Chloe clutched her coffee mug. She needed to hang onto something and that was all she had. “We? You and your brother? And the firm you work for.” She slumped in her chair. “I’ve been in California for a little over a month. I’ve been made a fool of and the only job I was able to find is this, and the thought of going back in the ocean makes me want to puke.” She sucked in a deep breathe. “I think I want to go back to Wyoming, after all.”
Chapter 15
Trent’s insides seized up. “Chloe, it’s not that bad. Besides, there is an upside.”
“I haven’t been mugged yet?”
“I have another job lined up for you, working for a man who I’ve known for years and respect as much as anyone I’ve ever known.”
He watched her stiffen. “I don’t want charity. And this…” She waved her hand at his place. “This was just to keep an eye on me?”
He took her hand. “Yes. But I’m not talking charity now. Slade Security has an opening for an office manager. Slade needs someone who can answer the phones, arrange travel, send billing statements when they’re necessary, and help keep the rest of us in line. He needs someone to help organize us all.” Trent smiled at her, but his stomach was still knotted. What if she said no? What if she walked out and headed back to Wyoming? He pressed his lips tight. If she left, he’d follow her, and that was that.
“I need some time to think about this.” She stood.
Trent stepped in front of her. There was just one way he could see to move forward—she had to step into his world. “Do you have a passport?”
Chloe shook her head. “Why would I need a passport?”
“Because we’re leaving for Jawhara first thing in the morning. I’ll have to pull some strings. If you want to go, I want you to go. You can e-mail the temp agency your resignation and they’ll get a new receptionist in at Guardians.”
She was staring at him, eyes wide. “I can’t just hop on a plane and fly off to Jawhara. I’ve got my dad to think about.”
“If you’re on a business trip, Slade Security will take care of your dad. We’ll keep you in touch with him, make sure he has visiting nurses, even get him out and over to a stable where he can spend some time with horses. That should cheer him up. Just don’t think about it too hard.”
Rubbing her arms, she told him, “This is all so crazy! I mean, is your name even Trent?”
Trent took her hands. “Chloe, my name is Trent Larson. I’m a former Navy SEAL who does private security now. I have a twin brother—you met him. Slade is our boss, and don’t bother asking about his first name. Come with me to Jawhara. You want the truth—well, it’s being served up on a platter.”
She frowned and tugged at her hands. He wouldn’t let go. Her frown deepened. “Why didn’t you just tell me who you were to begin with?”
“Because I had to make sure you weren’t part of the bad stuff going on at Guardians. I’ve seen and done a lot of things, and I’ve learned one thing—trusting the wrong person can get you killed. I’ve learned to be cautious. But don’t listen to me. Listen to your heart. Go with your gut instincts. The real question here is how much do you trust yourself?”
***
Chloe wasn’t sure what to believe. She knew now that she had started to develop deep emotions for Trent—she knew it because it hurt so damn much.
He lied to you. He used you. He’s just like Samuel—he’s worse than Dad.
But was he?
She didn’t know, and she kept wondering if Mr. Myers had been in the office that first day, would Trent have still asked her out?
The idea that he wouldn’t have hurt even worse.
She’d never felt so connected to another individual, and the thought of leaving California and never seeing Trent again started an ache deep inside. She didn’t want to leave and never see him again. But she felt like she was Alice and she had stepped through the looking glass—everything was backwards or wrong. It had been ever since she’d seen Trent’s twin. He’d told her a tiny bit about his job, but nothing more about his family. How could she move forward if she couldn’t trust herself to know if he was lying?
Even worse—she didn’t know if she did trust herself.
For years, she’d believed her father’s promises. He’d broken all of them—all of them, except for one. He’d bought her Beanie—her first horse. She’d fallen in love with Beanie at first sight, had begged her father for the flashy buckskin. Her father had promised if she got straight A’s in school, he’d buy the horse for her. She had—and he had. Beanie had been her pal, her companion, and now he was happily retired on Mrs. Smythson’s range.
She looked up at Trent. “Don’t ever lie to me again. I mean it. If you lie, if you break a promise, I will find out. And I will be gone.”
Trent brushed his fingertips over her cheeks, “What if work gets in the way of that?”
“Then push it back. I’ll go to Jawhara with you. I’ll meet this boss of yours, and I’ll hope that somewhere along the way we’ll find out if we have a future. Or not.”
Chapter 16