Protect My Heart

by Judy Corry

  I laughed. It was fun finally being able to tease him about something for a change.

  We ended up getting lost in the conversation, discussing everything from the weirdest couples we knew, to our favorite movies, to where we planned to apply for college. Me: Maplebridge University because let’s face it, I’m a homebody. Him: Cortland State or Ithaca College—it looked like he wanted to get back to New York.

  Talking with Arie was fascinating. He was smart and witty and so easy to talk to. I’d never experienced that before with a guy.

  We lost track of time until Arie glanced at the large clock on the wall. “Oh, man, it’s almost dinnertime. Sophie wanted me to cook dinner tonight, since she and Jason were going to be out later than usual.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t realize we’d been here so long,” I apologized. “We still haven’t even made a real dent on the assignment.” Not good when I only had tonight and tomorrow to finish it.

  “Don’t be sorry, I’ve enjoyed myself.” He thought for a second. “Why don’t you stay here for dinner, and we can finish this up after we eat?”

  “That sounds good. Let me call my mom to see if it’s okay with her.”

  After I got off the phone, I walked into the kitchen and saw Arie had pulled out what looked like the makings of spaghetti. He was putting on a black apron as I came in. I smiled, thinking he was adorable. I mean, you just don’t see manly men wearing aprons every day.

  He turned around and smiled sheepishly.

  “What’s the verdict?” He finished tying the strings behind his back, the muscles in his arms bulging as he did so.

  “My mom said I could stay.” I walked to his side. “What can I do to help?” I looked around the kitchen, admiring the dark wood cabinets and granite countertop. My mom would love to have a kitchen like this.

  “I’m no chef, so it’s spaghetti and green salad tonight.” He gestured at the ingredients on the counter.

  “That sounds easy enough.”

  “It should be. Sophie keeps spaghetti sauce ready in the pantry for nights like these. All we have to do is brown the hamburger, dump the jar into a saucepan, and let it all simmer.” He peeked at me through slanted eyes. “Would you mind doing that?”

  “Sure.” I turned the burners on. Once lit, I filled a big pot with water and placed it and a saucepan on the stove. I looked at Arie again, who was studying me with a thoughtful expression.

  “I can tell by the way you were eyeing my apron earlier that you’re wishing you had one, too,” he said. “And it just so happens that I have an extra, if you’d like to wear it.”

  I glanced down at my lacy pink blouse. “Yes, please.” I held out my hand.

  He reached into a drawer next to the double ovens, pulled out a red apron, and walked over to me. Instead of handing it to me, he unfolded the apron and gently dropped it over my head. He took a step closer as he wrapped the strings around my waist. I had not been expecting this, and my face immediately flushed with heat. As I stood with my face to his chest, I breathed in his scent. He smelled so good! A clean, fresh scent that shouldn’t have been overpowering at all, but I felt myself getting weaker by the minute. I dared to look up at his face as he tied the strings behind my waist. He grinned and must have known he was causing my stomach to do backflips.

  So much for that boy-cleanse of mine. I didn’t make it to twenty-six days. Curse you, Arie, for being so cute.

  Arie finished tying the bow around my waist and took a step back. “I hope that fits all right.” He smiled again, showing the creases in his cheeks that were his dimples.

  “Yeah, it’s perfect.” I attempted to sound nonchalant about the whole thing, as if having an attractive guy tie an apron around me was an everyday occurrence.

  “I forgot one thing.” Arie sauntered close to me again. I backed up against the counter, not sure what he was going to do this time. He leaned in closer. My heart began to hammer inside my chest. What is he doing? I held my breath and stood there, not sure what to do. He reached his arm behind me, brushing my shoulder in the process, and grabbed something from off the countertop.

  He held up a spice jar. “Can’t forget the red pepper flakes.” He flashed me his signature dazzling smile. “I like to heat things up a little.”

  That’s for sure.

  I enjoyed dinner with Arie and his aunt and uncle. Jason and Sophie were nice and easy to talk to. I learned they’d lived in Maplebridge for the past eighteen years. Jason looked somewhat familiar, so I was sure we’d passed each other around town before.

  They told me about how they’d always wanted to have kids but had never been able to have any of their own. They were happy to have Arie live with them, feeling it gave them the chance to be like parents for the first time.

  Arie and I helped clear the table after dinner, and then we went back to working on the assignment. We kept on task this time, knowing we had a time constraint, and had the assignment completed by ten thirty.

  “How about that?” I said. “Done in one night.”

  “We make a pretty good team.” He leaned back in his chair, placing his hands behind his head.

  “I agree.” I saved our work and shut his laptop. “I guess it’s time for me to get home.” I wished I had an excuse to hang out longer. Doing this report with Arie had been fun and hadn’t seemed like the chore homework usually was.

  “I’ll grab my keys.” He disappeared up the stairs and soon returned, jingling his keys in his hand. “Ready?”

  “Sure.” I slung my backpack over my shoulder and followed him out the door.

  As he drove toward my house, he asked, “So what is it about Maplebridge University that makes it so awesome it’s the only school you’re applying to?”

