44. Forty-four Freya
Forty-four: Freya
I stood back from the computer, cocking my head as Abigail and I studied our final product. We’d been working on a beautiful book cover for the past couple of days, and after hours of effort, we believed it was finally done.
“I think the author is going to love it,” Abigail said, tapping away on her computer and beaming at me. “I think you’re ready to take on your own clients, Freya. You’re good—way better than we would expect you to be at this stage. I know many authors that would be excited to work with you.”
Elation bubbled up inside of me. “Really?”
“Most definitely. I’ll speak to Roger about it. I’m sure he’ll agree with me, and we can set up some meetings with some clients for you.” My mentor shut down her computer and grabbed her coat off the hook. I did the same.
We’d hung back at the office late, and my mom had called me to let me know she was heading over to Jackie’s for dinner. Apparently, she'd asked if I felt like coming, and before I allowed myself to overthink the situation, I agreed.
Abigail and I made our way into the office reception, and a magazine on the coffee table caught my attention. On the front was a paparazzi photo of Madison Ainsley, and behind her, holding her car door open, was Kaleb. The bags under his eyes were dark, and his mouth was set in a firm frown.
“Freya?” asked Abigail, a small chuckle escaping her mouth. “Are you a massive fan or something?” She nodded toward the magazine that I’d been examining.
“Um, yeah,” I stuttered. “I went to see her in concert last week.”
Abigail hummed, brushing her blonde bangs out of her eyes. “Her bodyguard is hot.” She grinned at me, and I nodded stiffly, rushing out the door.
Although thinking of Kaleb stirred up emotions inside me—some positive and some negative—they reminded me I was alive and breathing, and that was something to be grateful for.
Okay. It seemed today was a positive day. Thank fuck. I needed one.
I stopped off at a bakery on the way to grab a box of brownies and pulled into Kaleb’s driveway, taking a few extra seconds to park and put off going inside. I clutched onto the box tightly as I rang the doorbell, a smile forming on my face when Jackie flung the door open.
She and my mother had been made aware of everything that had happened—minus the fact that Kaleb and I had practically been an item.
She engulfed me in a hug. “Oh, Freya! How are you? You look so grown up! Wow!”
“It’s only been a few months, Jackie,” called my mom from inside, letting out a witchy cackle.
I stepped into the house, my shoulders tense as I gazed around the room.
Was he not here?
“Kaleb is running late,” Jackie told me, taking the brownies from my hands and thanking me. “There was an incident with his client, but he’s on his way back now.”
Incident? Worry engulfed me, but I tried to remain neutral as I settled down on the couch, sipping the glass of wine Jackie had handed over. It helped to calm my nerves, and I resisted the urge to guzzle it down and pour myself another.
After a little while of surface-level conversation, Jackie and my mother disappeared into the kitchen to finish cooking. I found myself bored, unable to resist the temptation to search for more photos of Madison Ainsley, sifting through recent ones and noticing Kaleb in the background of more than half of them. Most of them were dated within the last month, and he looked increasingly drained as time went on. His face was the same in every photo—stone-cold, not even a glint of happiness. He looked ready to sock someone in the face.
I jumped as the doorbell rang, and I opened it hesitantly, my heart faltering at the sight of a shocked Kaleb.
“Hey,” I said, stepping aside to let him in. “Your mom said there was an incident at work?”
“I didn’t know you’d be coming tonight.” A smile graced his lips. “And yeah, some idiot tried to pull Madison’s car door open and climb inside. We all had to file a police report.”
I couldn’t help but admire him in his uniform. If I were some crazed fan of Madison’s, I definitely wouldn’t go anywhere near her with Kaleb lurking around. Every muscle was visible through his clothing, his impressive height suddenly dawning on me. I’d almost forgotten how tall he was.
Kaleb’s eyes travelled down to my own attire, and he smiled. “Have you just come from work?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I work for a—“
“Book cover design company. I know.”
“How do you—“
“Just because you weren’t speaking to me didn’t mean I wasn’t keeping up to date with your life events."
I glared at him, shaking my head. “Creep.”
“I thought we’d established that by now.” He smirked. “I’m going to go shower and get dressed.”
