Chapter Ten
Zoey hadn’t seen Peter Connor in a couple of years. In some ways, she’d moved to Charming to get away from him.
“That still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here,” Zoey said, her hand lightly touching Archer’s arm so he’d stand down.
Peter, for all his many issues, wouldn’t hurt Zoey. At least not physically.
“I was in Houston for a meeting and thought I’d stop in and say hello.” He tipped back on his heels.
This was not a welcome development. Zoey didn’t want to be rude but there was a reason she hadn’t talked to Peter since their breakup.
She didn’t want her father encouraged in any way to think that she’d ever get back together with “his choice” for her.
No way, no how. Her father had a weird way of screening men.
In his opinion, they had to be financially well off, and not in a profession that was the least bit hazardous.
No danger of concussions or knee injuries. He really liked accountants for her.
But one of the last times she’d seen Peter, she asked him whether he’d ever consider moving away from Amarillo and working for someone other than her father.
“Why would I do that? Your father is the best man I know.”
“Yes, but…it’s weird, you working for my father. Don’t you think?”
She’d always believed that his allegiance was to her father, and not her.
Peter claimed that wasn’t true. But when pushed, he’d always choose her father.
Whether it was the chance to attend a football game in the box or any sporting event in conjunction with her dad, he chose that over Zoey every time.
And she couldn’t fault him completely since he’d been her father’s accountant first.
“If you’re feeling safe here,” Archer said, removing the leather jacket that made him resemble James Dean—if James Dean were Italian, “I will be right over there if you need me.”
He strode toward the front of the store, where one of her customers, a woman, accosted him, holding up a glittery gold party dress with a plunging neckline.
“What do you think of this?” she asked. “Would you date me if you saw me wearing this?”
Archer scowled.
“Who is that guy?” Peter said.
“Don’t act like you don’t know,” Zoey said, moving behind the counter.
“I’m not acting!”
Zoey wondered if there was any way in hell Peter could not know her father—his boss—had hired a bodyguard for her. Surely, he’d been the one to send the payment.
“Daddy hired him.” She crossed her arms. “Through an agency.”
“That’s him?” Peter stage-whispered. “The bodyguard?”
“So, you do know. Did you suggest the idea to him?”
“No,” Peter said. “And I sure wouldn’t have suggested someone like him.”
Zoey snorted. “Of course not.”
“Zoey, that man is someone who’s going to try to get close to you, for reasons that have nothing to do with his job.”
“Oh, really.” Zoey cocked her head. “You probably didn’t notice, but he’s the consummate professional.”
“Sure, of course, that’s how it’s going to look at first. But before you know it—”
“I’m sorry you came all the way out here for nothing,” Zoey interrupted. “Because I don’t have the time to hang out or catch up.”
“Does your father know what he looks like? Or does he think your bodyguard is some grizzled old man?”
“I have no idea, nor do I care. He’s the one who insisted I have a bodyguard.” Zoey threw her hands up.
“Well, now I think I’ve got to stick around for a while. Make sure you’re safe.”
“Safe from my bodyguard?”
“From your bodyguard taking liberties.”
Zoey pointed. “I swear, if you say anything to my father about this—”
Peter held up his palm. “I won’t, if you don’t want me to. But that just means I’ll have to keep a close eye on him and his intentions.”
“No, it doesn’t. Really, you don’t have to—” But Zoey knew she was losing this argument.
If there was one thing Peter hated more than disorder, it was a man much better looking than him. And, at least in Zoey’s eyes, Peter had quickly been downgraded from his usual nine to a seven in Archer’s presence. Archer, on the other hand, was a twelve.
“It’s not a problem. And if this Scott guy is still bothering you, let me take care of that for you, too.”
“He’s not bothering me anymore. Just sending little gifts and not taking no for an answer.”
Peter patted his chest. “I’ll have a little talk with him, get him to see reason.”
“Good luck. I’ve tried already, and I don’t think anything you say will change things. He’s another big fan of Daddy’s.” She said this slowly and hoped Peter would catch her meaning.
Peter shook his head. “But it isn’t Scott who’s dangerous. He’s not the main problem.”
“What do you mean?”
Peter blinked as if he’d just walked into a brightly lit room after being in the dark for hours. “Um, I mean…isn’t there someone else stalking you?”
“No,” Zoey said. “And I would rather you leave. I’m trying not to hurt your feelings, but surely you remember we’re done.”
“That was a mistake.”
“Was it, really? Because I recall you bounced back pretty quickly with Miss Texas, was it?”
Peter waved a hand dismissively. “Ancient history.”
“Not to me.”
“We had a good thing going, didn’t we?”
Zoey sighed. In her mind, they did not. She’d tried with Peter, especially because it meant so much to her father.
He thought of Peter like a son and trusted him with his daughter in addition to managing his financials.
But love didn’t just need to be a part of a relationship, it had to be everything.
She wanted the kind of love and attraction which made it difficult to be apart for even a few hours.
Like her mother and father. And she’d never once felt that intensity with Peter.
He was like an old, reliable piece of furniture.
Convenient, comfortable, but definitely not someone she couldn’t do without.
A marriage to him would have fizzled out after the first year.
There had to be passion, fire, chemistry.
Peter felt like a brother and always had.
“Thanks for dropping by,” Zoey said. “When you see my father, be sure to tell him I’m doing fine.”
Finally, Peter took the cue and left, giving Archer the side-eye as he walked past him.
Archer rejoined Zoey. “Everything okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Was he bothering you? Because unless I misread the signals, he wasn’t any danger to you.”
