Bryce thought of his younger sister Claudia, and felt a sudden pang. She still lived in the same city where they grew up and worked as a receptionist at a hair salon. He wished he’d taken more time getting to know her when they were younger. Now, they rarely talked except on holidays.
“Hayley stays up late working on songs,” Linda sipped on her coffee. “She sleeps in. You’ll meet her later. And her manager. He’s working on increasing security at Hayley’s shows. You can talk with him when he comes by around noon.”
“Perfect,” Steve said. “We should be finishing up the install then. Good time to talk about her security detail. I’m told her next show is at an older venue.”
Linda nodded. “It’s not a public show. It’s a smaller venue and for charity. I don’t know how people afford these tickets.” She eyed the vaulted ceiling in the living room. “I’d never imagine having anything this nice, if it weren’t for Hayley.”
“It’s a beautiful home,” Bryce said.
The doorbell rang. “That should be the delivery,” Steve said. “Let’s get to work.”
Bryce was about to answer in agreement, when a recognizable voice trilled “good morning” from the stairs. He felt all speech and thought whoosh out of his brain, as he turned and took in Hayley Wild, gliding down the staircase in a thin sundress and bare feet.
Her long hair hung in loose waves down her back and the gold of the morning’s sunrise - already faded outside - seemed to have been absorbed and radiated back through the glow of her skin. Bryce’s eyes widened, taking her in. For the sake of his job, he’d almost wished she had been only half as beautiful as she appeared in photos and videos.
Somebody whistled, and it took Bryce a moment to realize it was Valerie.
“Since when are you up before noon? Hot date?” Valerie asked, crunching her cereal.
“I don’t sleep till noon,” Hayley said, gliding into the kitchen. “Michael – my manager – is meeting me this morning.” Bryce caught a fleeting glare between sisters. Valerie grinned and stared at her bowl. Hayley shook Steve’s hand and greeted him, then turned to Bryce.
Bryce, still mesmerized, forgot his own name. Fortunately, Steve saved the day.
“This is Bryce Thompson,” Steve gestured at Bryce. “One of the best at cyber security.”
Hayley extended her hand, and Bryce stared before taking hers. As much as he’d coached himself not to be starstruck, nothing could have prepared him for seeing Hayley in person. He forced himself to let go of her fingers as he nodded, trying to recap his entire biography in the two seconds he had to say something about himself which would instill confidence.
“Steve is being kind,” Bryce cleared his throat. “But I did work in both federal and corporate cyber security before moving into private protection. I’ll make sure all your networks are bulletproof.” He eyed Linda, not wanting to betray her secret about the stalker. Linda gave a little nod.
“I appreciate your commitment to protecting the privacy of my online shopping habit,” Hayley smiled. “Wouldn’t want it leaking out how much we can spend on shoes.”
“Doesn’t look like much,” Bryce said, eyeing her perfect feet.
Hayley blushed. “You should look in our closets.”
Bryce fought off a mental picture of Hayley in her closet wearing nothing but bras and panties, picking out clothes. He turned to Steve and cleared his throat again. “We should get started,” he said. “Could be a long day and we don’t want to get in your way.”
“You’re not in her way,” Valerie said, taking her bowl to the sink. “I don’t think you could be.”
“Valerie means you’re welcome here,” Hayley added quickly. “Your services are much appreciated. Valerie? Isn’t your ride going to be here soon?”
“How would you know?” Valerie asked, stomping up the stairs. “You’re never up this early.”
“Have either of you had breakfast?” Hayley looked at Steve and Bryce. “I could make you something.”
Steve shook his head. “That’s not necessary.”
Hayley looked deflated. Bryce wanted to tell her something - anything that would make her smile again. He forced his mouth into a hard line.
Professional, he reminded himself.
“I’ll get the boxes,” Bryce said, heading towards the foyer.
“I’d like to see what you’re installing,” Hayley said. “Can I come out to the pool house with you and have one of you…” she eyed Bryce. “Explain it all to me?”
“That’s a good idea,” Linda said. “You should be familiar with your own security measures.”
“Follow me,” Steve said. Hayley followed him out to the pool house, as Bryce went to get the delivery, burning inside that Steve got to go with Hayley and he didn’t.
