“Yes. The one that Kiara and I share is really old. We got it cheap secondhand. We’ve used it mainly to watch videos and stream some movies on the one streaming service we had. But now Kiara is looking at doing online school, and I don’t think the one we have is good enough for that.”
“Okay. I should have thought about that. I’ll talk to our tech guys and get them to set up two laptops. One for each of you.”
“Oh, I don’t really need one,” Angela said.
“Maybe not, but we’ll get you one anyway. I’m pretty sure you could find a use for it.”
“I do like to look up recipes and watch cooking shows,” she admitted. “So maybe a newer one would be good.”
“Give me a couple of days, and I’ll have them for you.”
“Thank you,” Angela said with a smile.
“You’re welcome. Now, where to next?”
Angela considered it for a moment before she led him to the clothing section again. She wanted to buy some more comfortable clothing.
“No chocolate today?” Jude asked after she’d put her choices into the cart.
Angela grinned. “Well, now that you’ve mentioned it…”
With a chuckle, Jude turned the cart toward the candy aisle. This time, Angela picked up several bags of Kiara’s preferred candy and a few of her own favorite chocolate bars.
“Which ones do you like?” Angela asked. “Since you’ve admitted to a sweet tooth.”
“I like chocolate and caramel.”
Angela turned to look over the selection, then picked one up . “Like this?”
“Yep, that’s my favorite.”
She picked up three of them and added them to the cart with the other candy. “All done.”
Jude reached out and wrapped his arm around her, drawing her to his side for a quick hug. “Thanks, babe.”
Babe…
Angela couldn’t keep the smile from growing on her face as they walked to the front of the store to check out.
As the cashier rang her purchases through, Angela watched the total climb with less trepidation than the previous time, though it was still a little alarming. When it was all rung up, she paid with her debit card while Jude loaded the bags back into the cart.
Throughout their time in the store, she’d noticed him occasionally scanning the area around them. He wasn’t off the clock, but he was so subtle in what he did that she tended to forget that he was also her bodyguard and carried a weapon under his jacket.
After they’d put the bags into the back seat of his truck, they climbed into their seats and Jude started it up.
“Would you like to stop for a hot drink?” Jude asked, angling himself to look at her.
“That sounds great.”
With a nod, Jude put the truck into drive and pulled out of the parking spot. It didn’t take long for them to get to a coffee shop, where Jude went through the drive-thru and ordered them each a drink.
“Here you go,” he said, handing her the mocha he’d gotten for her.
“Thank you.” Angela wrapped her hands around the cup, appreciating the warmth, but also loving the fact that Jude knew what drink she liked.
That was probably due to his attention to detail as a security person. But still, it made her feel special.
They passed the ride back to the estate talking more about the morning service, then Jude shared a bit more about his friendship with Cooper and Melanie.
