Page 135 of Defending You

“Just take it.” Forbes chuckled, raising his voice again. “Sheesh, I’ve never had so much trouble giving money away.”

The crowd laughed, all except her father, who watched, arms crossed, from across the deck. His enigmatic expression had her heart dropping. Something was up.

He stalked forward and stopped at Asher’s side. “I’d like a word.”

Asher’s shoulders went rigid, and Cici caught the way his jaw tightened. He looked like a man about to face a firing squad.

“Dad? Is this necessary, right now?”

“It’ll only take a minute.” His tone was measured, but she could see the steel beneath it as he spoke to Asher. “Please.”

Funny how, even when he asked nicely, it sounded like a command.

The conversations around them gradually died as everyone sensed the shift in atmosphere. Even little Peri stopped chattering about the baby, her wide eyes darting among the adults.

Asher handed the envelope to Cici, his movements careful and controlled. She wanted to grab his arm, to tell her father to leave him alone, but Asher’s expression stopped her.

He didn’t want her help. He could handle himself.

“Of course.” His voice was steady and professional. The same tone he’d used when he was her bodyguard, and the formality of it made her chest ache.

They walked toward the far end of the deck and around the corner, out of sight.

“What do you think that’s about?” Brooklynn appeared beside her, concern creasing her features.

“Nothing good.” Cici’s voice came out small. She’d seen that look on her father’s face before—the careful neutrality that preceded his most devastating conversations. “He’s probably going to tell Asher to stay away from me.”

“He wouldn’t do that,” Alyssa said, joining them, but her tone lacked conviction.

Mom stepped between Cici and where her dad and the man she loved had just disappeared. “My goodness, sweet girl. You look like you’re awaiting a jury’s verdict.”

“Do you know what’s going on?”

“I don’t, but I do trust your father.”

Well, sure, because Dad adored Mom. He’d do anything for her. And he’d do anything for Cici, up to and includingthreatening the man she loved if he thought he wasn’t good enough for her.

Before her thoughts could spin further, Asher and Dad appeared at the corner again.

The two men walked back toward the group, and Cici held her breath as she searched their faces for clues. Her father’s expression was unreadable, but Asher looked like someone had just told him the sky was green—and the clouds were marshmallows.

Mom stepped away, drawing Dad toward her, and Asher approached Cici and grabbed her hand.

That felt like a good sign.

“Walk with me?” he whispered, already moving away.

“Sure.”

He said nothing while they meandered through the crowd to the steps that led down to the yard, then across to the stone wall that separated the grass from the rocky shore. Once there, he turned to face her. And smiled.

“What? What did he say?”

“He wrote me a letter of recommendation. Said he could get me a job in DC. Anywhere I wanted.”

Dad was trying to get rid of Asher, and Asher looked ready to take the bait.

He was still smiling, a knife to her chest. “I thought he was trying to bribe me to leave you, but then… He offered a second choice. A job.”