Jordan bristled at his commanding air.
“Don’t feel pressured to give any names. I agreed to do my best to respect your condition to maintain client confidentiality, but I do need to know if you’ve planned to see anyone new today.”
This arrangement was going to be harder than she’d thought. She’d forgotten how much it irked her to be ordered around by anyone, and her lack of sleep last night certainly didn’t help her tolerance. She squelched her negative reaction and reminded herself that he was only doing his job. And I’d better get used to it for now, she conceded wearily. “No, I won’t be seeing any new clients today. Actually, I have a heavy client load as it is. So, in light of the situation, I went ahead and told Nancy, our secretary, not to schedule any more for the time being.”
“That was a smart move.” He nodded toward her door. “I’d hate to have to search them for weapons before they’re allowed to enter your office for their session.”
Holy cow! There is no way he’s going to search my clients. She lifted her carriage to full height as she prepared to inform him of this. Then she saw the grin that played at the corners of his mouth. He was joking. She swallowed the retort that had been on the tip of her tongue. Playing along instead, she plastered a smile in its place.
“I’m glad you caught on,” he said, giving a crack of laughter. “For a minute, I thought I was about to lose my head before I could defend myself.”
Somehow, the idea that he couldn’t defend himself seemed at odds with everything she’d observed of him thus far. And she surely wasn’t ready to admit she’d thought he was serious. “I knew you were probably kidding. I just figured I’d let you squirm for a while.”
“Of course.” Chase replied, clearly still amused.
They both seemed to know it would’ve been her left wriggling on the hook fashioned from her own overreaction had he not graciously accepted her flimsy excuse. So, maybe not the best start, but at least he had a sense of humor. Or at least she hoped.
Either way, the days ahead lingered in front of her like the winding line at a county fair. She didn’t know how long it would take before she reached the end, but for now, she needed to be patient, moving forward a few steps at a time.
CHAPTER FOUR
At five o’clock, Chase entered back into the lobby to meet Jordan. He scanned the area, observing the three patients already seated. The number of clientele appeared steady through the workday. Walking up to the check-in window, which was ajar, he made a mental note to consider the opening as another possible means of entry.
“Hello,” he said to the silver-haired woman seated on the other side. “I’m here to see Dr. Clayton. Chase Armstrong.”
The woman gave him a quick once-over and then scanned the folders lined up on the desk. She frowned, not seeing a corresponding folder with his name.
Jordan walked up beside her. “It’s okay, Nancy. You can buzz him in.”
The door to his right buzzed, and he walked into the hall connected to the main office area. The security precautions already in place would be helpful. He headed through the open doorway to meet Jordan, who was still chatting with Nancy.
“Hi, Chase. I’d like you to meet Nancy. She’s our secretary, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say she also serves as my right arm here. Nancy, this is Chase Armstrong. He’ll be working here with me to provide extra security.”
Jordan didn’t add anything regarding the recent attack, but it was clear from Nancy’s understanding expression that she’d made the connection.
Nancy nodded. “It’s very nice to meet you.” She extended her hand.
“You as well.” Chase responded, taking her hand.
“Sorry. I didn’t recognize your name from the schedule earlier. I was wondering who the man was who was able to get Jordan to leave the office before sunset,” she added with a chuckle.
Jordan froze for a second, then hurried to clarify the statement. “I usually work until later in the evening. It’s the best time I have to catch up on dictation. But I wrapped it up early today so we could get started.”
“Makes sense,” he agreed.
It wasn’t hard to conclude that Mike had summed up Jordan’s current lack of a romantic life well. The part that didn’t make sense was why she remained uninvolved. If she weren’t his client and he had the settling-down kind of life, he’d try his damnedest to get her off the singles market. But, since neither was true, it was really none of his concern.
“I’ll leave you two to work out the details,” Nancy said, conveniently excusing herself from the conversation. “I’ll see you around Chase.”
“Sure thing,” he replied. Then he turned his attention back to Jordan. “It’s no problem for me if you need to work a little longer today. From here on out, I’ll be with you twenty-four-seven, so it doesn’t matter how late you are. I’ll be happy to wait.”
“Actually, I’m kind of beat. I haven’t really slept well the past few days. It’s probably just as well that I get out of here a little ahead of time for a change.”
Her revelation drew him back to the circles beneath her eyes. The purplish shadows made her fatigue evident. “Okay, then. Let’s go.”
They exited the office and he walked next to her, scanning the area for any potential threat. He looked both above and below eye level for risks. As they approached the remaining parked cars, he turned to face her.
“Which one is you?” he asked.
“Right over there. The gold one.” She pointed to the last car in the row ahead.
“Does your car have an alarm?”
“Yes. It has one the dealership installed when I purchased it,” she answered.
“How sensitive is it?”
“What?” Her brows knitted together. “I have no idea. I’ve only set it off by accident a couple of times. You don’t think someone might have tampered with it?” Her eyes widened as she waited for his response. In the remaining sunlight, they had even more flashes of violet.
