Feeling a little numb, Angela put one foot in front of the other, following Kiara out of the room. Jude stayed close to her side, his arm brushing hers as they headed down the hallway.
He touched her hand as he said, “I just want to let them know we’re done with the room.”
Rather than continue toward the door with Kiara, Angela stuck close to Jude.
“We’re finished with the room,” Jude said to the woman behind the high, polished wood counter. “Please pass on my thanks to Mrs. St. James.”
“I will,” the woman said with a smile. “Have a nice day.”
“You too.” Turning, Jude laid his hand lightly on Angela’s back. “Let’s go home.”
Angela didn’t argue. She was so done with that day, yet there were still hours to go.
“The SUV is on its way,” the female bodyguard said to Jude as they joined her and Kiara. “I thought your meeting would last longer.”
“Me too,” Jude said. “But it took as long as was needed.”
When the SUVs pulled up outside the doors, Angela followed Kiara out the door that Jude held open for them. The day was warmer than previous ones, but Angela still felt wrapped in a chill.
The previous half hour played over and over in her mind, and she parsed through all the ways she could have approachedthings differently. She still wasn’t sure where the courage to speak up for herself and for Annie had come from.
It was possible Annie wouldn’t be happy with what she’d said. And who knew what Julian thought about what had happened.
Jude might feel that it had been a good conversation, but Angela wasn’t sure.
“Angela.”
She looked up to see Jude holding the passenger door open for her. Gazing at him for a moment, she saw that while he might have said that everything was great, there was concern in his eyes.
Her stomach knotted as she turned to hoist herself into the front seat. When Jude shut the door, Kiara leaned forward and squeezed her shoulders.
“Everything is fine, sis,” she said. “Be proud of standing up for yourself and Annie.”
“I shouldn’t have said any of that yet,” Angela said. “Not until I had more of a chance to get to know her.”
“I don’t agree,” Kiara told her. “But regardless, no what-ifs or if-onlys. What’s done is done.”
Seeing Jude reach for the door, Angela didn’t respond. He seemed to think she had been courageous, but she didn’t feel that way at all.
The drive back to the estate was made in silence with only the music coming from the radio to keep the mood from becoming too intense. Angela needed time alone with her thoughts, but it seemed that that might not come for a little while.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Kiara asked.
Angela glanced at Jude. She kind of wanted Kiara there. However, her sister hadn’t really played a part in what happened during the meeting with Jill, so she didn’t need to be there.
“I’m going to go with Angela to speak with Duncan,” Jude said to Kiara after they arrived back at the estate. “So you don’t need to.”
“As long as you’re okay with that, Angie,” Kiara said, giving her a look.
“Yes, I’m fine with that.”
“Everything will be fine,” Kiara said as they took off their coats in the mudroom. She gave her a tight hug. “Come find me when you’re done.”
Angela walked beside Jude toward Duncan's office, her mind still spinning with the confrontation. The plush carpet beneath her boots muffled their footsteps, making their progress through the hallway eerily quiet. She couldn't help but wonder if Julian had already called Duncan to tell him what had happened.
When they reached Duncan's office door, Jude paused and looked at her. "Ready?"
She wasn't. Not even close. But waiting wouldn't make it any easier. She nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