  There were a lot of reasons. Some just sounded better than others. There were the normal ones: I could save money and live at home if I wanted, they had a great teaching program, and it was a great school for the price. But there was also the other reason that kept me from applying anywhere else. I was scared. The thought of moving away from home and my parents and living on my own caused me enough anxiety that I would probably never sleep again. It was embarrassing. I would be eighteen next Friday . . . in just ten days . . . and I still got nervous when I was away from my family overnight. It had taken me years to stay the whole night at sleepovers. And it wasn’t until just last year that I’d actually made it through an overnight trip for school without having a panic attack. How in the world would I handle moving away for four years?

  “Um . . .” Arie was still waiting patiently for me to answer. I cleared my throat and shrugged. “It’s a really good school, plus Maya’s planning to go there. So it should be fun.” Yeah, only my parents and siblings are allowed to know about my secret anxiety problem.

  “That makes sense.” We were silent for a moment before he asked, “What else do you have going on this week, besides All-State Choir?”

  “Just work. I have to clean the office tomorrow night.”

  “Where do you work?” He glanced at me briefly as he drove, the lights from the truck’s dash illuminating his face.

  “I clean an office building on Main Street on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It’s a great job . . . while I’m in high school anyway.”

  “That’s cool.”

  “Yeah, it’s pretty good, except for when I freak myself out. Last week, I thought I heard a noise and was scared to death the rest of the time. But it was just the guy who cleans the second floor. I hope he didn’t see me scrambling around the office after he’d scared me.”

  “I’m sure he would have assumed you were in a hurry.” His eyes crinkled as he smiled.

  “No, he probably thinks I’m some nutcase high school girl.”

  “You’re right.” He winked. “Chances are, he thinks you’re crazy.”

  “Probably.” We had reached my house. “Thanks for the ride.” I unbuckled my seatbelt, opened the door, and reluctantly climbed out of his truck.

  “No problem,” h
e said. “See you tomorrow at school.”

  That night, as I got ready for bed, my phone beeped with a new text message. I picked up my phone from the soft lavender comforter and saw I had a message from a blocked number.

  That’s weird. I had never received a text from a blocked number before. I opened it, curious.

  Your boyfriend is not who he seems to be.

  I dropped my phone back onto my bed as if it had burned my hands. What the heck is that supposed to mean? I darted my gaze around my room, feeling as if I were being watched. I breathed through my nose to try and calm myself down, and then I texted the person back.

  Me: Who is this?

  There was no response.

  I read the text again. Your boyfriend is not who he seems to be? I didn’t have a boyfriend. Who was this person talking about?

  Nick? Could it be about Nick? If so, this blocked-number person must not have gotten the memo that we broke up. It certainly would have been nice to get this text when we started dating. He definitely hadn’t been who he appeared to be.

  Or were they talking about Brian? But we only went on one date—if you could call wand carving a date. Had he been telling people he was my boyfriend? He was a little odd, but I didn’t think he was delusional. And I was pretty sure I’d figured out what he really was like on that date. And he was definitely not my type.

  Or could the text be about Arie? We’d been hanging out a lot, but we were just friends. The only time we’d even hung out alone had been tonight. Could it be Rachel who’d sent the text out of jealousy? She hadn’t been happy when Arie chose to be partners with me instead of her. Maybe after their date she’d thought they’d had a connection.

  Maybe they had. Perhaps they’d even had a great date, and Arie was just being a player. I mean, he had been rather flirtatious this evening. My heart sank. My first impression must have been right, and I’d been stupid enough to let my guard down these past few weeks that we’d been hanging out.

  Then another thought occurred to me. Maybe it wasn’t even Rachel’s text at all. Maybe someone was messing with my head for fun.

  Scenario after scenario ran through my mind. There was no way to know for sure until I had more information.

  For now, all I could do was keep my ears open. It was always possible the text had been meant for someone else and not even me at all; maybe that’s why they didn’t respond. After all, it referenced me as having a boyfriend. And I didn’t have one. Not now and not anytime in the near future.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  ARIE

  “KNOCK, KNOCK,” Jason said at my door. It was Thursday morning, and I was packing for the choir trip.

  “Come in.” I pushed my phone charger into the front zipper pocket of my duffel bag before looking up at him.

  Jason entered my room, looking more anxious than he usually did. “We just got the news. Fenris has been released from jail.”

  “What? Already?” I knew this was the reason I’d been brought on the job, but I hadn’t realized how quickly the preparation time would end.

  Jason dipped his head. “Yes. We’re on high alert now. If his men have figured out who Emma is, they won’t hesitate to make their move.”

  My stomach churned. I had known all along that this was coming. But were we ready? Was I ready? Could I do what it would take to keep Emma safe?

  “I’m confident Emma will still be safe on this trip of yours, but I want you to stay extra close. Stalk the girl if you have to. Ask her on a date if that’s what it takes to keep her close. I need you by her side as much as possible. Do what it takes.”

  I swallowed and tried to push down the anxious feeling inside. “I can do that.”

  “Are you sure?” Jason raised his brow, his eyes serious and questioning.

  “Yes. I can do that.”

