Keeping Her Close

“You didn’t have your phone on, so how would you get the alert?”

Busted. “If you were a bad guy, you wouldn’t know that.”

“Harper—”

“Fine, I see your point. No more notes.”

Bobbing his head slowly, as if he wasn’t sure whether he could trust her sincerity, he said, “Talk to me directly, okay? Which brings up another point, we’ll figure out a code word or phrase when we’re talking or texting so that in a potential emergency situation, I know it’s you and you know it’s me and that you are, or aren’t, under duress. We’ll also come up with an ‘I’m okay’ wave or hand signal as well as distress signals.”

Yikes. “All right.”

“I’m going to go change. I’ll be right back.”

“Sounds good,” she said. “How do you like your coffee?”

“Hot.”

He left, and Harper heaved out a breath, grateful for a moment to gather her wits. She retrieved a towel and wiped up the water Kyle had tracked inside. At the back door, she noticed her shoes had made a puddle, too, so she opened the door and set them outside. She headed back to the kitchen where she poured coffee into two mugs and wondered what she’d gotten herself into. She’d barely sat down in the living room when Kyle returned, scowling again, she noted with disappointment.

She’d just taken her first sip of coffee when he said, “The door was unlocked again.” He gestured in the general direction of the back door. “I locked it behind me.”

Harper choked on the liquid, and after a nice long cough, she wheezed, “You’re joking, right?”

“Absolutely not.”

“But you were coming right back!”

His response was another menacing stare.

“Wait, were you testing me somehow? Did you leave on purpose to see what I’d do?”

“No! I was soaking wet. Harper…” With a quick shake of his head, he took a seat across from her. Leaning forward, he placed his forearms on his thighs. “This is not a test. It’s a lifestyle.”

“All right. I get it. From now on, I will lock you out every single chance I get.”

“You can’t lock me out, I have a key, but I promise you I will relish using it.”

She chuckled, but he held fast to his serious face. Why did she take that as a challenge?

He said, “For today, let’s start with your schedule. Can you give me a copy of your weekly schedule?”

“No.” What did he think, she was a dentist or an accountant where she could list her hours and appointment times? At his frown, she explained, “That would literally be impossible. I’m a photographer. My schedule varies a lot. Right now, I’m taking photos for a book about the Oregon Coast so it’s all about the scenery and wildlife.”

“Right.” Kyle nodded, looking thoughtful. “Let’s do it day by day, then. Can you give me a schedule each morning? Write down what you’re going to do that day, and we’ll talk about all the ways we’re going to make sure you’re the safest you can be while you do them.”

“Uh, I can try, but it’s—”

“Great,” he interrupted. “Can you do that now? Give me your schedule for today, and we’ll get started?”

Taking care not to let her exasperation show, she answered, “Sure.” Better to show him anyway. She stood and walked into the kitchen where she scrawled a few lines on a notepad before tearing off the page. Back in the living room she handed it over and resumed her seat. “Here you go.”

Kyle bent his head and studied the words. Across the top, she’d written the date and underlined it. Underneath that she’d added, “Office Work—8:37 a.m.—until I get hungry (usually around 11:30).”

Keeping his chin down, he looked up at her, eyebrows raised in question. If Harper knew him better, she might describe the expression as sardonic. Possibly, he was amused.

“Like I was trying to explain earlier, my life is currently focused on the scenery and wildlife, which revolves around the weather. And I’m sure you know how unpredictable the weather is here on the coast. When the weather is good, I’m out taking photos in the mornings and again in the late afternoon and sometimes into the evening. Or I might be out all day.”

“Where is out, usually?”

“Oh, that varies, too. It can be right down here on the beach or hiking in the woods or the middle of town—or some other town or interesting location along the coast. Occasionally, people book me for photo shoots. I’ve been traveling to the various lighthouses and historic buildings and forts. I take an occasional boat trip up a river or out on the ocean. Today is simpler because of the rain. But if the weather clears, which it’s supposed to do this afternoon, then…” She broke off with a helpless shrug.

“Okay,” he answered, and Harper knew he was trying to absorb this information. She wondered if he was regretting taking the job at all. “We’ll just worry about today for now. What is office work, exactly?”

“Today, it’s editing photos, returning emails and bookkeeping.” She made a show of checking the time on her fitness tracker. “In fact, I better get going. It’s 9:22. Shoot, I’m late.”

His eyes lit with something she couldn’t quite identify while the left side of his mouth curved up. She already liked that side because she’d learned it was a sign that he was fighting a smile, elusive as it was. Harper decided she better cut her losses before he lectured her again about taking all this safety stuff seriously. Which she was, truly. She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to provoke him into lightening up like this.

He cleared his throat. “So, after lunch…?”

“I’ll update the schedule for you then, or even before that if it stops raining.” With that, she added a wink, pushed to her feet and took her coffee cup off the end table. Then she sauntered down the hall and into her office where she shut the door behind her with a soft click. Once safely ensconced within the room, she spun a circle and sighed a huge breath of relief. Despite her determination to not let Kyle Frasier intimidate her, he made her feel…something. Some things

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