“No, he’s definitely not any danger.”
Archer cleared his throat. “And it seemed like you wanted to talk to him.”
“Not really,” Zoey said. “But I figured I should. Anyway, he shouldn’t be bothering me anymore.”
“If he does, I will be here.”
“He’s… I used to date him for a while.”
“I assumed that.”
“It didn’t work out. He’s always worked for my father. It just always seems that men are interested in me because they want to get close to my father.”
“I’m sure that’s not true.”
“That’s how it was with Scott, and well, Peter…he’s like a son to my father. He never put me first.”
“You deserve someone who will.”
“Thanks,” she said.
“You’re welcome.”
A curl of heat slid up her neck and she turned away. She’d known this for a long while but hearing it acknowledged and said out loud by Archer affirmed it.
Later that night, Archer had retired to his bedroom, and Zoey was sitting on her living room couch in her bathrobe, her hair already in her bonnet, a bowl of popcorn on her lap. She was video chatting with Twyla.
“I have a problem.”
“What’s the problem?”
“It’s official. I have a raging crush on my bodyguard,” she whispered.
“Well, who can blame you? But you’ve had crushes before. It will work itself out.”
“A crush on my favorite musician who stopped in town and gave me an autograph and a selfie is not the same thing. Naturally, that worked itself out. Archer is with me every day, all day. That is hard to resist.”
“Do you have to resist?”
Zoey had been considering this logically.
Yes, technically, he worked for her father, but in another way, a more important way, he worked for her.
And the problem with all that workplace attraction was that she did not want to be one of those women who took advantage of the situation.
For instance, she’d never ask her gardener out on a date.
Of course, he was a fifty-something-year-old man, but still. She would never.
“Honestly, this is going to be tough. But I don’t want to get sued for workplace harassment.” Zoey popped a kernel in her mouth.
“The workplace being everywhere you go?”
Twyla had a good point. Their association was the real issue. He had a job to do, and lord only knew, he took it seriously. She’d have to be patient and wait until he’d finished the job and then tell him how she felt. If only she knew whether he felt the same way. He was a mystery to her.
“You haven’t told anyone but Noah that I have a bodyguard, have you?”
“No. Why?”
“I don’t want people to know. That’s my business. And having a bodyguard makes it sound like the whole thing with Scott is far more serious than it is.”
“What do people think now? That you hired security for the boutique?”
“Some thought I’d hired a model, which wasn’t a bad idea. He drew quite a few customers just standing there. But eventually we agreed that I’d pretend he’s my new employee. All he’s done so far is give women advice.”
Twyla snorted. “I bet he loved that.”
“Oh, he was irritated as hell. You should have been there. It was great!”
“You are so evil.”
“It isn’t just his looks that attract me, though. He’s just…he told me about his family, and he loves his mother and his sisters. You can just tell by the way his eyes light up when he talks about them. I love a man who respects the women in his life.”
“It’s a good sign.”
“I saw him at the hospital yesterday,” Zoey said. “And he saw me coming out of the cancer ward. He was worried about me, but I explained everything. Then he wouldn’t tell me why he was there.”
“Did he follow you there?”
“No, he thought I was staying home all day and he’d been cleared to go to an appointment. He was pretty surprised to see me there. There’s something mysterious about him, Twyla. He’s got a secret, and I can tell it’s a big one.”
“He’s not married, is he?”
“Girl, you know I asked that first thing. There’s no one missing him while he’s in town. I’m telling you, how is a man like that single? It’s a mystery!”
“Mysteries are intriguing.”
“Yes, and that’s the word for him. Intriguing.”
“And hot.” Twyla giggled. “Like, Noah-level hot.”
“What?” Noah’s voice could be heard in the distance. “I’m in the kitchen!”
Twyla giggled. “Nothing, baby. I’m just talking to Zoey!”
Zoey heard a sound like that of a growling tiger and realized it was Twyla’s evil cat. Only Twyla would keep a mean cat.
“What is that sound? It sounded like he just hissed, ‘Feed me or die.’”
“I already fed him.” Twyla turned away from the phone. “He must not have liked it.”
“You need a baby. When are you and Noah going to get busy and give me a little niece or nephew?”
“Pretty soon, I think.” Twyla smiled and moved with her phone into the kitchen.
There was Noah, his back to the video, cooking something on the stove. Sigh. To have a man cooking dinner for her. And here Zoey sat, eating popcorn because Archer had insisted he wasn’t hungry.
“What’s for dinner?” Zoey asked.
“It smells delish,” Twyla said, pointing the camera to Noah.
He turned and flashed his dimpled smile. “Tuscan salmon with penne pasta.”
Damn, did he have to be cooking Italian tonight? She thought of Archer again and how amazing he’d looked in that leather jacket. Dark and sexy. Brooding. Like an expensive cologne commercial.
“Same me some leftovers.”
She hung up with Twyla, and loneliness settled in her bones.
She’d always pictured a life with a husband, a couple of children.
It wasn’t supposed to be taking this long.
Dating wasn’t actually the problem; Twyla used to joke about how easy it was for Zoey to get a boyfriend.
She’d signed up for kickboxing classes once and started dating the instructor.
The issue of finding a good man, however, was entirely different.
Every single time she got close, something went wrong.
Either he had a fear of commitment, a lack of ambition, a reluctance to have children, or his idolizing of her father got to be too much.
Zoey always saw this last one as a big red flag.
Zoey didn’t believe in settling. That attitude was probably why she was thirty and still single, but there was no way her mother would be proud if Zoey accepted less than everything she deserved.