Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Price hardly slept Saturday night and went through Sunday morning, afternoon, and early evening in a kind of blissful stupor that he’d never experienced in his life. The overwhelming guilt should have overridden the happy feelings, but it didn’t.
He’d had no choice but to intervene when the suspect had attempted to enter the house.
The problem came when he had no idea how to explain why he was there and what his ‘assignment’ was.
Addie had accepted his answer of not being able to tell and thankfully she’d asked directly if Daphne had hired him.
Daphne hadn’t; he’d signed the contract with her fiancé Vance Gem in case Daphne had to lie to her sister.
Price hated that he’d hidden the truth from her about her being his assignment, but he had somewhat told the truth that Daphne hadn’t hired him.
Everything had become fuzzy and out of whack after that.
She’d invited him inside, and he’d gone willingly.
She’d kissed him and he’d kissed her back.
Oh, how he’d kissed her back. He evaluated his reaction.
He had to step in and protect. He’d covered the assignment details and followed mission parameters, adapting when action was required.
He’d acted professionally but broken the rules and kissed her and he’d never had such an incredible result from not simply being the soldier. He wanted to repeat it again and again.
Price followed Addie at a distance on a morning walk, then to church and the grocery store. It gave him an odd thrill to think she was buying groceries to make dinner for him.
He wasn’t sure what was happening to him, and he definitely shouldn’t let it happen. He should cancel the dinner and keep his distance.
Addie Belle had shoved him off kilter, and he had a pleasant case of vertigo. Was that even possible? There was hope in his heart he hadn’t felt since his teenage years.
When she was settled in her house in the afternoon, he drove to Boston and picked up the banana puddings at Magnolia Bakery. He should call the client and figure out professional boundaries now that she knew he was close by, but he ignored the impulse.
Instead, he drove back to Yarmouth as quickly as possible. Thankfully no alarms went off saying she’d left the house or anything had happened.
Detective Thayne had reached out earlier saying they weren’t getting much out of the suspect, Travis Cruzie.
They didn’t think he was the note sender, but he’d admitted someone had been sending him notes and he’d destroyed them as instructed.
He claimed he didn’t know who had sent them.
They were holding him as long as they could, getting a warrant to search his apartment, computer, workspace, vehicle, and office, hoping to learn more.
On the way back to Yarmouth, his stomach squirmed uncomfortably. Nick had insisted the times he talked to him that Price could not approach Addie, let her know he was there, or reveal himself or his assignment in any way. He said the sister wanted her safe but didn’t want to upset her.
When he had reported in last night about the incident, Nick had been grateful he was there.
Of course he hadn’t told Nick about the kiss, had simply asked him to check in with the client and see if Price could reveal to Addie why he’d been there.
Addie had been understandably upset and confused last night, and she’d looked at him as if he were her hero.
When she had time to process, surely she’d have more questions about him conveniently being so close by.
She’d seemed to accept that he couldn’t talk about his assignment, but how long would that keep her from asking more questions or getting suspicious?
It was far too convenient that his ‘assignment’ had him four doors down.
There was also the moral dilemma of him longing to be with Addie but currently being on assignment to protect her.
It all unsettled him and destroyed the happiness of that kiss and the anticipation to be with her tonight.
If only he knew how to navigate relationships better.
Already he’d messed this one up by deceiving her.
His stomach rolled, and the ‘pleasant vertigo’ from her kiss dissipated.
He pressed Nick’s name in his recent call list.
It rang once and Nick’s upbeat voice came across the line. “Hey there.”
“Hey. Can I speak with the client?”
“Um, sure. Why?”
“This is eating me up.” He turned on his blinker to take the exit for The Cape.
“Not telling Addie that she’s my assignment.
Lying to her that Daphne didn’t hire me because Daphne’s name wasn’t on the contract.
I don’t like keeping things from her, and she’s going to have more questions once everything settles. ”
“Gotcha. Let me get back to you.”
“Thanks.”
Price drove without really noticing anything for a few minutes until his phone rang. He expected Nick, but it was an unknown number. He let it ring a few times, thinking it could be scam, but then he instinctively pushed the button on the steering wheel to answer. “Hello?”
“This is Daphne Belle. Is this the man who rescued my sis last night?”
