Beck shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He didn’t attempt to shake Trina’s hand. “Mrs. Parker,” he said firmly. “I’m glad Abbie wasn’t harmed, and there doesn’t seem to be a threat, but my dismissal has to come from Dr. Parker since he hired me.”
Inwardly, my smile was huge, and I could’ve kissed Beck. He didn’t know a lot of details about Trina and me, but he knew I didn’t like her.
Trina rocked her shoulders as if Beck had disrespected a royal. “My husband agrees with me.” She wrapped her arm through Dad’s. “Don’t you, honey?”
Dad removed Trina’s hand from his arm, which shocked the hell out of me. “No, I don’t. I don’t want to move too hastily. The contract with GDB is up in a week. If Beck is willing to stay on, I’d like him to continue to watch Abbie until then.”
Trina clicked her tongue. “Well, all right—I’m sure he could use the money.” Her eyes roamed over Beck. “Who wouldn’t want the opportunity to protect a wealthy doctor’s little girl? And it will look good on his résumé.”
Beck’s features hardened, but he remained silent. I rolled my eyes so hard that I saw my spine. It took everything in me not to strangle her bubble-headed behind. Dad should reconsider and hire Beck to protect Trina from me.
But Beck, being the gracious person he was, said, “Dr. Parker, I’ll be happy to stay on another week, but only if Abbie wants the same.”
My chance to keep Beck and goad Trina. Finally, something had gone my way. “Yes,” I said with enthusiasm. “But we’ll stay at my place, not here.”
Dad lifted a brow. “I thought your place was under construction—is it done?”
I nodded. “Yes, it’s done.”
Trina clapped her hands together. “Wonderful. How much time do you need to pack?”
“Trina!” my father shouted.
I had never heard him raise his voice to her before. Could there be trouble in paradise? I wouldn’t wish that on my father, no matter how much I hated Trina. A broken heart was no fun.
“Actually, Trina,” I said, “we’re all packed and ready to go. I just have to get my bags.”
“I’ll get them,” Beck said. He slipped past me and disappeared inside the house with Trina on his heels.
I shook my head. “Does she think Beck will steal something?”
Dad shook his head. “Trina has been difficult lately. But that is my problem and not yours.”
“Dad, if you need to talk, I’m here. Maybe we can go to dinner at Ja’Nell’s one night.”
He took my hands in his. “I would like that, baby. I would like to get closer to you. I’ve missed so much, and now you’re a grown woman.”
“It’s a date, as long as it is only the two of us.” I would not eat a meal with Trina.
“I promise she will not be with us.” He looked to the house. “What is going on with you and Beck?”
I felt my cheeks flush hot. “What are you talking about? He’s doing what you pay him to do.”
Dad cocked his head. “Seriously, Abbie? I’ve been around a long time. I know how men and woman look at each other when there is an interest in something more.”
“Really? Did you look at Mom or Trina in such a way?” I should kick myself for saying that to him; it was mean. And why couldn’t I be nice? We were being cordial for once.
His dark eyes hardened. “I struck a nerve, and I’m sorry. I won’t ask about your private life again.”
“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lashed out. Eddie and I broke up, and it wasn’t pretty. Beck has lent me a shoulder to cry on more than once. I guess you could say we are becoming friends, but nothing more.”
He shook his head. “You finally dumped that asshole. Eddie not being good enough for you was the one thing your mother and I agreed on.”
Before I could answer, Beck came out of the house loaded with baggage. I went to help, but he shrugged me off.
“I got it.”
I watched him teeter to the car, not dropping one item as he popped the trunk and loaded it. I turned to my father. “Thank you for letting me stay here until my place was done. I’m sorry there was so much confusion with the home invasions. At least your home was spared.”
“I’m sure that was because Beck was here,” Dad said. “Anytime you want to use the pool, it’s open to you. You don’t even have to call.”
