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Chapter Eleven

LILY

“You let him outsmart you.” Del’s laugh screeches in my ears.

I filled Del in with the details of the morning when I checked in to ask her for some ideas to navigate my way out of helping Sophie and Mia. Even though the door is shut to my room, I keep my voice down so Payton won’t hear.

“I did not! And why are you on his side?”

“I’m always on your side, luv. But I’ll always be honest with you, too. He got you on this one. Might want to change tactics.”

With a harrumph, I drop to my bed. “I only made it a competition because he was struggling with deceiving his friends.”

“And it worked bloody well. Better than you expected, I’d say.”

I fall back on the bed with a grunt. “Helping to plan a fundraiser wasn’t part of the job.”

“Well, it seems it is now, so I say roll with it. Who knows, you may wind up making some new friends.” Her carefree tone is seriously grating on my somewhat frayed nerves over this situation.

“You sound like Payton. ”

She laughs again. “My, my. Has the happy couple hit their first bump on the proverbial road?”

I snap back to a sitting position. “Will you stop enjoying this so much?”

Del lets out a long sigh. “You really don’t have a choice. Just go and make the best of it. If you come up with excuses, they’ll think you’re being evasive or snobby, which will only complicate future interactions. You don’t want that, do you?”

“No, I don’t. I don’t want this either, but I’ll go just to make you happy,” I quip.

“And Payton?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I’m merely saying?—”

I end the connection so I don’t have to hear the rest of that sentence because she might be right. What if I am doing some of these things out of concern for Payton? I mean, of course, I’m concerned for him as his bodyguard, but am I overly worried? Or unnecessarily so?

One thing I learned early in life was not to become too invested in a person or a situation because, ultimately, I’d wind up hurt or disappointed.

That belief served me well during my time in the military and made even more sense as a bodyguard.

Care for your principal, but don’t get emotionally involved.

Unfortunately, I may have crossed that line already, which will only damage my chances of landing that position with Dame Maxwell.

Maybe getting out of the apartment is a good idea. A little time away from Payton might help reset my perspective. Del’s covering surveillance and has constant eyes on the situation, so I really don’t have a valid excuse not to go.

I send a quick text to Sophie, telling her I’ll be there, to which she replies with one of those celebratory emojis.

Now to figure out what to wear, so I look the part. My professional attire might bring up questions I’d rather not have to answer with more lies. So jeans and a cute top it is.

And just for the record, and contrary to what Payton thinks, I’m not going to enjoy this.

Tantalizing aromas fill my nose as I walk into the Turtle Tide. Payton said to be sure to try the hush puppies because that’s one of their specialties. Along with the house-made remoulade dipping sauce. Something his former roommate turned him on to.

Sophie waves from a booth near the back, and as I approach, I see the top of Mia’s blonde head. But nobody else. Unless you want to count the basket of hushpuppies already sitting in the center of the table.

To be polite, I sit on Sophie’s side since she’s patting the spot next to her. “Where are the rest?”

Mia gives me a confused look. “Rest of what?”

“The other wives and girlfriends?”

“We’re it so far.” Sophie lets out a giggle as Mia snorts.

She dons a conspiratorial expression. “We’re the ones who count.”

Their silliness makes me grin. “You’re joking, right?”

“Not really. But we’re just getting started, so I’m sure more will join in once we have things figured out.” Sophie taps her pen on her notebook.

I bounce my gaze between them. “Okaaaay, then what’s the fundraiser for?”

“Underprivileged children. The team wants to do something really special this year, so we’re trying to come up with ideas.” Sophie pulls a notebook out of her tote. Pink, of course.

After a pause, Mia sighs. “I was thinking we could do some kind of amusement park.”

A fundraiser for kids in need? An amusement park?

I think my heart just clenched, and not in a good way.

When I was twelve, a state fair arrived in town, close to the foster home where I lived.

I’d never been to one and asked if we could go.

My foster father looked at me as if I’d sprouted horns, then cracked open his next can of beer.

Yet another moment that taught me to keep expectations low.

“Um, I’m not sure I’d be much help with this kind of thing.” I glance at the door, trying to figure out an escape. Maybe Payton needs me to babysit him after all.

Sophie blinks her large eyes at me. “When Payton texted me your number, he said you had some experience with stuff like this.”

