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He nodded. “He said I can bring the kids any day between lunch and dinner—just shoot him an email.”
“Great. Heading home?”
“Figured I’d help out.” He took off his wet tie and shoved it in a pocket, then started unbuttoning his shirt cuffs and rolling up his sleeves.
“I think we’ve got things under control,” Triss said, making a move toward the door. “You need to—”
“I’m planning to stick around for a while. I can sit and observe, but I’d much rather have something to do,” Hunter said, moving in front of her and blocking her path as he rolled up the second sleeve.
“Give the man a job, Triss, and out you both go! Too many cooks in my kitchen.”
Triss shot a glare over at Barb even as the woman winked at Hunter and continued prepping several large salads.
“We’re setting tables,” Triss said finally. She pointed to an empty pitcher by the sink. “Go ahead and fill that one up with ice water and meet me in the dining hall.” She scooted past him and turned out of the kitchen.
* * *
Hunter hurried to the pitcher, filling it and heading out the way he’d seen Triss turn. He wanted to tell her to slow down, to sit, to take it easy. But he knew any suggestions wouldn’t just be ignored, they’d be fought. The best he could do would be to stay close, keep an eye on her. Was he overreacting? Maybe. But he’d learned two years ago exactly what could happen when physical symptoms were ignored. His wife had died because of it.
When he turned into the dining hall, he noticed Triss setting down her pitcher and taking a seat next to one of the residents. She leaned forward, empathy in her expression as she listened.
Hunter filled the glasses around the room, his attention flicking to Triss as he did so. She spoke softly to the man, whose dark hair was still winning its battle against gray. Her hand came to the man’s upper arm, soothingly rubbing it as the man wiped away tears. Her tenderness was always a surprise when she let it show, and Hunter wondered often why she worked so hard to hide it.
He’d been intrigued by Triss ever since he’d met her at the gun range during a training session a couple of years ago. She’d never shot a gun in her life, but within hours she was outshooting police veterans. He’d been impressed, but not drawn to her in the least. The loss of his wife was still raw, and Triss emanated no warmth. She didn’t smile even once, and barely spoke the entire day, moving off to the side to eat a quick bagged lunch she’d brought, clearly signaling she wasn’t interested in conversation.
She was gorgeous, with a slim athletic figure, and wide dark eyes set against caramel skin. But her body language created a barrier that told people she was intensely private and happier that way. Still, something about her intrigued Hunter, especially when he learned that Luke was her older brother. Luke had to be one of the most congenial guys Hunter had ever met, and the contrast between the two was striking—even though their sibling bond was obvious to anyone who saw them together.
Over time, their friendship grew, and Hunter had become determined to discover what had hurt her so much in the past that she had created a rigid wall around her. She had seemed just as determined to keep her distance, which had become painfully obvious when she’d moved to Harmony and stopped contacting Hunter in August. Even his kids had started getting attached to her, and her disappearance had been confusing for them.
But something had shifted between them today. His mind called up the memory of her in his arms, her hand clutching his shirt. He’d never known Triss to accept help, but she had done more than accept his help. She had hung on to him, her face pressed to his chest.
And he hadn’t missed her reaction when he’d run into her in the kitchen doorway a few minutes ago. Triss, flustered? Was it possible he still had a chance to deepen the friendship he’d been fighting for? Did he even want to? The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint his kids if she started coming around and then disappeared again. And Triss had big goals, he reminded himself.
When she’d signed the contract at Harmony and essentially made an exit from his life, he’d told himself that he wouldn’t get in the way of her dreams, like he had with his late wife. Viv never did finish college and go on to practice law like she’d planned to do. If he was honest with himself, he was the one who had pushed for the marriage. She would have been content to finish out her education first and have kids later. But she’d caved to his cajoling, lost in the glamour of the romance and the lure of a future together...before her entire life was stolen from her a few short years later. He wouldn’t do that to someone else, especially not to Triss.
It wasn’t something he should be thinking about, anyway. Not after what Triss had told him today. He’d stick around for a while and observe what was going on, then have a chat with Security before heading home to the kids. Thankfully, he had flexible childcare.
