“Um, no.” Vanessa searched his face for logic. “I literally live upstairs. If you want to take her, go ahead. I’m going home anyway.”
Dex looked torn, which was odd for a man she’d come to know as more machine than human. No way was he going to defy Jordan’s orders and leave her alone on his watch, but he was also determined to get Natalie home safely.
“Look,” she said, deciding to make the matter easy for him. “Why don’t you walk me upstairs and lock me in my apartment before you escort Natalie home?”
Relief flickered across Dex’s expression.
Sliding off her stool, she grabbed her purse before giving Hope a quick hug. “I’ll text you as soon as the spa day is set. Okay, Mama?”
Waving goodbye to her friends, she walked ahead of Dex to the door at the rear of the bar that led to the apartments above.
“I texted Jordan about our plan,” Dex informed her, his voice echoing slightly in the narrow staircase. “He said he’d return in twenty minutes and he’ll check in on you when he does.”
Of course he would. Vanessa bit back a sigh. “Got it. Babysitter check-in is in twenty. I’ll leave my door unlocked.”
The truth was, she was safer knowing Jordan would be nearby. But the warmth that had unexpectedly been growing between them over the last three weeks had faded since their walk home the other night.
Lately, his check-ins seemed clinical, like he was doing his job the same way he did for Joel and Lucy. Which was fine. He was hardly neglecting her, but she missed the connection they’d built.
“No, definitely keep your door locked.” Dex’s voice broke her from her thoughts as they reached the top of the stairs. “Look, I get that you don’t like having your every move managed or tracked, but from what I’ve heard, it’s for your own good.”
The weight of a sudden exhaustion kept her from arguing. She wanted pajamas, a cup of tea, and an audiobook that she could fall asleep to.
Locking her door as Dex had ordered, she trudged inside her bedroom and tugged off her clothes. Tomorrow was the show. After that, she’d prepare for her trip to New York. She had a hotel booked for a couple of weeks, but she’d need to investigate long-term accommodations soon.
It was time to start planning her new life.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Her skin was still damp from her shower when someone knocked on her door. A quick glance at her phone told her twenty minutes had passed. Jordan was nothing if not on time.
Even though she was expecting another cold, detached interaction that wouldn’t last more than five minutes if she was lucky, her damn heart still fluttered in anticipation of seeing him.
But when she opened the door, her blood ran cold. “What are you doing here?” Her mouth dried up around the words.
Kurt Robertson, the popular producer from her television show back in Vancouver, smiled at her, as casual as he’d been when she’d first met him three years ago. So much had changed between then and now, she sometimes felt like she was a decade older.
“Not happy to see me, cupcake?”
The nickname twisted her stomach. “Don’t call me that.” She looked beyond him, into the empty hallway. “How’d you get up here?”
He let out a soft chuckle. “Oh come on, darlin’, don’t be like that. It’s been a while and our last meeting wasn’t—” He flicked his wrist in the air a few times. “Wasn’t what it should’ve been.”
He was referring to when Joel had come to Vancouver, bombarded the set where she was filming and rescued her from the man standing in front of her. Joel had done it for Lucy, of course. He would move heaven and earth to make Vanessa’s sister happy, and Lucy had sensed things weren’t okay in Vancouver. But not even Joel could’ve anticipated what he’d walked in on.
“I’ve missed you, cupcake.” His slimy gaze roamed over her, and she realized belatedly all she had on was her robe. “You look good.”
“You should go.” She hated how he instantly made her feel small and worthless. How she ever thought he’d been the most incredible thing to enter her life was beyond her now. He’d only made her life miserable.
When she tried to close the door, Kurt shot his hand out, stopping it from shutting. “We have unfinished business.”
Don’t let him in. Don’t let him in.
Her mind raced, panic clawing at her chest as she went through her options. Her phone was in her bedroom, too far. He could easily overpower her. She was alone. But Jordan would be here soon. He was never late. But what if he was?
On instinct, she motioned for him to move as she slipped out of her apartment, closing the door behind her and leaving them together in the hallway.
Kurt tracked her movement, watching the door click shut. “Well, that isn’t any way to treat the person who took your career to the next level.” His voice dropped the temperaturein the hall. “I thought you’d at least invite me in for a drink.”
