“The invisible perimeter.”
“Not for a long time.”
“Well, then that will be our first goal.” I propped up on my elbow and looked down at her. “After lunch today, we’re going to take three steps past the perimeter.”
“I don’t know, Eden. It’s already been a crummy day.”
“Today, when Cole was talking about his party, he mentioned his friend Max. You like this guy don’t you?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“Well, how are you ever going to go on a date with Max if you can’t get past the barrier?”
“It’s hopeless. I’m nuts.”
I sat up. “Finley Tate King, you are not nuts. Fucking eccentric, yes, but you’re not nuts. And if I can walk out to that pool area in the ugliest bathing suit ever sewn, then you can take three friggin’ steps out of your comfort zone.”
She seemed to be mulling over my pep talk. Then she laughed. “Oh my god, that suit really is hideous.”
“Yes, thank you. I know.”
She sat up. “Three steps and no more.”
“Just three.”
A knock on her door was followed by Jude’s voice. A slight tremble returned to my hands upon hearing it, and I wondered what the hell that was about.
Jude opened the door and poked his dark head inside. “I need to borrow Eden for a second. William is here.”
I looked questioningly at Finley, but she avoided direct eye contact with me. She slid off the bed, walked over to her computer, and sat down. “Don’t keep her long. We’re going to shop online for a bathing suit.”
Hesitantly, I slid off the bed and walked to the door. I had no idea what was going on or who William was, but I followed Jude down the stairs. We ended up in the kitchen where a middle-aged man in an expensive suit sat at the counter sipping a soda. His briefcase leaned up against the legs of the stool he sat on. He stood as I stepped into the kitchen behind Jude.
“Hello, Miss Saxon. I’m William Shuster, lawyer for Nicky King.”
“Lawyer?” A pile of legal looking papers sat on the counter next to a pen.
“Yes, Mr. King has all of his employees sign a contract.”
He motioned for me to sit on the stool next to him. Jude did not join us, but he stood nearby to watch. I wondered if this was all his doing. Obviously, he still didn’t trust me, and that thought tightened a knot in my stomach.
The lawyer flipped the pages through his fingers once as if I could magically read them.
“I’m an excellent reader, Mr. Shuster, but I’m afraid my reading skills don’t allow me read at the speed of light.”
A small laugh came from Jude’s direction, but I was too angry to even look his way.
“It’s all basic legal terms releasing my client from liability if you’re injured or killed on his premises. There is also a clause that prohibits you from relaying anything of a personal nature that occurs here at the King residence. As you can understand, Miss Saxon, my client is very well-known, and the tabloids are constantly looking for stories to exploit.”
I pulled the papers from him and skimmed through them, but the legal language was foreign and difficult to understand.
“Everyone employed in this household signs this exact agreement.” He cleared his throat. “Different names and positions, of course, but the same clauses are listed.”
My eyes drifted to the line below my name. The words companion to Miss Finley King were typed on the line. I thought back to Finley’s reaction when Jude had asked to see me. She knew about this whole thing. I was hurt that she hadn’t clued me into it first. A warning would have been nice. I had to trust that Mrs. Vickers would not have sent me into a shady situation.
I picked up the pen and signed my name. “Is that all you need?”
The lawyer checked the signature and nodded. “That’s all. Thank you.”
I hopped off the stool and brushed past Jude without looking at him. I heard the man say something, and Jude followed with the words, “excuse me for a minute, Will.”
Heavy footsteps pounded behind me. “Eden.”
I ignored Jude and picked up my pace down the long hallway.
“Eden.” His calloused, paint-stained fingers wrapped around my arm, and he spun me around to face him. I still hadn’t learned to steel myself against the impact of his gaze. “This is something my dad has everyone sign. He has to protect himself from lawsuits and slander. This had nothing to do with me.”
An angry laugh escaped me. “That’s funny. All of a sudden, you’re concerned about my opinion of you.” I tried to pull from his grasp, but his grip was too strong. “Can I go back upstairs?” My traitorous confidence had vanished and my voice wavered.
“Eden, I do want you to stay. Finley likes you. She doesn’t put trust in many people.” His grasp on my arm loosened, and he dropped his hand. Strangely enough, the heat from his fingers lingered on my skin as if he still touched me.
“You’re as changeable as your sister.”
“I know. You were right last night—” He smiled down at the floor and then lifted his face. “—when you basically laid me flat for my ignorance.”
I looked at him. “You know, Finley has a voodoo doll for people like you.”
“Yeah. I guess I’m destined to spend eternity on a roller coaster.”
I continued to the staircase but was acutely aware of the fact that he watched me walk away. I got to Finley’s door and knocked but didn’t wait to be invited inside.
She was staring at the monitor. “Come see this one, Eden. I think the color would be great on your olive skin.”
“I have no money for a suit and you’re a coward.”
She didn’t respond at first but then swiveled her chair around. “I’m sorry. I wanted to warn you, but I was afraid you’d pack up and leave.”
“I’m not fickle like that. And it would have been a lot easier to swallow coming from you.”
“I really am sorry, Eden. I won’t betray your trust again. Now, let me make it up to you by buying you a swimsuit.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“Yeah,” she laughed, “I really do. Of course, it’ll probably be a big mistake. After seeing both my brothers react to you in that unflattering suit, I’m not completely sure what will happen if you walk out in a stunning suit. Should be entertaining. Check out this pink bikini.”
I looked over her shoulder. “It’s cute.”
She looked back at me. “Hmm, size six, I think.” She tapped the keyboard a few times. “Done. It’s coming overnight. Now let’s go down and eat. I’m starved and I want to attempt our first goal. I’ve been thinking about it, and I think with you by my side, I can do this.”
Chapter 9
Cole was leaning in the fridge groaning about the absence of lunch. He pulled out a can of soda and slammed shut the door. “I thought Jude was supposed to hire another chef. I’m going to waste away to nothing.”
Finley pushed by him with a disgusted sigh. “Not you too. By the way, where’s the dark half of the sulk and whine duo?”
“He’s down in the garage tuning up his Harley. Just watch, as soon as that ankle monitor comes off, he’s going to fly out of here like The Flash. And he’ll leave us all to starve to death without a chef.”
“You guys are ridiculously helpless. There’s bread and there’s cheese.” Finley opened the fridge and pulled out tomatoes and lettuce. “There are even veggies for a sandwich.”
“Yeah, that’s great for a rabbit like you, but I need to gnaw on some flesh.”
I looked down at Some Pig. “Cover your ears, S.P.”
Cole scowled down at the pig. “Yeah, cover ‘em, Dude. You’re the reason bacon, the finest food on earth, was banned from this house.”
Finley elbowed Cole out of her way at the counter. “Shit, you’re cranky.”
“I know. My arm hurts like hell, and there’s no damn food to eat.”