CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Jude stared out the window of his office, considering that perhaps he shouldn’t have arranged a meeting with Duncan. He’d been uncertain how to move forward after that interaction with Angela on the way home from Coeur d’Alene.
He couldn’t just ignore it because he doubted that would make it go away. And he wasn’t sure that he wanted that anyway.
After a couple of days of thinking and praying about it, he’d decided that he needed to talk to Duncan. He was involved in this, whether Jude wanted him to be or not. As his boss and Angela’s father, Duncan would have thoughts, Jude was sure.
And maybe he’d give Jude the clarity he needed about the situation. Hopefully, he wouldn’t fire him because of how things had developed. Jude certainly hadn’t planned on falling for Angela, but here he was.
Pushing back from his desk, he left his office. He told the security team he was heading to the main house for a meeting and that he’d be back later.
With January behind them, the weather didn’t hold quite the chill it had. The day had been cloudy though, and it was possible they might get some snow.
Fragrant warmth greeted him as he stepped through the back door into the mudroom. The smell of sugar and chocolate greeted him, and he couldn’t help but veer in the direction of the kitchen. He still had a few minutes before his scheduled time to meet with Duncan.
As he detoured into the kitchen, his gaze immediately landed on Angela. She was standing at the counter, transferring cookies from a baking sheet to a wire rack.
She looked up, her eyes widening before a smile lit up her face. “Hi!”
That smile and the smell of cookies drew Jude further into the kitchen.
“Hey. I wondered what smelled so good.”
"Chocolate chip cookies," Angela said, gesturing toward the cooling racks that held dozens of golden cookies. "This is my favorite recipe for them."
Jude moved closer, the warmth from the oven mixing with Angela's presence to create something that felt dangerously like home. He could see flour dusting her apron, and a smudge of it on her cheek made his fingers itch to brush it away.
"They smell incredible," he said. "Mind if I try one?"
"Here you go." Angela selected one from the rack, her fingers brushing his as she handed it to him.
The cookie was still warm, the chocolate chips soft and melting slightly on his tongue. It was perfect—sweet without being cloying, with just the right amount of salt to balance the flavors. But he could barely focus on the taste when Angela was watching him with such a hopeful expression.
"Good?" she asked, and he caught the slight uncertainty in her voice, as if his opinion mattered more than it should.
"Amazing," he said honestly. "Best chocolate chip cookie I've ever had."
Her smile bloomed again, and Jude felt that familiar tightness in his chest that seemed to happen whenever she looked at him like that. Like he was someone worth smiling for.
It made him feel like his heart was too big for his chest.
"I was thinking of taking some to the security building later. For you and the team," she said, then seemed to catch herself. "I mean, if that's okay with you."
The thoughtful gesture touched him. She'd been thinking of him, of his team. The confirmation that he occupied space in her thoughts when they weren't together, the way she did in his, was both thrilling and frightening.
"They'd love that," he said. "We don't get many homemade treats."
Angela's cheeks flushed pink, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear in a gesture he'd come to recognize as a nervous habit. "I enjoy baking for people. It makes me feel useful."
The simple statement hit him harder than it should have.
After everything she'd been through, everything she'd been denied, she still wanted to take care of others. Still wanted to contribute, to matter.
"You are useful," he said, the words coming out more intense than he'd planned. "More than useful. You're—"
He caught himself before he could finish the thought, before he could tell her that she was precious, that she mattered more to him than anyone else.
The kitchen suddenly felt too small, too intimate, with just the two of them surrounded by the domestic warmth of her baking.
His heart was far too involved already. Perhaps the upcoming conversation with Duncan about this should have happened sooner.
"I'm what?" she prompted softly, and when he looked at her, he saw something vulnerable and hopeful in her expression that made his resolve crumble a little more.
The sound of footsteps in the hallway broke the moment, and Jude stepped back instinctively, putting distance between himself and Angela just as Duncan appeared in the doorway.
"Jude, perfect timing," Duncan said, though his gaze moved between them with what looked like curiosity. "Ready for our meeting?"
"Yes, sir," Jude replied, grateful his voice came out steady despite the way his pulse was still hammering from the interrupted moment with Angela.
