But something had shifted between them today. His mind called up the memory of her in his arms, her hand clutching his shirt. He’d never known Triss to accept help, but she had done more than accept his help. She had hung on to him, her face pressed to his chest.
And he hadn’t missed her reaction when he’d run into her in the kitchen doorway a few minutes ago. Triss, flustered? Was it possible he still had a chance to deepen the friendship he’d been fighting for? Did he even want to? The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint his kids if she started coming around and then disappeared again. And Triss had big goals, he reminded himself.
When she’d signed the contract at Harmony and essentially made an exit from his life, he’d told himself that he wouldn’t get in the way of her dreams, like he had with his late wife. Viv never did finish college and go on to practice law like she’d planned to do. If he was honest with himself, he was the one who had pushed for the marriage. She would have been content to finish out her education first and have kids later. But she’d caved to his cajoling, lost in the glamour of the romance and the lure of a future together...before her entire life was stolen from her a few short years later. He wouldn’t do that to someone else, especially not to Triss.
It wasn’t something he should be thinking about, anyway. Not after what Triss had told him today. He’d stick around for a while and observe what was going on, then have a chat with Security before heading home to the kids. Thankfully, he had flexible childcare.
Hiring a live-in nanny had been the best decision he’d made since his wife’s death. A college student and the oldest of five kids, Samantha Farrow knew her way around the kitchen, the laundry room, temper tantrums and messy diapers. What was more—she genuinely seemed to adore his kids. Granted, Josie and Levi were pretty easy to get along with. But he’d had sitters before who had been all too eager to plop the kids in front of a television or cart them off to bed early. Samantha enjoyed interacting with them, playing games with them, reading to them, teaching them—which meant that Hunter could focus his energy on keeping an eye on Triss tonight, knowing his kids were in good hands.
The next half hour slipped by quickly, as the tables were set, the buffet was spread out and the guests arrived. Triss gave Hunter new tasks when he asked, but for the most part, she didn’t seem to notice that he was there. All her energy and emotion seemed focused on making the reception run smoothly, as she spoke with residents and also Frank’s family members. Despite her typically guarded nature, she knew how to draw someone into a conversation, her sincerity evident in her body language and the softness that had fallen over her expression. She might be living here on a contract, but she wasn’t merely fulfilling her duty or putting on a show to prove that she was worthy of the position. She genuinely cared, and for some reason, Hunter’s heart swelled as he watched her in action.
This was the part of her personality he’d caught glimpses of over the past couple of years, but something changed when she walked through the doors of Creekside, and her shields came down. Interesting.
By the time dinner was served, Hunter felt confident that Triss wasn’t seriously injured or in any immediate danger. Plus, Triss knew how to handle herself. He glanced at his watch. Just enough time to touch base with Security and pick up groceries before heading home to tuck in his kids. He turned to leave the dining hall, but Kaye saw him and practically jumped out of her seat.
“You’ve helped all this time. Why don’t you eat with us?” she suggested, grabbing his arm and attempting to pull him toward the buffet tables.
“I’ve got to get home, but thank you.”
“Oh, right. Your kids are waiting for you. Well, I hope I’ll get to meet them. Did you talk to Brandon?”
“I did. I’ll bring the kids by soon.”
“Levi and Josie, right? I can’t wait.”
“Have a good night, Kaye,” he said and started to turn away before he had a last-minute thought. “Actually...” He pulled out his wallet, slipped out a business card and handed it to her. “I’m a little worried about Triss. I don’t think she wants anyone to know right now, but I’d feel better if someone here was watching out for her. She was in an accident on the way back from the cemetery today.”
Kaye accepted the card, her eyes widening. “That’s why she seemed different when she walked in. Why she was late...”
“She didn’t want to go to the hospital, so I was keeping an eye on her. Would you—”
Kaye was already nodding. “I have six daughters. This is my specialty.” She smiled then, tapping the card. “What a very caring coworker you are.”
Hunter couldn’t help but grin. The woman was astute, and he knew he could trust her to watch out for Triss.
“Go home to your kiddos, now. And I won’t tell Triss that I know about the accident.” She gave him a goodbye hug and Hunter let himself out of the home, heading across the parking lot to the cottage-like building Triss had pointed out.
The cottage was constructed of whitewashed brick, and its oak door was unlocked. Hunter tapped on it before opening the door, and was greeted by a jungle of flowers and a smiling silver-haired woman snipping thorns off of a pile of roses. The place smelled like a flower boutique, with arrangements in a myriad of vases on every surface.
“Hello there,” the woman said, her voice chipper. “How can I help you?”
“Sorry,” Hunter said, confused. The place looked more like a gift shop than an administrative office building. “I think I’m in the wrong place. I was looking for Security.”
“Oh, no. You’re in the right place. I’m the office manager.” The woman set aside her flowers and wiped her hands on a hand towel before offering a handshake to Hunter. “Laura Senate. My daughter’s wedding is this weekend, and I’m helping make the floral arrangements.”
“You do beautiful work.”
“Thank you. The security office is around the corner. First door on the left.” She pointed, but a frown line surfaced along her forehead. “I hope everything’s okay?”
“I have a few questions I wanted to run by the team.”
The woman nodded, still not quite smiling. “Vince’s there right now, and Adam’s somewhere...” She shrugged. “It’s pretty quiet out here, you know.”
“It’s a peaceful place,” Hunter agreed. “Thanks for the help.” He followed her instructions and walked around the corner, finding the first door on the left open. He tapped on the wall outside the door and peeked in.
The man at the desk wore black slacks and a gray uniform shirt A brown desk plaque gave the name Vince Beck. He looked up from his computer monitor in surprise, his hand coming up to adjust his too-long comb-over.
“Yes?” the man asked, his gruff voice matching his bulky frame.
Hunter stepped into the room and held out a hand, “I’m Hunter Knox. A friend of mine is one of the graduate students here at Harmony—Triss Everett.”
Vince smiled and relaxed, shaking Hunter’s hand. “How can I help you?”
Without much information yet, Hunter wanted to be careful with his words. His purpose tonight was to get a feel for the security at Harmony, and also the receptiveness of the team to making some adjustments.
“You may know that Triss works for Shield Protection Services. We’re coworkers, actually.”
Vince’s expression was suddenly amused. “Oh, yes, we all know about Triss and her focus on security. She’s always got new ideas she wants us to put in place, but Harmony hasn’t ever had a security problem. I say, if it ain’t broke, why fix it?”
Hunter