“Yes.” He felt awkward admitting to that. Rescued her, lied to her, kissed her like the world was going to end.
“Addie was so impressed and I’m so impressed,” Daphne gushed. “Thank you, a million times thank you. I’m grateful Vance hired you and grateful you’re such a hero.”
“You’re welcome.” Price clutched the steering wheel. “Daphne, with your permission I want to tell Addie you hired me.”
“What are you talking about? I didn’t hire you. My fiancé did.”
He groaned. “Daphne. Addie asked me if you did and I said no. The contract did have Vance Gem’s name on it, but you and I both know that’s splitting hairs. I like Addie and I don’t want to break her trust.”
“You can’t,” Daphne cried out. “Please. Not yet. Not until you’re certain she’s fallen for you.”
Did the kiss last night meant she’d fallen for him? How was he to know?
“She has huge trust issues. Huge. She only gives most men one or two dates. The few times she’s let herself trust a man, he’s hurt her. She’s tried to hide her pain from all of us, but I know and I just want her to be happy. She’s gone over you. Completely gone.”
His pulse spiked. Addie was gone over him? That made keeping this secret from her even worse. “Then I should be able to tell her the truth and we can weather it,” he insisted. Wasn’t that how a healthy relationship worked?
“No! You have to understand how hurt she has been. It’s … her story to tell, but please trust me that finding out you’ve been hired to be there would be the wrong thing at this moment. She’s so happy right now.”
“Is there ever going to be a good moment?” He’d struggled not revealing the truth last night, especially after that epic kiss.
Always the soldier, he’d tried to follow instructions and not reveal why he was there.
Now he was in a mess, and her sister was telling him to dig deeper. He clutched the steering wheel.
“I’ll pray hard,” Daphne reassured him. “But you have to give her some time to get to know you, trust you, and love you.”
“She can’t trust me if I’m lying to her.”
“You’re not lying. I am. You’re doing your job and hiding your identity. Don’t you have to do that on jobs all the time?”
She had him there, but this felt wrong.
“I’ll tell her the truth at the perfect moment. Tell her it’s all on me. She didn’t want security, so I went behind her back and requested you. I had Vance sign the contract so if she asked I could truthfully say I hadn’t hired you. I know you were the right one to keep her safe and to love her.”
Love her? Should he tell Daphne they’d kissed, or would that make her respond even more extremely? Maybe Addie had already told her sister about the kiss. His neck felt hot and his chest tight.
“I’m taking all the burden,” Daphne insisted.
“It’s off your shoulders. When the time is right, I’ll tell her that you insisted on her knowing the truth, but Vance was the client and you’re under contractual obligation to obey him, or me, and we wouldn’t let you reveal why you were there.
Believe me, this is the best plan. I know my sis. ”
Price drew in a breath. “If we grow even closer and she finds out I’ve been hiding the truth from her, I’m afraid she’ll be even more upset.”
“At me. Not at you. Now that she knows you’re close by, you can run into her out getting the mail or at church or the grocery store, ask her out, kiss her—kiss her a lot—, be there for her, whatever you think.
Brex tells me you’re the best of men and I trust you.
You can fall in love and it will all be perfect. ”
Price wasn’t so sure about falling in love or any of this being perfect.
He was on a job and the client was telling him to keep lying to the woman he was protecting, and falling for, kiss her and gain her trust while hiding why he was there and that he’d been hired to be there for her.
Sure, he’d done undercover work and infiltration jobs, but never into anyone’s heart.
Especially a heart that he cared so deeply for already.
It all felt wrong.
“Daphne.” He swallowed. “She kissed me last night. I kissed her back.”
Daphne let out a whoop and then a scream. “Yay!” she cheered. “Was it an epic kiss?”
“Yes,” he admitted.
She cheered louder. “Vance, Vance,” she called. “They kissed! It’s true love!”
Price would’ve laughed at her overexuberance, but he couldn’t think of the last time he’d been this messed up. Maybe when Jaydyne had ditched him. He was falling for Addie Belle, and her sister was paying him to protect her and to lie to her about being her protection detail.
“I’m so happy, and it’s not lying. You’re simply not disclosing your assignment to her.”
“That doesn’t feel like the right way to gain her trust.”
“Why should you never trust a train?”
He blinked. That was a bizarre question. “I don’t know.”