Page 15 of Cause When You Love Someone
“Tell me about your experience. Have you ever worked in law enforcement? Do you have a military background?”
“No.”
The women traded an unreadable glance, then their eyes came back to me.
“Mr. Harden, your good looks won’t?—”
“Have anything to do with making sure your daughter makes it home safely every night.” I straightened my glasses, then entangled my fingers as I leaned forward. “I don’t have any formal training. I’ve been looking after the women in my lifesince I hit puberty. I protect those close to me with my life because I’m built that way. Drama doesn’t interest me. Famous people don’t excite me. We all bleed and shit the same.”
Mrs. Rose dropped her frisky smile. “I like you. I don’t like that you don’t have any formal training, but I may be able to look past that. I may not know much about you, but I’m familiar with Shiloh and his wife, Stevie. Stevie grooms my dogs. I suppose we can move on in good faith.” She traced the end of her pen over her bottom lip. “Do you have a driver’s license? Gun license?”
“Everything is in the file you requested.”
She abandoned her seat and rested the tips of her fingers on the desk. “I hope your schedule is free. I want to conduct a trial run before I have you sign a contract.”
Clarke sucked her teeth. “That’s unnecessary.”
“So is your opinion,” Mrs. Rose argued. “Before I put my money maker in the hands of a stranger on a permanent basis, I need to see how you two work together.”
“Ma, you don’t need to tag along. If this is supposed to be a trial run, it should mirror a real scenario. Most days, you’re somewhere with a drink, a dick, and that slow ass Dell.”
Mrs. Rose opened her mouth to respond, but I interrupted her by raising a finger toward the high ceiling.
“Excuse me, ladies. I need to make something clear. I’m not working for you; I’m working with you. The trial run works two ways.”
Clarke stomped away, leaving me alone withCruella Deville.
When I tugged my eyes away from the empty hallway, I caught Mrs. Rose staring at me.
“The girl claims she has some errands to run. You’ll tag along, and we will pay you for your time. Her driver, Rock, will handle transportation,” she stated as we journeyed back to the front of the house. “I promise we aren’t as bad as we seem.”
“You don’t need to explain yourself to me. I’m here to work. I’m not interested in the family drama.”
“Yeah, okay. Make sureyouremember that.”
Clarke resurfaced after about thirty minutes, and she looked like a different person. Her natural hair was gathered in a long ponytail that hung down her back, and she exchanged her spandex one-piece for something colorful. Had I not seen the denim bottoms when she bent over, I would have believed all she wore was a hockey jersey and knee-length boots.
Without acknowledging her presence, I walked past Mrs. Rose and followed Clarke to a black truck. A short, dark-skinned man stood near the back door. He moved to open Clarke’s door, but I stepped in front of the handle.
“I got it,” I declared before pulling the door open and stepping to the side.
Clarke’s driver stared at me like he wanted a problem, but he didn’t move.
“It’s okay, Rock.” Clarke snickered. “This is . . .”
I reached for his hand. “Ishmael. It’s nice to meet you, sir.”
“Likewise. Will I be seeing you around?”
“We’re figuring that out now.”
Clarke stepped between us. “I’mfiguring that out. Remember, if I hire you, you workforme, notwithme. I don’t care what you think.”
I saluted her. “Yes, ma’am.”
She pushed me back and got comfortable on the last row of the Escalade. My need for space guided me to the row in front of her.
A text from my sister caused me to glance at my phone. I grinned at her kind words and the encouragement she offered. I told her I’d accepted the position within the firm, but I didn’t go into details about who I was meeting with.