Hiring a live-in nanny had been the best decision he’d made since his wife’s death. A college student and the oldest of five kids, Samantha Farrow knew her way around the kitchen, the laundry room, temper tantrums and messy diapers. What was more—she genuinely seemed to adore his kids. Granted, Josie and Levi were pretty easy to get along with. But he’d had sitters before who had been all too eager to plop the kids in front of a television or cart them off to bed early. Samantha enjoyed interacting with them, playing games with them, reading to them, teaching them—which meant that Hunter could focus his energy on keeping an eye on Triss tonight, knowing his kids were in good hands.
The next half hour slipped by quickly, as the tables were set, the buffet was spread out and the guests arrived. Triss gave Hunter new tasks when he asked, but for the most part, she didn’t seem to notice that he was there. All her energy and emotion seemed focused on making the reception run smoothly, as she spoke with residents and also Frank’s family members. Despite her typically guarded nature, she knew how to draw someone into a conversation, her sincerity evident in her body language and the softness that had fallen over her expression. She might be living here on a contract, but she wasn’t merely fulfilling her duty or putting on a show to prove that she was worthy of the position. She genuinely cared, and for some reason, Hunter’s heart swelled as he watched her in action.
This was the part of her personality he’d caught glimpses of over the past couple of years, but something changed when she walked through the doors of Creekside, and her shields came down. Interesting.
By the time dinner was served, Hunter felt confident that Triss wasn’t seriously injured or in any immediate danger. Plus, Triss knew how to handle herself. He glanced at his watch. Just enough time to touch base with Security and pick up groceries before heading home to tuck in his kids. He turned to leave the dining hall, but Kaye saw him and practically jumped out of her seat.
“You’ve helped all this time. Why don’t you eat with us?” she suggested, grabbing his arm and attempting to pull him toward the buffet tables.
“I’ve got to get home, but thank you.”
“Oh, right. Your kids are waiting for you. Well, I hope I’ll get to meet them. Did you talk to Brandon?”
“I did. I’ll bring the kids by soon.”
“Levi and Josie, right? I can’t wait.”
“Have a good night, Kaye,” he said and started to turn away before he had a last-minute thought. “Actually...” He pulled out his wallet, slipped out a business card and handed it to her. “I’m a little worried about Triss. I don’t think she wants anyone to know right now, but I’d feel better if someone here was watching out for her. She was in an accident on the way back from the cemetery today.”
Kaye accepted the card, her eyes widening. “That’s why she seemed different when she walked in. Why she was late...”
“She didn’t want to go to the hospital, so I was keeping an eye on her. Would you—”
Kaye was already nodding. “I have six daughters. This is my specialty.” She smiled then, tapping the card. “What a very caring coworker you are.”
Hunter couldn’t help but grin. The woman was astute, and he knew he could trust her to watch out for Triss.
“Go home to your kiddos, now. And I won’t tell Triss that I know about the accident.” She gave him a goodbye hug and Hunter let himself out of the home, heading across the parking lot to the cottage-like building Triss had pointed out.
The cottage was constructed of whitewashed brick, and its oak door was unlocked. Hunter tapped on it before opening the door, and was greeted by a jungle of flowers and a smiling silver-haired woman snipping thorns off of a pile of roses. The place smelled like a flower boutique, with arrangements in a myriad of vases on every surface.
“Hello there,” the woman said, her voice chipper. “How can I help you?”
“Sorry,” Hunter said, confused. The place looked more like a gift shop than an administrative office building. “I think I’m in the wrong place. I was looking for Security.”
“Oh, no. You’re in the right place. I’m the office manager.” The woman set aside her flowers and wiped her hands on a hand towel before offering a handshake to Hunter. “Laura Senate. My daughter’s wedding is this weekend, and I’m helping make the floral arrangements.”
“You do beautiful work.”
“Thank you. The security office is around the corner. First door on the left.” She pointed, but a frown line surfaced along her forehead. “I hope everything’s okay?”
“I have a few questions I wanted to run by the team.”