"Actually," Duncan continued, his attention shifting to Angela, "these smell wonderful. Mind if I steal one before we disappear into my office?"
Angela's face lit up again as she selected a cookie for her father. Jude watched the easy interaction between them, noting how Duncan's presence seemed to both relax and energize her. The relationship between them had grown stronger over the past few weeks, and Jude was glad to see it.
"Take some with you," Angela offered, already reaching for a plate. "I made way too many anyway."
"You're spoiling us," Duncan said with a warm smile as he accepted the plate of cookies.
Jude found himself reluctant to leave the warm circle of Angela's attention, but Duncan was already heading toward the door. He forced himself to follow, though not before catching Angela's eye one more time.
"Thank you for the cookies," he said, and the soft smile she gave him in return made his chest tighten all over again.
As they walked through the hallway toward the office, Jude's mind raced with how to begin the conversation he'd requested.
Duncan's office felt smaller than usual as they settled into their chairs, the familiar space suddenly charged with the weight of what Jude was about to confess. Duncan poured himself a cup of coffee from the service on his desk, offering one to Jude, who declined with a shake of his head.
"So what’s up?” Duncan asked. “You didn’t specify what we need to discuss.”
Jude still hadn’t figured out how to broach the subject, so he jumped in using a professional perspective.
“I want to pursue assigning Angela a bodyguard.”
Duncan frowned. “Why? I thought we were going to wait on that until after the situation with Jim was resolved.”
As Jude struggled for an explanation, Duncan continued to regard him with an intense stare. He’d never felt this way in the man’s presence before, and he didn’t care much for it.
“I think it would be for the best if she had someone else protecting her.”
“Best for her or best for you?”
“For us both,” Jude said, praying that Duncan would understand without him having to go into detail.
Duncan took a bite out of another cookie, then lifted his mug to take a sip of coffee. All the while, he kept his gaze steady on Jude. It took everything within him not to squirm.
He had never squirmed in Duncan’s presence, and he didn’t want to now. But it was so hard not to.
“Well,” Duncan finally said. “I’m aware that Angela has some feelings for you.”
Jude straightened. He knew?
“The question is, how do you feel about her?” Duncan asked. “Is the request for the bodyguard change because you hope she’ll lose interest if you aren’t around her as much? Or is it because you’re not sure you can do your job well because you also have feelings for her?”
Jude wanted to ask which one was likely to get him fired. But the reality was that his job wasn’t as big a consideration as it had been when he’d first started feeling drawn to Angela.
“What do you like about Angelica?” Duncan asked, apparently taking Jude’s silence as an answer to his initial questions. “What’s drawn you to her?”
The answer to that was pretty easy since he’d spent a lot of time thinking about her.
“From the moment I met her, she has shown how strong she is. How persistent she is. There might be things she isn’t sure about doing, but she hasn’t backed away from anything yet. Faced with scary situations, she pushes forward.”
Duncan nodded. “She is very determined.”
“I have so much respect for how she’s handled everything. She’s faced a lot of difficulties in her life, and I just want to do what I can to make things easier for her.”
Duncan regarded him with a steady stare. Jude had no idea what was going through his mind.
“How did you know that she had feelings for me?” Jude asked, hoping Duncan didn’t say that he hadn’t known for certain but that Jude had confirmed it.
Duncan chuckled. “I just watched one daughter fall in love, so I’m primed to recognize the symptoms in her twin.”
Fall in love…
Jude's chest constricted at Duncan's casual use of those words.
Love.
Was it that already? The constant pull he felt toward Angela, the way his day brightened when he saw her smile, the fierce protectiveness that surged through him whenever she was threatened or hurt? Was it really love?
"I care about her," he said carefully, testing the waters. "More than I should, given my position."
"Your position." Duncan set down his coffee mug and leaned back in his chair. "Tell me, Jude, what exactly do you think your position is in this family?"
The question caught him off guard. "I'm head of security. I work for you."
"You do work for me, yes. But you're also someone I trust with my life and the lives of my children and the woman I love. Someone who's been part of this family for over two decades." Duncan's expression softened. "When I told you that you are like a son to me, I meant it."