CHAPTER TWELVE #2
“I do, but Kiara is a more voracious reader than I am,” Angela said. “These books are for her, though I’ll probably read them when she’s done with them.”
“Do you read eBooks at all?”
“Sometimes, but Kiara mainly picked up books from the thrift store, or she borrowed them from the library.”
“I noticed you had a couple of boxes of books that you brought with you.”
“The fiction ones are Kiara’s, and the cookbooks are mine.”
When they reached the candy aisle, Jude followed Angela as she searched among the sweets.
Finally, she approached him with a package of gummy bears and one of mini chocolate bars with almonds.
“You like chocolate?” he asked as she placed the chocolate bars in the cart.
“Yeah. But I’m mainly getting this for Kiara. When she’s feeling like this, she likes to have sweets.” She slanted a look at him. “How about you? Do you have a sweet tooth?”
“I do,” he confessed. “But I try not to indulge in it too often.”
“Do you like anything in particular?”
“Chocolate is always a winner,” he said. “But honestly, if it’s got sugar in it, I’d probably eat it.”
“You don’t look like you have a sweet tooth,” she said, her gaze shifting away from him.
“Well, in addition to a sweet tooth, I also like to exercise, so they balance each other out.”
“I’m not a big fan of exercise,” Angela said with a grimace. “Jim was insistent that we be strong, so he would make us run laps on the dirt road that circled through the property. It was terrible.”
Anger burned inside Jude as he imagined Angela trying to run to Jim’s no doubt exacting standards. “Annie isn’t big on exercise either. But she’s put in the work so that she can defend herself.”
“I should do that too,” Angela said. “I already feel stronger with the training we’ve gone through.”
“You’ve done a good job so far,” Jude told her. “I appreciate that you’ve committed to the training, even though I’m sure you don’t see the purpose in it yet.”
“To be honest, I hope that I never understand the purpose in it.”
Jude nodded. “I hope that too. Because understanding can come through experience, and I’d rather that none of you have the opportunity to use what you’re learning.”
“That makes two of us.”
Jude gave her a quick smile. “Do you need anything else?”
She stared into the cart, then consulted her phone. “No. I think that’s it.”
Jude pushed the cart to the cashier at the front, then unloaded everything onto the conveyor belt. He was placing each bag into the cart as the cashier filled them when he noticed that Angela was staring at the cash register screen with a frown.
Moving closer to her, he bent to look at the screen himself, trying to ignore the light floral scent that surrounded her. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s just adding up really quickly.”
Jude gently took her arm and moved her away from the screen. “Help me load the bags into the cart.”
“But—”
"No buts," Jude said firmly. "Don't worry about the total."
When the cashier finished scanning everything, Jude paid with his credit card without even glancing at the screen. He could see Angela trying to peek around him to get a glimpse of the total, but he blocked her view.
After completing the transaction, he pushed the cart toward the exit with Angela walking beside him, still looking troubled.
"I feel terrible," she said once they were outside in the cold air. "That was so much money."
"Angela." Jude stopped walking and turned to face her. "You picked up basic necessities and a couple of books. Duncan Burke probably spends more than that on a single bottle of wine."
"But still—"
"Do you know what your father's net worth is?"
She shook her head.
"Billions. With a capital B." Jude resumed pushing the cart toward the SUV. "What you just bought wouldn't even register as a rounding error in his monthly budget."
They loaded the bags into the back of the vehicle in silence. Once they were both settled in their seats, Angela turned to him.
"It's going to take me a while to get used to this," she said quietly.
"I know. But you need to understand that Duncan wants to take care of you in the way he hasn’t been able to for years. It's not charity—you're his daughter. This is what fathers do."
Angela was quiet as they pulled out of the parking lot. After several minutes, she spoke again.
"Can I ask you something else?" she said softly.
Jude tensed, hoping she wasn't going to circle back to his personal life. "What?"
"Do you think Duncan really wants us to stay? Or does he feel obligated because I’m his daughter?"
The vulnerability in her voice caught Jude off guard. He glanced over to see her staring down at her hands folded in her lap.