The woman nodded, still not quite smiling. “Vince’s there right now, and Adam’s somewhere...” She shrugged. “It’s pretty quiet out here, you know.”
“It’s a peaceful place,” Hunter agreed. “Thanks for the help.” He followed her instructions and walked around the corner, finding the first door on the left open. He tapped on the wall outside the door and peeked in.
The man at the desk wore black slacks and a gray uniform shirt A brown desk plaque gave the name Vince Beck. He looked up from his computer monitor in surprise, his hand coming up to adjust his too-long comb-over.
“Yes?” the man asked, his gruff voice matching his bulky frame.
Hunter stepped into the room and held out a hand, “I’m Hunter Knox. A friend of mine is one of the graduate students here at Harmony—Triss Everett.”
Vince smiled and relaxed, shaking Hunter’s hand. “How can I help you?”
Without much information yet, Hunter wanted to be careful with his words. His purpose tonight was to get a feel for the security at Harmony, and also the receptiveness of the team to making some adjustments.
“You may know that Triss works for Shield Protection Services. We’re coworkers, actually.”
Vince’s expression was suddenly amused. “Oh, yes, we all know about Triss and her focus on security. She’s always got new ideas she wants us to put in place, but Harmony hasn’t ever had a security problem. I say, if it ain’t broke, why fix it?”
Hunter didn’t see the humor Vince obviously saw, and took note that he would likely meet resistance when trying to implement any changes. Vince seemed a little too comfortable with his job. He was a big guy, probably in his late thirties. He carried a little extra weight around his midsection, but otherwise he appeared fit. He didn’t wear a wedding ring, and there were no family photos anywhere in his office.
Hunter forced a smile. “It’s a beautiful place. My mom was here for a while.” He started. “Maybe you knew her—Wendy Knox?”
Vince shook his head. “Doesn’t ring a bell, but I’ve only been here three years.”
Hunter nodded. “She passed before that, but sure enjoyed her time here. In fact, I know others who are considering it for their parents. Would you mind giving me a quick rundown of your security protocols?”
“Oh, sure,” Vince said, motioning for Hunter to take a seat as he turned a wide-screen computer monitor toward him. The monitor showed four grainy scenes at a time. “This here’s our monitor,” Vince began, and Hunter suppressed a sigh. This was going to be worse than he’d expected.
* * *
A half hour later, Hunter was thinking about the practically nonexistent security at Harmony and wondering how quickly Shield could convince Harmony management to make improvements. A private security company, Shield designed, installed and manned custom security systems for residences and businesses. Due to the nature of the work, agents often served as both bodyguards and investigators, reporting suspicious activity and passing tips on to police. Usually, potential clients approached Shield for help. Bringing a proposal to Harmony would likely be a hard sell. Maybe bringing his kids to the facility the next day would be a good first step. That way, he could get a feel for the place without making anyone uneasy.
He pulled into the first grocery store he saw, heading quickly inside and grabbing a basket. He’d only managed to grab bananas and frozen chicken nuggets when his cell phone rang, the number unfamiliar.
“Hello?” he answered, snagging a pack of mini doughnuts for his kids in the morning.
“Is this Hunter Knox?” a woman’s voice asked.
He recognized the voice, and his heart pitched. “Yes. What’s wrong, Kaye?” He was setting his basket on a closed register before she could even answer, heading straight for the exit.
“It’s Triss. She just left the dining hall. I followed her and she told me she was very tired. Unlike her. It’s not even seven o’clock. And she looked...funny.”
“Funny, how?”
“I can’t really say. Her eyes looked kind of glazed. Maybe I’m overreacting...”
“I’m heading back now.”
“Hurry, okay?”
“You got it.” Hunter was already running to his truck. He slammed the door shut and peeled out of the parking lot.
This is what he’d been afraid of—a head injury or an internal injury that hadn’t made itself known immediately. He should have forced her to get checked out after the accident. Well, she wouldn’t argue with him this time. He would go over there and knock on her door until she opened it, and then he was going to drive her straight to the hospital—even if he had to drag her.
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