Page 56 of Justified Fear

“Well, Dad got a good look at Ryan without his shirt on.”

“Oh, damn,” Eden said with a chuckle.“I figure you wanted to talk to Ian and me.”

She nodded.“I need another cup of coffee to deal with all of this.”

“I hear you.I am not a morning person.”

As she listened to Eden a little more, she realized there was a bit of a twang in her voice.“Do I detect a little Texan in your accent?”

Eden smiled as they stepped into her kitchen.Ian was nowhere to be found.

“Yes.In fact, I realized my parents know your parents.”

Eden Carlyle.Her eyes widened.“NotthatCarlyle?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Small world.”

“And Ian has a connection to TFH,” Eden said, as Keely headed for the coffeemaker.

“Would you like a cup?”

“Always.”

She started to make a pot of coffee, assuming Ian would want one too.“Ian has a connection to TFH?”

“Yeah, Mix’s sister works for them.I bet you met Autumn.”

“Stop calling me Mix,” Ian said, his voice bland as he walked into the kitchen.

“Ignore him.He’s just mad because it was my turn to drive,” Eden said, stepping around him.She knew they were trying to ease her worries.“Your father told Conner just how much you have been through in the last few days, and I’m really sorry you’ve had to deal with that.”

Usually, when people said things like that, it didn’t feel sincere.With Eden, it felt different.

“How does this work?”

Ian…AKA Mix…zeroed in on her.“According to the boss, you’ve had protection before.”

She nodded.“There was an incident where I got lost at a mall in San Antonio.They couldn’t find me for close to an hour.Both my parents freaked out because South Texas had suffered through a spate of kidnappings.I had security for a little while after.But it has been years.I was a minor at the time, so I couldn’t say no.Now is a different matter.Tell me how we make this work without me screaming at you.”

Eden gave her an approving look.It was as if she had passed some kind of test.“One of the things we pride ourselves on is being as unobtrusive as possible.We’re there, but we try our best not to get in your way,” Eden said.

“That’s good because I have several bookings.And tomorrow, I have another school day.The only problem we might have there is getting you two approved.”

Ian frowned.“At a school?”

She nodded.“I volunteer to help with life studies.”

The frowning didn’t ease.

“It’s what they used to call Home Economics.They don’t really teach that anymore, which is a problem in some cases.Many people struggle to create a meal plan or shop for it effectively.I come in and teach them how to do that.”

“And they pay you for that?”

She chuckled.“No.That’s what volunteering means.I approached my local school here, just as I had done back in Texas.Word got around to the other schools, so I had to set up a schedule.I’m going to Nimitz tomorrow.”

“That’s over on Salt Lake, right?”Eden asked.