"Thank you for the ride," she said, her tone distant, taking the bags from his hands. "I can manage from here."
"Angela—"
But she was already walking away, leaving him standing alone in the mudroom with the echo of her footsteps fading down the hall.
Jude ran a hand through his hair. He'd handled that badly.
But what was the alternative? Tell her the truth? That she was becoming more than an assignment?
That wouldn’t change anything for them.
She’d still be the daughter of the man who trusted Jude to protect her. And he also had a hard time getting past the nearly twelve-year difference in their ages.
With a sigh, Jude turned to leave the house. As he drove the SUV to the security building, he told himself this was all for the best.
His life wasn’t conducive to a relationship. It was best he not have to answer to anyone but Duncan Burke. It meant that he could do his job to the best of his ability. He also liked not having to worry about a potential date using him to gain access to the wealthy Burke family.
Yeah, he definitely was happy that he’d decided not to get into a relationship. He just wished that his heart was as on board now as it had been when he’d first made that decision.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Angela felt the tension she’d been holding bleed out of her as Kiara wrapped her arms around her. They were seated on Angela’s bed, both wearing the pajamas Angela had bought the previous day.
For the first time since coming to Serenity, they’d slept in the same bed. Both of them had needed the presence of the other, and the king-size bed was plenty big enough for them to share.
“Let’s go get some breakfast and then see what Duncan wants,” Kiara said. “Jude won’t be around, so you’ll be able to relax.”
That should have been a good thing, but part of Angela wanted to see him. Regardless of how they’d parted ways after their shopping trip.
“Yeah. Until we have to practice driving this afternoon,” she said.
“Oooh, right.” Kiara straightened. “I can’t believe we’re finally going to be able to drive.”
“Knowing how to drive won’t do us much good without a car.”
Kiara waved her hand dismissively. “They’ve got enough cars around here that we could probably just borrow one whenever we need to go somewhere. Maybe even to our jobs. And if we don’t have to pay for rent and food here, we’ll be able to save up enough money for our own car even quicker.”
Angela hadn’t told her about the conversation she’d had with Jude, nor about the phone call he’d made to Duncan in her presence. She still needed some clarification before she told Kiara that they might not have to work.
“Let’s get dressed,” she said, getting to her feet. “And maybe we need to dress a little nicer since we’re meeting with Duncan.”
It was a bit odd to dress up to go see the person who was her dad, but it felt like the right thing to do.
Kiara nodded, then headed for the door. “See you in a few.”
Alone, Angela headed to her bathroom to begin her morning routine. Picking out what to wear was a bit of a challenge. For her whole life, she’d dressed for practicality or comfort. However, she didn’t think she should show up to a meeting with Duncan in a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt.
Though she didn’t have a lot to choose from, it still took her a few minutes to decide which of her sweaters she’d wear with black slacks. After she was dressed, she curled her hair and put on a little makeup.
Kiara poked her head into the bathroom. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
As they walked down the hallway to the stairs, the aroma of coffee grew stronger the closer they got to the kitchen. They found Julian still in the breakfast room when they got there.
“Good morning,” Angela said when she spotted him.
Julian looked up and blinked at them blearily. The man had clearly over-indulged yet again the night before. “Morning.”
