Hayley laughed. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For making me laugh. I feel better now.”
“You’re welcome,” Bryce said. “It’s not every client I go the extra mile for.”
Hayley reddened again. “Oh my god. I’m such a mess.” She blew her nose.
“You’ve never been on week six of basic training with a bunch of men and women cycling through the same few dirty shirts with fewer showers,” Bryce replied. “You look beautiful in comparison.”
Hayley looked Bryce in the eye and smiled. “Thanks. You’re really sweet.”
“Just don’t tell my boss,” he said. “I’m trying to establish a macho man image.”
Hayley grinned, before sitting back in her seat. “I can’t go in like this. I don’t want my mom or Valerie to see me. I don’t want them to be worried.”
Bryce tapped the window glass with his fingers, debating. “There’s more you should know,” he finally said.
Hayley turned to face him. “What?”
“Your mother knows,” Bryce confessed. “She’s seen some of the emails and tweets that came to your professional and business accounts. That’s why she called us. She’s trying to protect you but didn’t want you to live in fear.”
Hayley took a deep breath, staring at her hands. “She shouldn’t have to deal with all this. She’s already been through so much with my dad.”
“Hey,” Bryce said. Instinctively, he reached for her hand and clasped it. His body instantly warmed and relaxed at the touch of her skin.
“This isn’t your fault,” he said. “What you’ve been able to accomplish with hard work, perseverance, and passion is nothing short of extraordinary. Don’t feel bad about living your dream. And don’t worry about your mom. She’s stronger than you think. She appreciates all the good you’ve done for your family. Not many people would be as generous if they came into money. I live in New York City. Trust me on this.” He smiled at her, hoping to coax her into doing the same.
“I do trust you,” Hayley admitted. She squeezed his hand. “I’m not even sure why. We’ve only known each other for a few days. I just…have a good feeling about you.”
Bryce flushed, the barrier he’d put up between his feelings for Hayley and professionalism slowly breaking down. “Well, it’s part of my job to build trust with my client,” he said, ”What good would I be at protecting you, if you though I was shady?”
“Not good at all,” Hayley smiled. “Is being easy to talk to part of your job, too?”
Bryce grinned. “This charm is all natural.”
Hayley laughed. “You were anything but at first.”
“I didn’t want you to think I had other intentions outside of protecting you,” Bryce said. “I told you, I was a fan. Still am.”
“What are your intentions now?” Hayley asked, her voice almost a whisper. She laced her fingers tightly into his.
Bryce considered his words; there were so many ways he wanted to answer. He wanted to tell her what his heart truly desired, that he had never felt this way about anyone. She was everything he’d ever hoped to find in a woman - caring, selfless, warm, beautiful, capable - and all of it wrapped up in impeccably good taste and class. Then, of course, there was her voice. He could listen to her sing and talk all day. But Bryce swallowed down all of the things he wanted to pour out. This wasn’t the time for it, he thought.
“My intentions are to keep you safe,” he replied. “I want you to live without fear, and enjoy this rollercoaster of a life to the fullest. Make more music for me to listen to at my desk in New York.”
Hayley’s smile shrank. She squeezed his hand once more and released it. Bryce sensed she expected a different reply. Maybe he should have told her his true feelings.
“We should go in,” Hayley said.
“I’ll walk you to the door. I’m still working on the network back there, but I’ll be back tomorrow morning.”
He was still looking for the best way to trace the stalker from the clues he’d left in his wake. Whoever he was, the guy knew how to cover his tracks: IP addresses from all over the world, burner accounts and phones, stolen credit cards, firewalls. He wasn’t a run of the mill dope with a celebrity crush.
Bryce ran around the car to open the door for Hayley, but she was already standing on the driveway.
“How long till you’re finished?” Hayley asked.