  “Good. We’re counting on you.” He turned to leave but stopped and looked back at me. “And try not to enjoy yourself so much doing it.” A half smile lifted the corner of his mouth.

  I sucked in a breath through my nose. Had he noticed something between Emma and me when she was over Tuesday night? It almost seemed like he knew that last request was turning out to be the most difficult one.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  EMMA

  THURSDAY MORNING, I woke to the sound of my alarm. I hadn’t slept well, so six thirty came way too early. I’d been thinking about the text all day yesterday but still hadn’t been able to come to any conclusions. With the slight chance it could have been talking about Arie, it would be stupid of me to completely ignore it. So I planned to keep a close watch on him this weekend, since we’d probably have some time together. Surely after a few days I would have him figured out.

  When my mom dropped me off at the school, a few kids were already on the bus. Those from the choir, band, and orchestra were all going on the same bus, since the big All-State concert included all three groups. Conner played the trumpet in the band, so I figured Kathryn would be hanging out with him on the bus.

  I grabbed my bags out of the car and said bye to my mom, then hefted my duffel bag into the storage area under the bus and climbed on board. Most of the seats were already taken, which caused a thrill of anxiety to pass through me. I didn’t feel comfortable asking to sit next to someone, since it was going to be a long trip and people would rather have their own seat to stretch out on.

  Kathryn was already on the bus with Conner as expected, so sitting with her wasn’t an option. I looked around for an empty seat nearby when a voice called my name. Arie motioned for me to come sit with him.

  Relief washed over me as I hurried down the aisle and stashed my backpack—full of snacks, reading material, and other necessary items for long bus rides—in the overhead bin.

  “Thanks for the seat,” I said, slightly out of breath. Then after taking in his appearance, I asked, “Did you just wake up?” Maybe the text had referred to him being a night owl instead of a morning person? But who would care about that? Really?

  “Of course not,” he said as if insulted. “I’ve been up since five. It took me hours to get my hair just right this morning.” Obviously he was kidding, because he had a bad case of bedhead, which was super adorable in a way. His dark hair was smashed on the left side of his head where his pillow must have been a short time before. He was slouched in the seat, wearing a hooded sweatshirt that complimented his mussed-up hair nicely.

  “Oh, it looks great,” I said. “I didn’t know bedhead was coming in style. If I’d known that, I could’ve saved myself some time this morning and slept in.”

  “You should try it sometime. I bet with your long hair you’d look awesome with bedhead.” He gently flipped my hair with his fingers. “But really, I woke up about twenty minutes ago. Don’t worry, I did brush my teeth before I ran out the door.”

  “That’s a relief. Bedhead may be the latest fashion, but morning breath isn’t.” I smiled and slouched down in the seat so I was no longer looking down at him. “Thanks again for letting me sit with you.”

  “My pleasure.”

  Mrs. Jolley’s bright voice sounded on the bus intercom. She announced we’d be leaving in a few minutes and invited us to use the school restrooms if needed. At her suggestion, a few kids hurried off and into the school.

  As we waited for the bus to depart, I considered my misgivings about Arie once more. From what I observed so far this morning, nothing seemed to confirm that the text had been about him. He didn’t act like he was hiding anything. He simply looked tired.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  ARIE

  “WHAT ARE your plans for all the downtime we’ll have today?” I asked Emma as we neared Salt Lake City, Jason’s warning still fresh on my mind.

  “Nothing much. Kathryn and I were going to do a little shopping at the mall this afternoon. What about you?”

  I’m planning on stalking you. Though I would much rather be with her and have her know about it, instead of going about it the secret-agent sort of way. “I was
thinking of walking around town. I’ve never been to Salt Lake City before and wouldn’t mind seeing what it has to offer.” I knew Jason had told me to ask her on a date if needed, but I didn’t want to pursue something fake if I didn’t have to. If I was going to date someone, I was going to do it because I wanted to. So for now, I’d just ask her to “hang-out.” That would be much more appropriate than a date anyway, considering she was still only seventeen and I was almost twenty-two.

  “Do you want to hang out tonight after practice?” I asked as the bus drove onto the exit ramp.

  A grin took shape on her face. “That would be great.”

  “Cool.” Mission accomplished. Jason would be happy.

  We stopped at our hotel, which was next to a few shopping malls and restaurants we were allowed to visit between rehearsals.

  I stashed my things in my hotel room and then waited around the lobby to follow Emma and Kathryn, hoping they wouldn’t notice me lurking around. I felt so weird doing this. I tried to act casual and followed the girls from a distance as they ate lunch in the food court, then explored the mall. I watched from afar as they went into different boutiques, peeking through the doors of each of the shops they went into.

  I was standing by one of those mall kiosks, trying to get a better look into the clothing store Emma was in, when the kiosk owner started talking to me. She was a short, Hispanic woman.

  “You looking for something nice for your girlfriend?” She swept her hand over the items she had on display, a collection of beauty supplies.

  “No, I don’t have a girlfriend,” I answered, still focusing on the shop Emma was in.

  “Oh.” The lady smiled and nodded as if she understood. “You maybe like to have your hands looking nice?”

  “Sure,” I said, still not fully paying attention to her.