Page 81 of Building Courage

Her stomach tightened as she walked across the room to take it. “Thank you.” Her fingertips gripped the envelope, and he released it.

“I have other businesses besides the yacht. That’s just a side interest. They all have websites, and I think I need a new eye to look at them for updates. It would be remote work, but you might have to do some photography to freshen things and give them some eye-catching pazazz like you did with the Aurora site.”

“You can send me the links, and I’ll be happy to look the sites over and give you some suggestions.” She forced a smile.

“I’ll do that.”

The intercom on the phone buzzed, and Bryant punched a button in it.

The receptionist’s voice came over the device. “Tim is here, Mr. Bryant.”

“Send him in, please.”

Brynn’s heart rate surged, and her stomach jittered.

Tim opened the door and sauntered in.

“I have to move on to my next shoot,” she said. “Send the links to my email, and I’ll see if there are any suggestions I can make. I’ll email you as soon as I’ve had an opportunity to look at them.”

“I’ll do that later today,” Bryant said.

Tim nodded to her. “Miss Barrington, it’s nice to see you again.”

“Thanks.” She forced another smile. “You, too.”

What would she do if he grabbed her? Drive her knee into his balls and run like hell. She moved around him and strode to the door.

By the time she got to the elevator, she was shaking.

The doors opened, and Tucker stood inside. She had only a moment to see him dressed in his uniform before she stepped in, and the doors closed behind her.

“Brynn.”

“Don’t say it. I know I should’ve gotten Jess to come with me or waited for you, but she was in class, and you were…busy. I wanted to end any connection with Bryant as soon as possible.” She folded the envelope in half, then again, and tucked it into her purse.

His silence and the flexing of his jaw didn’t bode well. He was so protective, something she’d never felt from her parents—only her brothers.

“We could be wrong about Bryant, Tucker. But Tim came in just as I was getting ready to leave, and that bothered me.” She drew a deep breath. “He was at the pub the other night when we ate dinner with Denotti and Ava. He just stood at the bar and watched us.”

“Jesus, Brynn. I saw a guy watching you but didn’t know it was him. You didn’t say anything.”

“All he did was watch, and you and Denotti were there. We were having such a nice time I didn’t want to say anything to ruin it.”

Why couldn’t she just have a normal life? She’d been trying to build one here in San Diego. She wanted to put down roots. Have a place she belonged.

The elevator door opened, and they stepped out.

“Where do you need to go from here?” he asked.

“Home. I have a few small things I need to finish.”

“I’m going to follow you there,” he announced as though he expected her to argue.

“Okay.”

“Where are you parked?” he asked.

“In the parking structure down the street.”

---