Chase rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “You forget. It’s my job to think someone could and would do anything and everything. Don’t be alarmed. For the most part, it’s a critical but entirely unnecessary effort.” He didn’t mention the times his efforts had saved lives; he wanted her to be cautious, not terrified.
Jordan nodded but still looked a bit unsure.
The sooner he had her out of the parking lot, where the whole thing had occurred and headed home, the better it would be for her. “Look, usually I will drive you to and from your commitments, but we need to get your car back to your house. So today, I’m going to have one of my guys drive you home in my car. I’ll follow behind you in yours. If anyone is looking for you, they won’t expect you to be in my car. That’ll leave me to deal with any threats.” His BMW was also equipped with ballistic protection, shatterproof glass, and an eight-cylinder turbocharged engine. Yeah, there was no question where she’d be safer. He waved to the man behind the wheel as they approached his SUV, which was parked on the other side of the lot.
“Has he been waiting this whole time?” Jordan’s gaze cut over to him. “I would have wrapped up more quickly if I’d known he was waiting out here.”
“No worries. We’re used to it. It’s what we do ninety-five percent of the time. Everyone always pictures our job like Hollywood portrays it in action movies, but in reality, we spend a lot of time researching, planning, and waiting.”
Upon arriving at his vehicle, he reached out to open the front passenger’s side door for Jordan. Once she was settled inside, he introduced Jordan to his associate.
“Jordan, this is David. He’s been with me pretty much since I started the business. David, this is Dr. Jordan Clayton, our newest client.”
“Nice to meet you, doctor,” David said, looking back at her.
“Please, call me Jordan,” she said, clicking her seat belt into place.
“Can you open the back? Then give me a sec to check over her car and I’ll follow you out,” Cha
se said.
He’d already mapped out the route they’d take back to her house, and he and David had both rehearsed it. Unfortunately, though Jordan had an unlisted address, it had taken nothing more than a simple Internet search to locate her home. He grabbed a long-arm tactical mirror from the back of his SUV and carried it over to Jordan’s car.
After establishing that the car alarm would have alerted had anyone attempted to alter it, he moved the mirror around the undercarriage of the car, looking for anything unusual. There were no tool marks on bolts, leaking fluids, or objects attached to the frame. Not seeing any evidence of foul play, he opened the hood.
Spending a large part of his childhood in his uncle’s auto repair shop came in handy at times like this. He’d learned how to rebuild an engine before he’d graduated from elementary school. Always a daredevil, back then, he’d thought he’d use what he knew to become a racecar driver. His lips twitched at the memory as his gaze roamed over the remaining parts he was assessing.
Everything looked fine. He gave David the thumbs-up sign, and they were on their way.
After an uneventful ride to Jordan’s house, Chase pulled into the driveway behind his SUV. David had left room for him to drive her car into the garage. Looking up to find the remote in the obvious place on the visor, he then eased the vehicle inside. By the time he exited, David and Jordan were waiting for him.
“Thanks, man,” Chase said, turning to David. “Sure made things a lot easier.” He shook his hand. “You still flying out in the morning?”
“Yeah. We’re good to go for tomorrow. I’ll see you around.” David walked over to a black sedan parked by the sidewalk of her house.
“I guess I can see how you spend a lot of time coordinating all of this,” Jordan observed.
“This wasn’t anything complicated. Dignitary motorcades, speaking events in front of a coliseum full of people, children of VIPs—those can cause gray hair,” he said, the corners of his lips turning up.
“Did you really just lump children in the same category as protecting someone speaking with thousands of people in an audience?” she asked with a grin.
“No, I said children of VIPs,” he deadpanned. “Some of them would make the crowd screening of an entire coliseum look like the easier gig.”
She shook her head. “I’ll bet you have some stories from those times.”
“I do. Fortunately for them, my lips are sealed. Client confidentiality.” He smiled. “Something I know you can relate to. And, if I were to bet, I’d say you probably have some stories yourself.”
“True,” she agreed. “But like you, my lips are sealed,” she said with a wink. Then she looked back toward the house.
It was a single-story craftsman-style home. Not one of the common residential styles found in the area, but it blended in with the theme of the community.
She extended her hands out in front of her. “Well, this is home.” Then her cheeks reddened at the pronouncement.
He knew what she’d meant, but she apparently didn’t like the way the words had sounded when they’d come out. He had to fight to suppress a smile. She was certainly cute when flustered.
“Well, home to me…” she stammered. “I mean, please make it yours while you’re here.”
“Great. Thanks. Let me just grab my bags,” he said, stifling the urge to chuckle.
Based on today’s interactions, helping her out of the awkward conversations she got them into might become a habit for him. On one hand, she was adorable during these foot-in-mouth episodes. But on the other hand, there was some part of him that wanted to alleviate her discomfort. She appeared to be putting forth one hell of an effort to cope with the difficult and scary situation she’d been served. It’d feel good to take something else off her plate.
He’d already quoted her a rate that was less than half of his regular fee for services. He’d wanted to tell her that there’d be no charge as a favor to Mike, but he knew that wouldn’t have been wise. Waiving his fee would make the detail personal––the kind of personal he didn’t do.