“It would be a courtesy if you would, though,” Trina added. “And I saw the stain on the carpet in the media room. I’ll send you the bill once I have it cleaned.”
“Trina! Stop it.” Dad yelled. “Why don’t you go count the silverware?”
“I was kidding. Good grief,” she said with a pout. She turned and went inside the house.
My father looked at me. “We’ll talk soon,” he said. With that, he went inside the house.
Chapter Fifteen
Beck
I unzipped the first of my three bags, as compared to Abbie’s six that I’d carried to her room. There were only a few items to put away. The other suitcases would stay intact, since I’d only be here a few more days.
I walked over to the spacious closet and hung my suits and dress pants. The shoes went on the built-in shoe rack. I was impressed by Abbie’s condo. This was a place I could see myself living.
It had an open floor plan, a spacious master bedroom, and the second bedroom was roomy as well. The room had a queen-sized mahogany bed with matching dresser and end tables that fit nicely. The walls were a pale mauve or light purple, something to that effect.
It could be a kid’s room, if she had one. The windows were large and let in an abundance of light. The view was away from the street and faced the park-like compound of the shared space.
The pool, tennis courts, and basketball court were empty at the moment. If kids lived in the complex, none were around, and it was late in the afternoon.
My phone rang. I jogged over to the dresser to grab it before the call stopped or went to voicemail. “Hey, Davonte. What’s up?”
“Glad I caught you, Beck. Are you out and about?”
“No. I was putting clothes away. Abbie returned to her condo.”
“Great. I was hoping you were there. I got a call from Dr. Parker. He said he asked you to stay on until the contract is up?”
“Yeah. I thought it was up when he returned. That’s what he said in the phone call.”
“I know. But he wants to keep you on retainer for a little longer.”
I leaned against the sleigh-shaped footboard of the bed. “Why? There is no threat to his life. Davonte, as much as I like this job and Abbie, I promised my family I would be home for my sisters’ birthday party in a few weeks.” Which reminded me, I hadn’t found a suit yet.
“I get it, you have a life outside GDB, but this is what we are about. We service our clients first. Since you had a prior engagement, I’ll get coverage for you. Does that work for you?”
I had to think fast. Coverage would be great while I went home, but the thought of another man watching over my Abbie did not sit well. Wait… my Abbie? She was not mine to claim. We’d shared a kiss and nothing more. Not that I didn’t want more.
“Beck? Are you still there?”
“Uh, yeah, I’m here. Will Simone or another female cover Abbie while I’m gone?” I knew the question would raise flags, but I had to know.
“Well, Simone doesn’t do twenty-four seven coverage anymore, since she has a kid. She only does special events. As for other female bodyguards, they are few in numbers. Why the request?”
“Forget I asked.”
“Beck, talk to me. Are you developing feelings for Abbie? What happened to your specific type, which Abbie is not?”
I heard the soft hum of music coming from another room. I lowered my voice. “I’m not falling for the client. Number one rule, remember? Just wondering who would replace me.”
“Yeah, okay, but her father technically is the client. Let me know the exact date you need off.”
He hung up, and th
at left me to wonder what exactly Davonte meant. Abbie was the client when they were warning me not to seduce her. Then he was right about my type. But, how often do we get what we want and be happy with it?
Joanie was my type, and that ended horribly. I sighed. My quandary went deeper than my preferences for women. Abbie and I got along well alone. How would we be in a crowd or around family?
Her family seemed disjointed from what I’d witnessed earlier. The stepmother definitely wouldn’t approve of me, and as for Dr. Parker, I felt he looked down on me because of my occupation. Would he accept me if I were still a cop? Probably not if he knew what happened.
Then there was my family. A Scandinavian and Russian mix… yeah… could be iffy. My parents didn’t judge a person by the color of their skin, but to have a daughter-in-law who was African American was a different story.
Sometimes proving you weren’t indifferent made things worse. Jeez, why was I thinking so far in advance? Because I had felt her skin against mine. The burning desire that shot through me was enough to buckle my knees. I was a man on borrowed time the longer I stayed around her.
