Page 59 of Caleb
She’s going to live alone, for fuck’s sake. I don’t think it’s wise for her to be completely unattended. But the reminder of Ambassador Murphy’s plans to have her followed for the rest of her days for as long as he breathes both calms me and makes me itch. It’s beyond selfish on my part, I know.
And it’s wild to think about how things would change if I could just let Red know how her mother was accidentally killed and that it’s not a direct threat to her safety.
What would her reaction be if she found out? I’ve asked myself this question one too many times. But ultimately, I feel like, deep down, she doesn’t want to live like this forever. Caged. Followed.
But my bone-deep selfishness wins again. I get to “keep” her, and she’s stuck with me because of that tight-as-fuck NDA I signed almost four years ago.
“So, we’re coming to New York?” I ask, hoping it’s a resounding yes.
“Well, for starters … I am.” The warmest and most optimistic of smiles brightens her eyes. And I wish I could be happy for her, but Ambassador Murphy’s got a solid track record of being an asshole to her time and time again. So my guess is she’ll end up coming back to France after a few months of enduring his incorrigible behavior.
At least here, she has a reliable support system. Her family. Her friends. But what will she do when things go south in New York? Because they will. I’ll be her only friend there, at least initially, and I’m not sure if I can take any more of it. It’s frustrating to watch her suffer every other month.
“He wants me to come with him, not as an employee, but just as … me,” she adds with a smile. “He wants us to finally give it a try without the heaviness of his diplomatic role weighing on us.”
“I see.” I can’t help the curt response. And I also can’t agree with this decision being what’s best for her. If she can notice the disagreement on my face, so be it.
“Please don’t judge me,garçon,” she says, her smile melting away.
And now I feel like shit.
“You know it’s not about that, Annette. I’ve never judged you. I just … hate to see you get hurt,” I say honestly. “And what about Miss Murphy?”
“What about her?”
“Will you announce your relationship to her?” For some reason, I don’t think Red would be entirely okay with her father establishing a relationship with someone, let alone Annette. Or maybe she will, who knows. I just want her to be okay. But she’s too curious. Too smart. She would probably suspect they had something going on for a while now, and it would hurt her too much if she found out this relationship has been going on since before her mother died. “Or how does that work once you go back?”
“We’ve—discussed it,” she replies quickly, dipping her chin. “We were planning on making it seem like I’m there for work. And she will believe it because you know how she thinks James can’t function without me. So, I mean, that’s somewhat true. And that’s also the main reason why Miss Murphy won’t be living with James so that we can have the apartment for ourselves. But the plan is to break the news to her at some point once she’s established in her new life there. And who knows? Maybe she’ll think we fell in love in New York.”
Fell in love. I shut my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. Ambassador Murphy is not a man in love. A man in lust? Of course. But a man in love doesn’t treat a woman that way. He’s a piece of shit; that’s what he is.
“Caleb, please,” she mutters. “Have a little faith.”
“No, yeah.” I press my lips into an apologetic smile. “You’re right. That sounds like a solid plan to me.”
Annette snorts and shakes her head.
“I wish I could make you understand how serious we both are about this,” she tosses in.
“You—no, you don’t need to convince me of anything, okay?” I say, trying my best to sound reassuring because all I can do as her friend is support her in her decision. She seems resolute, and she’s not asking for my opinion. “So what about us? Aaron and me, I mean.” It’s best to change the subject. Besides, Ineedto know what’s going to happen. My anxiety is skyrocketing as I ask the question again.
“We didn’t discuss that, but I told you how he got all worked up about Miss Murphy needing twenty-four-hour supervision in New York, so it sounds like it would be the obvious choice for him to ask you to come. Miss Murphy feels comfortable with you and Aaron, and that’s important. James thinks that’s important.”
“Okay,” I say with a sigh. “I guess we’ll just wait and see what happens.”
“You love your job, don’t you?” She eyes me knowingly, and I stand up as an avoidance reflex and grab my jacket.
“The pay is great, and Miss Murphy is easy to handle,” I reply, sliding into my jacket, making sure my eyes don’t meet hers. But Annette is no fool. At least she’s cutting me some slack by not pushing the subject.
“Mmm.”
“We’re gonna be late.” I grab her hands and help her up. “Let’s go.”
The dinner portion of the event is over, and now more guests are arriving for the cocktail party. There are roughly one hundred people here, and Aaron and I are following Red around discreetly throughout the different rooms in the Residence. She’s more than safe here, but Ambassador Murphy still likes us to keep an eye on her at all times.
Red looksgorgeous. I had to look away for a few seconds to avoid a rogue reaction seeping through my features when she stepped out wearing that emerald green tight-fitting dress. Her body’s changed so much these past few years. And her soft, elegant curves are a bit more accentuated. She’s still got that slender figure going on, but herderrièreis just the perfect amount of round and perky now. And that dress makes it hard to look away from the dip between her ass and waist.
God have mercy.