"He wants you to stay," Jude said without hesitation. "I've known your father for three decades, Angela. I've seen him make decisions based on obligation, and I've seen him make decisions based on love. This is love."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I've watched him grieve for you every single day since you were taken. There's a photo of you and Annie as toddlers on his desk that never got moved. His greatest wish was to have you back in his life. I think he would have given up his fortune to get you back."
Angela's breath hitched slightly. "Really?"
"Really." Jude navigated around a slow-moving truck. "Duncan Burke is a complicated man, but when it comes to his children, there's no question about his priorities. You are safe with him."
"What about with you?"
The question hung in the air between them. Jude felt his pulse quicken as he tried to interpret her meaning.
"What do you mean?"
"Am I safe with you?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“Definitely.” Jude glanced over at her. “You are part of Duncan’s family, and my job is to keep all of you safe.” He hesitated, feeling compelled to let her know that she wasn’t just a job to him. “That doesn’t mean I don’t view you as a person too. I view Annie and Benji the same way I view you.”
It was all the truth, and at the same time, it kept some distance between them. He hoped.
This was the first time in a long time that he’d had a woman pique his interest, and he wasn’t sure how to deal with it. The complication came from the fact that he couldn’t just avoid her.
If a woman at church seemed interested in him, he could steer clear of her because the church was big enough. But that wasn’t possible with Angela.
It was going to take all his mental fortitude to be able to interact with her without being drawn to her even more. There was just something about her that called to him.
A softness wrapped in strength. She was a survivor. She had faced difficult situations and pushed forward, even though she might not have wanted to. He was drawn to those qualities.
"I see." Angela's voice was flat, and when Jude glanced over, her expression had shuttered closed.
Even though he hadn’t wanted to, he'd hurt her. The knowledge hit him like a punch to the gut.
But what else could he have said? That he thought about her more than he should? That seeing her smile made his heart race? That he'd started looking forward to any chance they had to interact?
He couldn’t tell her any of that.
So instead, he'd hurt her with his answer. That hadn't been his intention, but maybe it was for the best. The last thing either of them needed was for her to develop feelings for someone who couldn't—wouldn't—reciprocate.
The silence stretched between them as they drove through the snowy landscape. Jude found himself stealing glances at her, noting the way she held herself so still, as if she was trying to disappear into the seat.
"Angela," he said finally, his voice softer than normal.
"It's okay," she said quickly, still not looking at him. "I understand. I'm just another responsibility."
"That's not what I said."
"It's what you meant." She finally turned to face him, and he was struck by the hurt in her blue-green eyes. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable with my questions. I won't do it again."
The formal politeness in her tone was somehow worse than if she'd been angry. It reminded him of how she'd been when they first met—guarded and distant. He'd thought they'd moved past that.
"You didn't make me uncomfortable," he said, though it wasn't entirely true. She made him very uncomfortable, just not in the way she thought.
"It's fine, Jude. Really."
The rest of the drive passed in tense silence. Angela stared out her window, and Jude focused on the road, hating the tension that now filled the space between them.
When they arrived back at the estate, Jude carried the bags up to the house while Angela walked ahead of him, her shoulders rigid. In the mudroom, she kicked off her boots and hung up her coat without looking at him.
"Thank you for the ride," she said, her tone distant, taking the bags from his hands. "I can manage from here."
"Angela—"
But she was already walking away, leaving him standing alone in the mudroom with the echo of her footsteps fading down the hall.
Jude ran a hand through his hair. He'd handled that badly.
But what was the alternative? Tell her the truth? That she was becoming more than an assignment?
That wouldn’t change anything for them.
She’d still be the daughter of the man who trusted Jude to protect her. And he also had a hard time getting past the nearly twelve-year difference in their ages.
With a sigh, Jude turned to leave the house. As he drove the SUV to the security building, he told himself this was all for the best.
His life wasn’t conducive to a relationship. It was best he not have to answer to anyone but Duncan Burke. It meant that he could do his job to the best of his ability. He also liked not having to worry about a potential date using him to gain access to the wealthy Burke family.
Yeah, he definitely was happy that he’d decided not to get into a relationship. He just wished that his heart was as on board now as it had been when he’d first made that decision.