Abbie had no clue about the sex appeal she had. Her ex was a dick, but another man would tap her, no questions asked. Deep down, I wanted that man to be me, and her not matching my type no longer mattered.
I pushed off the footboard and went to look for Abbie. Davonte hadn’t explained what he meant by Dr. Parker putting me on retainer. I had to assume it meant if anything happened, I would be summoned regardless what I was doing.
Abbie was in the living room when I walked in. She had changed into denim shorts and a white tank top. Her bare feet were propped up on the wood coffee table and locked at the ankles. She bounced them to the music playing. A glass of white wine was in her hand, and she twirled the stem of the glass gently between her fingers.
Something was bothering her, judging by the tenseness of her face. Her eyes were closed and her lips were pressed tight. Plus, I had never seen her take a drink since the dinner we’d had at Ja’Nell’s. We’d been to dinner and lunch since that day, and all she ordered to drink was coffee or soda.
I sat next to her on the couch, not to break her mood, but to get her to talk. If I couldn’t be anything else to Abbie, I could be her friend. “Hey, are you okay?”
She didn’t open her eyes as she nodded. “I’m fine. Just relaxing and chilling for a minute.”
“Okay. I’ll leave you alone to do that.”
I started to get up but she said, “Please stay.”
“Are you sure? You look like you need to gather your thoughts or something.”
“Beck, I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t mean it. Would you like a glass of wine?”
Her soft brown eyes were on me, and my skin skittered with tingles. She didn’t have to touch me to get me riled up.
“I’m on duty, but I guess one glass won’t hurt,” I said.
Abbie sat up and poured wine in the extra glass on the table. “I hope you don’t mind my music. When I get in a mood, I listen to R&B.”
I took the wine glass. “It’s fine. I like a wide variety of music.” That was the truth. I didn’t care for hard rock or country, but hip-hop, classic rock, and R&B were my favorites.
She leaned back on the couch, her head back, allowing the spirals of curls to crush against her shoulders. “I don’t know what it is when nursing a broken heart. Some of the songs seem to have the right words to describe my exact feelings.”
Abbie was right. The woman on the CD player sang about him never being there for her or noticing the changes she’d gone through, but she was sticking it out because she loved him and needed him. Patti LaBelle was from the era of my mother, but I knew the song well.
I had a hard time understanding where Abbie was going with this song. Was it for Eddie or her father? The interaction between them today was not pretty. Dr. Parker came across as an upstanding man. I would never suspect he’d abandoned Abbie and her mother for the tight-ass mistress he married. Trina Parker was not a likable person.
She came across as a gold digger, and would do whatever possible to keep Dr. Parker’s money and possessions if something happened to him.
As soon as Patti Labelle’s “If Only You Knew” ended, Rihanna’s “Rehab” filled the room. In that song, the love of her life was like a drug she needed to kick, and checking into rehab was the key.
If I remembered the video, it featured Justin Timberlake. Dude actually looked manly in black leather. I never understood why he caused young girls to scream and cry their eyes out.
Yeah, I’d like to be the manly dude to Rihanna’s character in that video for Abbie. Only she wouldn’t have to go to rehab to kick me from her system. I’d be there for her, always. If I felt she really wanted to open her heart to me, I wouldn’t abuse it. But her affections only went as far as an attraction. We had both admitted to that.
The next song was a male singer. Maybe this one was for me and the male perspective of how it felt when his woman walked away unexpectedly.
As Chris Brown’s “She Ain’t You” blared from the speakers, I could relate to the lyrics, but not to pining around listening to music to heal my broken heart. True, the shit hurt, but life went on. The people who broke our hearts weren’t listening to upbeat music about freedom—or maybe they were. I thought sad songs were saved for escaping physically abusive relationships, which neither Abbie nor I were in thank goodness.