My heart skipped a beat , and for some reason, memories of our passionate shower sex forced itself to the forefront of my mind. My ears tinged pink, and I swallowed harshly. What the hell had got into me?
Kaleb cocked his head, and it seemed he knew exactly what I was thinking.
“Does that mean something to you, Freya?”
I gulped, his stormy grey eyes captivating. Fuck, I’d missed this teasing. Arousal bubbled up inside of me, pooling between my legs.
“Are you going to use your words, sweetheart?”
“Yes,” I said breathlessly.
“Which question are you answering?”
I swallowed. “Both of them.”
Kaleb hummed before smiling, stepping back and heading up the stairs.
I almost instinctively took a step after him, the electric current between us sparking and causing my skin to tingle in the most delicious way. I craved the feeling, desperate to chase it. Shit.
I snuck glances at Kaleb throughout dinner. He looked beyond belief when freshly showered, and it looked like he’d purposely avoided towel-drying his hair so that droplets of water trickled down his neck. He knew it was a weakness of mine.
“So, are there any cute guys at work, Freya?” Jackie asked me as I stabbed at the casserole, my eyes flashing to hers, feeling Kaleb tense next to me. He stopped chewing, arching his brow, waiting for my response.
The truth was… no. Women mostly worked at my company, and the few men we did have were much older than me—with wives and kids. I didn’t have a sliver of interest in other men besides Kaleb, though. I hadn’t even thought about anyone else over the past three months.
“No, not really,” I said, my social battery having depleted. Not only that, but I was exhausted. I hadn’t been sleeping. Will had been haunting my dreams.
Murderer.
Killer.
I mentally cringed as if I’d been scalded.
“Kaleb, Jackie tells me you’ve been assigned a job bodyguarding for Madison Ainsley,” announced my mother. “She’s an amazing singer, and I heard she’s single, too!”
“Not to mention gorgeous,” Jackie chimed in, and Kaleb’s eyes darkened.
“I stay professional,” he said. “There’s a strict no fraternising with our clients' rule, and even if I were allowed to pursue something with her, I wouldn’t be interested.”
My chest loosened at his admittance.
The rest of the dinner went by quickly, and as delicious as Jackie’s food was, I couldn’t stomach a lot, my anxiety getting to me.
It was always late at night when Will’s words would invade my mind, his hideous voice bouncing off the inside of my skull, reminding me of what I’d done and how evil I was. I even found myself talking back occasionally, letting him know that he deserved it and I was only defending myself, but he always chuckled tauntingly in response. The effect trauma had on the brain was frightening.
Kaleb and I hung back in the living room while our moms cleaned in the kitchen. They'd insisted they didn't want any help, but I had a feeling it was just because they wanted to sneak another few glasses of wine in. My eyes travelled to the photograph of Brie on the wall and Kaleb's own gaze followed mine before he sighed.
“Losing her was one of the worst days of my life,” he admitted. “We did everything we could to stop the bleeding, but it wasn't enough. I promised myself I'd never let anything happen to the people I care about again.” Kaleb's throat bobbed. "I hated who I was before I joined my organisation. I didn't realise how easily someone's life could be taken away.”
“We all live with regrets. You can't punish yourself forever. Everybody makes mistakes, Kaleb.”
He hummed. “But most people's mistakes don't end in them getting their little sister killed. I refused to let you succumb to the same fate, though. There was no way I was going to allow Will to—”
“I know,” I interrupted him, not wanting him to say the words. My heart was battering inside my chest, my throat barren. “You don't need to say it, Kaleb. I know.”
My hands shook slightly as I positioned my house key in front of the lock, shoving it in, having beaten my mom back from Jackie's house. But once I pushed the door to the apartment open, my eyes popped out of my head.
Roses. Everywhere. Tied together in large bouquets and positioned all over the living room. My throat ran dry, and I followed the trail of them leading up to my bedroom. More bouquets surrounded me—bright and bold—and I picked up the lilac-coloured note on my bed, scruffy male handwriting having been scribbled onto it.
My little artist,
I told you that if I were going to get you flowers, I wouldn’t stop at fifty.
I hope this made you smile. I know breaking into your apartment and gaining worried looks from your neighbours made me do so.
-K