“Like what?” I ask with a hefty dose of caution. Did he share details about my life? Because I don’t normally tell anyone about my past. Payton only knows because it seemed necessary for our cover story. Not that I have anything to hide. I’m just not a fan of sharing my life history.

“Organizing people and events.” Sophie blinks at me as if what she’s saying is obvious. “What kind of work did you do in London?”

“Security.” That’s generic enough and should satisfy their curiosity.

Sophie looks thoughtful. “Like with large groups?”

I give her a quick nod. “Sometimes.”

“That’s great! You can help us avoid complications.”

Mia tilts her head at me. “We had so much fun together at the game, we figured we’d make a great team.”

A great team? Anything I might have wanted to say is lodged in my throat.

My heart’s melting at the thought of Payton thinking about me and these two women believing I’m worth their time and effort.

But my head wants to knock him a solid in the skull with one of those pucks he plays with for the same reasons.

This is a job, not my life. I can’t get invested. Or attached. My time here is limited, but they don’t know that. They can’t know that. And then there’s that annoying tug on my heart that appears to be winning. Wait until Del hears about this. I can hear her laughing now.

My stomach feels like a swarm of bees took up residence, but I settle back into the seat, resigned to spending the next two hours planning an event for children who might never get the chance to do something like this. Like I never did.

“Okay, count me in. Where do we start?”

Sophie opens her notebook. “Today’s all about brainstorming.” She jots down Mia’s idea with a fancy number one beside it in blue ink.

I lean a tad closer to study the page. “I fully expected pink.”

Mia rolls her eyes. “If you only knew.”

Sophie giggles. “She’s still a little salty about that. I used pink ink when I was planning her wedding.”

“And I about went blind trying to read it until I begged her to switch to a darker color.”

“But my notes were pretty. You have to admit that.” Sophie implores her best friend with a humorous expression.

“No, I don’t.” She dips a hushpuppy into the sauce and pops it into her mouth.

I nab one and do the same just so I can tell Payton I at least tried them. An explosion of flavors hits my tongue, almost making me groan. He’s right. These things are doughy balls of heaven. “Wow. Payton said these were good.”

Sophie sets her pen down. “Be careful. They can be addictive.”

Mia finishes chewing and sips her water. “How did you two meet exactly? I don’t think I’ve heard that story yet.”

I grab the glass of water they so thoughtfully had waiting for me and take a long drink, mentally composing my first words. “At a pub. Turns out we had a few friends in common.”

Sophie nods. “Ah, that makes sense. Payton’s kind of shy.”

Shy? Maybe awkward at times like that first night trying to figure out our sleeping arrangements, but there was nothing bashful about Payton when I helped him take a shower, especially that last comment of his.

I nab another hushpuppy and break it in to pieces on my napkin. “I’ve never thought of him as shy.”

Mia and Sophie glance at each other.

Now my interest is completely engaged. “What am I missing here?”

Sophie smiles. “I’m guessing Payton never mentioned he tried to ask me out once.”

I snap my gaze to hers, feeling a sudden rush of heat and discomfort in my chest. Am I jealous? Is that jealousy? No, it can’t be. There’s no reason to feel that way. This is just a job.

“No, he didn’t.” My words sound clipped even to me.

Sophie rests her hand on my arm. “It was nothing. Seriously. Just an awkward moment when I did his interview for the paper.”

“Did you turn him down?” Why am I asking this? It’s not like I care…

She giggles again. “Didn’t have a chance to. Luke walked in and basically staked his claim on me.”

Mia snorts, then laughs. “Hockey players.”

Sophie beams a smile at me that’s pretty much irresistible. “If Payton wasn’t shy with you, that just proves you two are meant to be together. I’m so glad Payton found his person.”

I nod, then nibble on a piece of hushpuppy as I sift through this odd mix of emotions running through me. “Me, too.”

That seems the right thing to say in this situation, for believability. But I can’t help wondering what that would feel like. To be someone’s person…to be claimed by someone…to be wanted.

Payton’s quirky smile and humor, his agility and speed on the ice, and his concern for me…

he’s the total package. I’ve never encountered anyone like him before, and I may never again.

But none of this is real. That’s what I need to keep telling myself, or else I could easily fall for a guy like him.

And not just him. His group of friends, too.

Hopefully, my heart will start believing what my head is screaming at it.