§
As Chase gathered a few suitcases out of his truck, Jordan tried to move past her embarrassment over the latest awkward comments that had flown out of her mouth. She was on a roll today. It must be this whole scenario. It easily qualified as being one of the most uncomfortable situations she’d ever been in.
The worst part was, she wasn’t used to feeling this unsure of herself. Her entire life she’d been more of a leader than a follower, her sights fixed firmly on the goal she was after. Dealing with this level of uncertainty was an unfamiliar undertaking. So far, all she’d learned was that she wasn’t very good at it.
With a suitcase in one hand and a worn leather messenger bag in the other, Chase locked the SUV and headed toward her. “Once I get you settled, do you think you have enough room in the garage for mine also? I’d feel much better having it stored there and being able to come and go without being outside.”
“Sure. There should be plenty of room. Yard equipment is in a shed out back, so there isn’t much in the garage.” Trying to let go a little, Jordan decided the most obvious thing to do next was to invite him in. “Why don’t we head in so you can put those down?” She eyed the bags he held.
“Lead the way.” His casual tone revealed a level of relaxation she didn’t share.
She quickly opened the door. As they stepped in, she wondered what it would be like to be in his shoes, how it felt to continually move from one unfamiliar dwelling to another. Despite the long hours she put in at work, she always welcomed the comfort that engulfed her as she crossed the threshold into her home. She couldn’t imagine letting go of that comfort to pursue a life of constant ambiguity and change.
“Wow. This is great.” He dropped his bags while his eyes swept over the space.
She’d decorated the main living area in warm bronze tones and filled it with distressed wood furnishings. Connected to the living room was a spacious eat-in kitchen with a rustic pine table centered in the middle.
Many of the surfaces, including the fireplace mantel, were littered with pictures of her family or her, Karen and Mike. She was always the odd man out in the pictures with her friends. She wondered if he noticed.
“It’s different from a lot of the architecture around this area,” he commented.
“Different in a good way?” She tilted her head to the side.
Chase ran a hand over the stonework surrounding the fireplace, his fingers dipping into crevices. “Absolutely,” he clarified.
“I know that a fireplace in central Florida seems superfluous, but I had the builder put it in the floor plans. I have always loved sitting around a glowing fire when it’s cold outside. The few nights I actually get to use it are worth it to me.”
Chase stared at her for a moment. “Sometimes, it’s those times that don’t happen often that we think about the most.”
“Very true,” she agreed, inwardly impressed with his insight. When it was clear he wasn’t going to say more, she continued. “Do you want me to show you to the guest bedroom? I’m not sure where you’re used to staying.”
“That would be great. I’m not used to anything particular. I’ve learned to adjust to each situation as it comes along.”
“Okay then, right this way,” she said, guiding him into an inviting silver-and-sage-colored bedroom. “The desk in the corner has an outlet right below it for chargers or a computer.” There was also a queen-sized bed, chest of drawers, and weathered wood nightstand that supported a lamp and small collection of well-worn books. “You can put your things in the chest of drawers if you want to. It’s empty. Is there anything else you need?”
“No, it looks like everything is here.” He nodded as he did a quick survey around the room. “We should probably discuss plans for dinner soon though. Do you usually dine out or eat in?”
Hmm. She hadn’t thought about making dinner arrangements. He’d said he’d be responsible for his own meals, but it was
n’t like he could leave to go get something.
“I usually fix something at home, but I haven’t had a chance to go by the store because of everything that’s happened. How about we order in?” she suggested. Although she loved to cook, she was exhausted. “Do you like Thai? There’s a place right around the corner that serves pretty authentic dishes. It’s usually very good,” she said, trying to stifle a yawn.
All of a sudden, she was struggling to keep her eyes open. For the first time in two days, she could put her defenses down. Without the constant outpour of adrenaline into her system, she was beat.
“Are you sure you’re up for waiting? I’m good with anything and I can tell you’re tired.” His voice was soft and his eyes sympathetic.
“Sorry. The past couple of days have worn me down a little. But it’ll do me good to sit down and eat tonight.”
“If you’re sure, then Thai it is. I haven’t had good Thai food in a while,” he said, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet.
With the movement, his shirt stretched tighter and the pronounced arches of his pectoral muscles rose up beneath the material. Her mouth went dry. He was the hulking, bodybuilder, powerhouse type she’d pictured–– he merely hid it well. Like he was Superman masquerading as Clark Kent. She couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away. The broad expanse of his upper body rippled with each progression, and her respiration increased with every swell. Had she really been worried about him being too muscular? She must’ve been out of her mind.
Commanding her eyes to move away from the spectacle, she looked up only to find he’d been watching her peruse his body. Oh, no. Heat crawled from her abdomen up to her face. But mercifully, he didn’t say anything, choosing to hand her a twenty instead.
“That’s not necessary. I’m using my debit card anyway.” She waved the money off while purposefully keeping her gaze averted from his superb form.
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