Page 18 of Steal My Breath Away

“Except Sam,” she said.

“Not Sam.”

“I’ll let you guys work that one out. ‘Not Sam’ has to get to a band rehearsal.” Sam leaned over to kiss Haley on the lips and then looked over his shoulder at me with a smirk. “My money is on Haley in an argument, so I’ll probably see you soon.”

I pulled out a chair and joined Haley at the table. “I meant it about guests. We need to keep the circle of people who know about me small. It’s better for everyone if this is handled discreetly.”

“Better for my mother, you mean.” She raised an eyebrow. “I personally think it would be better if you wore a shirt that read ‘Haley’s Bodyguard. Touch her and die.’ You’d be an effective deterrent. Not that I seriously think I’m in danger anymore. Nothing has happened since the incident on the street, and there’s no real link between that and the threats Mom received. We learned in one of my psych classes that most people who make threats don’t act on them. The biggest danger is the people you don’t see coming.”

Typical Haley. Burying the pain away. “All the more reason for me to stay invisible.”

“Funny,” she said, unsmiling. “When did you become such a funny guy?”

“I’m a serious guy, and you need to take this seriously. You can’t pretend it’s not happening like you always do.”

Her jaw tightened. “How would you know what I always do? You completely ghosted me, as if the friendship we had when we were younger meant nothing, as if we were two strangers meeting at a party and then going their separate ways. You made it clear you wanted nothing to do with me when I started high school and even more clear when you left. It changed me, Ace. I’m not the girl I was when you left.”

Guilt speared through me the way it had back at the office when she’d mentioned how I’d disappeared from her life. Not only had I encouraged Matt to join the air force with me, making me partially responsible for his death, I’d also abandoned her emotionally when she needed me the most. I had a chance now to be physically present for her in ways I wasn’t before, and maybe even make up for any emotional harm I’d caused—if she’d let me.

“I know you’ve changed. We both have.” She hadn’t been a girl since the summer she turned fifteen and walked into the backyard in a tiny bikini, sporting curves I didn’t know she had.

I shifted in my seat, trying to think of what else to say. I had an introductory speech I gave all my clients, but I couldn’t remember the words. It was awkward, the distance between us. Things had always been easy with Haley. She talked. I listened. We had adventures together. Sometimes we shared our feelings. She was never uncomfortable with my silence, and I was never irritated by her need to chatter.

“Do you have any other boyfriends I should know about?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from painful topics.

“I don’t really do boyfriends,” Haley said. “Sam and I probably meet up once or twice a month, have sex, and then he leaves. Is it really going to be an issue?”

My stomach tightened and I reminded myself that I was over Haley. I’d put all those feelings behind me long ago. So why did I keep having a visceral reaction every time the idea of her with other guys came up?

“If it’s important to you, we can make it work.” I had to force the words out. “But it would be better to keep visitors to a minimum. Can he not handle a few weeks without… benefits?”

A slow smile creased her face. “You mean sex? Can Sam not go a few weeks without sex? Maybe he can, but I can’t.”

“Dammit, Haley,” I spluttered. “I’m just trying to keep you safe.”

“And I’m trying to live my life,” she said. “This whole bodyguard thing is OTT and I only agreed to it because it’s the first time since my dad died that my mom has acted like a mom. I’ll bet the kidnapping attempt was just a one-off, the threats will turn out to be nothing, and you’ll be free of me and back to protecting all your famous actresses and singers in no time.”

“Until then I’ll do my best to keep you safe.” Haley had changed in some ways—she was a woman now and not a girl, and she’d lost her wild edge, but her need to talk through her concerns out loud was still the same.

“Are you going to pretend to be a student or stand conspicuously at the back of the class?” she asked.

“It depends on the classroom setup.” I fiddled with the worn strap of the watch Haley’s father had given me for my first birthday in Riverstone. He’d been like a father to me, encouraging my interest in mechanics by letting me help him fix things around the house, and even finding me a job with his friend at the local auto body shop when he noticed my interest in engines. “I met with campus security yesterday, and they took me to your classrooms, the radio station, and the coffee shop where you work. For the most part, I’ll be able to watch you discreetly.”

It definitely wouldn’t be a hardship. Not a day had gone by that I didn’t think about Haley. I had tons of pictures of Haley and her family on my phone—camping trips, holidays, barbecues, and one of Haley and her dad before he died. They’d kept me going during my darkest days. I’d never met anyone like Haley. From the day I first walked in the door to find her singing and dancing around the kitchen, to the family dinners where she entertained everyone with her nonstop stories, and the camping trips where her innate curiosity always got her into trouble, she had been a light in my life. I’d been utterly drawn to her and for some reason she liked spending time with me.

“I like that you’re quiet. You make all the noise go away.”

I could see the memory, right there between us, hear the music from the carnival rides the day I’d taken her to the summer fair. I’d known she was going to sneak into town the minute her parents said no, and I made sure I was outside her house first thing in the morning. Haley couldn’t resist a fair. I told myself I was there to look after her, but really, I wanted to share her joy.

I pulled out a silver necklace with a flower pendant and held it in the air. “I have a peace offering.”

Haley stared at me in stunned silence. “You bought me a necklace?”

“Stellar Security bought the necklace. The pendant has a GPS tracker and a locator button hidden on the back. If you push it twice, it will text me and the team to let us know you need help. The text message sends a link to your exact GPS location and thetracker will let us follow you even if you don’t have your phone. You have to promise to wear it anytime we leave the house.”

“It’s so pretty,” she said softly. “It’s a violet, isn’t it?”

I’d chosen the violet because it was her favorite flower back home. She used to collect them from the dry shale banks around the nearby pond in spring. “I’m not really a flower person.”

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