The unspoken question was whether Jude was prepared to do the same.
He was. But first, he and Angela needed to have a conversation.
On returning to the kitchen, he found that Angela was no longer there. The housekeeper told him that she’d left with Annie.
That surprised Jude a little, but he wasn’t going to interrupt their time together. Thanking the housekeeper for the information, he headed back to the security building, planning to text her later to see if they could talk.
~*~
“Something smells good,” Annie announced as she came into the kitchen with Benji.
“Cookies!” Benji exclaimed as he hurried toward the counter where they sat.
“Would you like one?” she asked.
“Yes. I definitely would like one, and then two more.”
Angela chuckled as she watched Benji grab a paper towel and then pile three cookies on it. He grabbed a fourth and took a bite of it before heading out of the kitchen with a wave.
“Do you want some?”
“Sure,” Annie said as she sat on a barstool at the island counter. “They smell delicious.”
Angela got a small plate, then set a couple of cookies on it for Annie.
“Thank you.”
“I was actually going to text you to see about getting together for a chat,” Angela said.
“Really?” Annie took another bite of her cookie. “Did you have something particular in mind you wanted to chat about?”
“Actually, yes,” Angela said after a moment’s hesitation. “But could we maybe go to your place?”
“Sure. As long as you bring some cookies with you.”
Angela laughed. “I can do that.”
It didn’t take long for her to put away the cookies and clean up the pans and mixing bowl. Soon, she and Annie were heading out, Nyla, Annie’s dog, trotting along beside them.
The road was clear of snow, and the weather wasn’t as cold as it had been when she and Kiara had first arrived. It was still chillier than she was used to, so she shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket as they walked.
“What’s Kiara up to today?” Annie asked.
“At the moment, she’s trying to see if there’s a college course she could take remotely.”
“What’s she most interested in?”
“She’s always loved books, and she worked at the library in Briar Hollow, so I think she’d like to get a degree that would allow her to do something with books.”
“Work in a library?” Annie asked.
“I imagine so,” Angela said. “She figures that she’ll be able to do that because she won’t have to worry about people thinking she’s connected to the Burke family like you and I do.”
“I suppose that might be true,” Annie said. “But I’m sure Dad would hope that she’d at least keep a bodyguard around.”
“I think she’d probably agree to that, depending on what the situation looks like.”
As they approached Annie’s home, Angela followed her up onto the porch and into the warmth of the cabin.
