serious relationship had imploded in his early twenties, he’d decided that he didn’t have the time or emotional energy to deal with another breakup.
Now it felt like the doorknob to the room where he’d shoved his capability to feel things like that had begun to slowly turn. He knew that he couldn’t allow it to fully open.
Because feeling even just the beginning stages of those emotions was opening himself up to something that wasn’t a good idea. He never wanted anything that distracted him from his job or blurred the line between his work and his personal life.
But emotions were stirring inside him that he couldn’t seem to suppress, and there was a part of him that didn’t want to.
“I’ve got to get back to work,” Jude said. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Angela nodded, and the smile she gave him lingered in his mind after they said goodbye.
As he walked back to the security building, Jude found his thoughts drifting back to a time he never revisited if he could help it.
He’d tried his best to ignore that period of time. Back when he hadn’t been so protective of his heart. When he’d viewed the women who’d walked away from his dad and Duncan as the exception, not the rule.
Unfortunately, he’d discovered over the years that maybe they’d been the rule. Even though Duncan had gone on to find love again with Elizabeth, Jude wasn’t one hundred percent certain it would last. Though he hoped it would for Duncan’s sake, and because he did really like Elizabeth.
He needed to keep in mind that he had a position with Duncan Burke that others would kill for. And while that position might require him to spend time with Angela, there were lines he shouldn’t cross.
He was pretty sure Duncan wouldn’t be on board for anything of that sort.
And he shouldn’t be either, Jude reminded himself. He had to remember where his time and attention needed to be.