“Always, Harlow, you willneverbe left behind again,” he swears to me. “Promise me something. Promise that if you ever,everneed anything, you’ll come and see me. And if you don't feel comfortable with that, ask Mom or Dad. You know they’ll move heaven and earth if you let them. He presses a kiss to my head and then pulls away, his smile turning into a frown. “Now that we have that out of the way, that detective is here to speak to you. Can you finish up with that designer and then meet us in the security office?
* * *
An hour later, I’ve gotten a yes from both Shane and Alex about bringing Jace to their place. The two seemed excited and totally unbothered by the request, especially when I explained he’d be a new designer for Neighpalm Couture for the next three months. I could practically feel Alex vibrating with curiosity through the phone.
“Come on, Jace! Let’s head out,” I suggest after Nana accepted his signed NDA and gave him the rest of the forms in return. “If you don't mind waiting in the lobby while I quickly do something, we’ll be on our way right after.”
He smiles at me, picks up his portfolio, and gestures for me to lead the way. “No problem, Ms. Summers. I left my backpack down at the reception area, so I need to grab that before we head out anyway.”
What is it about a man with manners and a southern accent that just has you smiling? It’s a bit like when you see Matthew McConaughey in a movie. There’s just something about him that appeals to you.
I lead him toward the elevator, both of us having said goodbye to Nana already. “Oh no, my last name isn’t Summers, and Harlow will be fine. I don’t actually work for the company. I was just helping out today.”
We step into the elevator, and he tilts his head, a thoughtful look on his face. “Yes, I was wondering about that. I had expected to see the other Ms. Summers.”
Crap, what should I say?“Oh yes, Jacinta is working from home for a few days. Just taking some time away from the office, hoping it helps with her creative block.”
My excuse sounds pretty flimsy, but he seems to believe me. Or he’s willing to buy it at least.Note to self: let Hope handle things like that whenever possible.Within a few moments, we get down to the lobby and head to the reception area.
The smiling receptionist looks up when we approach the desk, her eyes sparkling as she runs her gaze down Jace’s body and back again, ignoring me completely. “Hi, you’re back!” She sounds excited to see him, her voice all bright and perky.
“Hi there, Shelly, thanks so much for minding my bag for me.” I can practically see cartoon hearts pounding from her eyes as she sighs at his accent. Snorting my amusement, she finally recognizes someone else is standing in front of her.
“Oh, sorry, can I help you?”
“Could you point me in the direction of the security office?” I ask her politely, and she indicates a door to the left of the desk with the wordSecurityacross it.Yep, definitely on a roll. Could have figured that one out myself.
“Thank you. I won't be long.” I reassure Jace, and he simply gives me an easy going grin and nods.
“No problem, Harlow. I’ll just chat with Shelly here. She was awful helpful before while I was waiting for my interview, telling me all about things to see and do in LA while I’m here.” He’s laying it on thick now, and she’s falling for it hard.Not such a sheltered country boy after all. Seems the man has game.
“Oh, I’m sure she was.” Chuckling, I head toward the office.
Knocking on the door, I enter, finding the small room crowded with four large men. The two security guards from before and Declan, plus a man who must be the detective. He’s an older gentleman, growing gray at the temples, but like many of the people I’ve encountered in LA, he’s handsome and fit.
“Harlow, this is Detective Scott James. He’d like to ask you a few questions.” Declan gestures for me to take a seat then positions himself behind me, his hand on my chair. There's an aura of reassurance that seems to flow between his hand and my back, sort of an “I’ve got your back” message that I’m blown away to feel. But Declan has admitted to being very protective of his family, and I guess at this very moment he considers me a part of that. I shiver with an unknown emotion, but Declan must think it's from fear because his hand moves from the chair to my shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze before letting go.
“Declan informs me that you seem to be the target of a stalker.” His voice is a little gravelly, but he doesn’t sound skeptical or anything.Huh, I can’t believe Declan followed through and actually found me someone to take me seriously. I guess the Summers name could account for that, but it’s nice that he made an effort to make me feel a little safer.
I detail the two incidents from yesterday while he takes notes, and then I gesture to the box on the table which came today.
“I can’t think of anyone I’ve upset enough to warrant wanting to hurt me,” I explain, leaving out the animosity in the Summers’ house. I trust Dad enough to believe that it’s not Jacinta who’s been targeting me. While I’d easily believe that her brothers would defend her to the death, I’ve seen zero reason to think Dad would overlook my safety, and IknowNana wouldn’t.
“What about your mother’s death? Was there anything suspicious about it?” He pauses his note-taking while I think about my answer.
“No, I don't think so. As far as I’m aware, it was a drug overdose. I can give you the names of the two detectives that worked on that case if you would like to check with them.” I pull my cell phone out of my backpack, and he copies the information down before asking a few more questions then flipping his notebook shut.
“We’ll have a look into your mother’s death, and we’ll run fingerprint analysis on the box, but at the moment, there isn't a lot to go on. According to the security footage, a courier dropped the package off, and when they were contacted, it was a dead end. I’m sorry I can’t offer any more suggestions right now except to watch out for people you may recognize in places they shouldn't be. I think it’s also not overly cautious to advise that you don’t go anywhere alone for a while.”
With those discouraging words, he grabs the box, which is already in a sealed evidence bag, shakes mine and Declan’s hands, gives a nod to the security guys, and shows himself out. I deflate in the chair I’m sitting in. I didn’t think he would have an answer yet since it’s so soon, but I thought he might have some ideas.
Thanking the security guys, I get up and turn to leave, smashing into a solid chest since I’ve completely forgotten that Declan was behind me. He grabs my arms to steady me, and when I look up into his eyes, they hold a hint of worry.
“Where are you going now?” he asks gruffly, the grip on my arms remaining steady. “Are you ready to head home?”
“I’m staying at Shane and Alex’s tonight, and I have an appointment tomorrow,” I inform him. With that, Declan abruptly lets go of my arms and steps back, the worry I saw in his eyes replaced by the usual ice king look. I roll my eyes internally. Of course he would assume the worst. He’s only ever been surrounded by fickle women. He could ask the question he’s dying to know, but instead, he’s stubborn and ignores it.It’s not like I haven’t defended my honor to him already. I’m not going to keep insisting we’re just friends only for him to believe what he wants to regardless.
“I spoke to Sean Walsh, and he confirmed that the horses need to be on the set on Thursday. I’ve organized for our truck to be at the farm Wednesday afternoon, so we can load them and drive them down on Thursday.”