But most tear-jerker music was from the older generation. I guessed with the growth of the independent woman not needing a man, and men unwilling to plant grass in one backyard, the newer generation of music didn’t promote much sympathy to heartbreak unless it was country music.
Anyhow, any thoughts of pursuing Abbie had to be checked. She was an emotional mess. The men in her life had fucked her over. And until she could sort out her rollercoaster of feelings and the pain that came along with it, I could only be a shoulder for her tears—and, for the next few days, her bodyguard.
More sorrowful music played, and it began to bring me lower than I’d already felt. Abbie took a long swig of her wine, almost emptying the glass; I still had not touched mine.
“Why don’t we go out and get some fresh air? People are still at work, so we can go somewhere not crowded,” I suggested.
“I’d rather not go out again. I have to be at the mall in the morning to cover a new store opening.” She sighed. “I can’t wait for the weekend to sleep until the sun actually rises.”
“Your day is crazy early,” I replied.
She shifted her head to look at me. Her body finally looked relaxed, and the soft features of her face were no longer tense. “You must hate me for that. I have totally thrown off your sleeping pattern. Not to mention sleeping in your own bed. You have to miss that.”
“I’m an adaptable guy. Growing up in a big family, sleeping long hours was not an option.”
“Tell me about your family, Beck. If they are like you, they have to be great.”
“They are a great family. My mother is the best. She always looked after us and was there when we needed to talk or let out any rage. My dad made sure to attend all my brothers and my sports events. He even played nice with the coaches. My sisters are cool. They are twins and will turn eighteen soon. Mom is throwing a big party for them.”
She smiled. “They sound great. How many brothers and sisters do you have?”
“Five. Braden is the oldest, me, and then Braxton. Barbara and Beatrice are the twins and babies of the family.”
“That is so cool all your names begin with a B. I would love to have brothers and sisters. Especially older brothers who would chase off the bad elements.”
I smirked. “Would you really have listened to your brothers warning you about a guy you were interested in? My sisters sure didn’t listen, and I was a cop.”
She chuckled. “You got me there. Stella warned me about Eddie, and I wouldn’t listen to her. She’s about as close as I will come to having a
sister.”
“I can’t imagine not having my knuckleheaded siblings around. I can’t wait to see them.” The comfort of going home warmed me like a blanket on a chilly night. When all else failed for me, I had my family to fall on for support.
“I wanted two or three kids. They would have each other to lean on and not feel alone. Of course, they would have to get along for that, right?”
I finally took a sip of wine. The sweet and fruity flavor hit the back of my throat, tingling before sliding down. “My parents made sure we got along and behaved in public. They weren’t standing for any antics like those kids on television do. They’d smack us silly.”
Again she laughed. The wine had definitely loosened her up. “Those kids are the worst. Were you planning to have kids with your ex?”
That question called for another drink. I poured more wine into her glass and topped mine off. “The question never came up. We didn’t talk about marriage, either.”
“Seriously? Never? Eddie and I talked about it a lot. Oh well.” She sighed. “It wasn’t meant to be, right?”
She held out her glass, waiting for me to toast her. I touched her glass with mine. “Right.”
The music switched to an upbeat tempo. It was a multi-disc player she had sitting on a shelf that had plenty of room for books and other items.
Abbie had a lot of books and photos neatly placed on the wooden entertainment center that took an entire wall. Pictures of her with different people hung on the beige walls. She had one of her and the mayor of Cleveland. Some with professional football and baseball players. But the one that caught my eye was of her and LeBron James.
“You know King James?” I asked.
“Yes. I’ve interviewed him and the family many times. He is very nice, and I consider him a friend, even when he abandoned the Cavs to go to Miami and now the Lakers. We keep in touch through emails or on social media.”
“Awesome,” I said. LeBron James was right up there with Michael Jordan in my book when it came to basketball players. I could take or leave other players, but those two were iconic.
“Tell you what, the next time he is in town, I’ll introduce you.”
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