“Mia Summers?”
I blink away the images from my past and look at the put-together woman standing in front of me. “Yes, you must be Carmen?”
She nods a friendly smile on her face, then ushers me into the room before shutting the door softly behind me. “Forgive me if things seem a mess in here, their last manager was a disaster and I’m surprised I’ve been able to work through it at all.”
Once I got the job offer, the first thing I noted was that they had recently fired their manager, Mack, and quickly replaced him with Carmen. After everything I saw in the media about their previous manager, I couldn’t blame them for kicking him to the curb and finding someone more suitable.
A few months later it seems as though Carmen is fitting into her role seamlessly, if the looks of the room surrounding me is any indication.
“I wanted us to go over things. Do you understand why I hired you?”
“I’m Evan Knight’s personal bodyguard,” I state.
Carmen nods, then sighs heavily. “Unfortunately, there’s been a few idle threats that have come through the mail and I’m starting to worry for his safety.”
“What kind of threats?”
“Mostly ones stating that he’s being watched, that he won’t be able to go anywhere without a pair of eyes on him, and I’m worried they’re going to get worse.”
I arch a brow. “Have there been any physical threats that I should be aware of?”
She shakes her head. “Not that I’m aware, but then again, it’s hard for him to tell me everything, and that’s where you come into play. I wanted to get ahead of things, make sure he was taken care of before the threat appeared.”
“That makes sense. Do you have a copy of their schedule? I know things are busy for them, so I want to make sure I read up on it and prepare myself for the days ahead.”
“Of course,” she says brightly, her personality reminding me a lot of Kenzie’s. “Everything should be here, but if anything changes, I’ll be sure to give you an updated version.”
I grab the small stack of papers detailing their schedule for what seems like the entire month, but I note at the top of the page that it’s only for the next two weeks.
Do these guys ever get a break?
“If that’s all,” I say before eyeing the closed door. “I’d like to get my things situated in my room.”
“Yes, yes,” Carmen says, rising from the office chair that squeaks as she pushes it out of the way. “I’ll show you the way.”
She leads me down the hall, talking a mile a minute with her hands moving animatedly in front of her while I nod silently in response. Talking isn’t one of my specialties – I prefer to be the silent observer.
“This is your room. Please let me know if you need anything.” She waits for a response, which is a curt nod, then claps her hands together. “You know where to find me.”
As soon as I step into the room, my phone is the first thing I bring out, even though I’ve got suitcases resting at the center of the floor for me to put away. I find Kenzie’s name, click the FaceTime button, and then patiently wait for her to answer my call.
“Hey,” she says softly. Her blonde hair is piled high at the top of her head, and I release a breath of comfort. “Settling in, okay?”
“Perfect, as long as Mr. Grumpy doesn’t talk too much,” I mumble.
“Mommy!”
At the sound of my son Liam’s voice, a bright smile takes over my face, a far cry from my usual features when I’m on the job, and Kenzie hands him her phone with a soft chuckle. Liam’s bright green orbs appear on the screen, much closer than necessary, and I giggle.
“Pull the phone away a bit, bud,” I say with a small smile.
Once he does, there’s a grin waiting for me, showcasing a gap where his front tooth used to be, and I get a pang in my chest from the sight. These are the moments when I wish I could be home – I hate missing these small moments.
“Look,” he says excitedly while pointing to the empty space between his teeth. “It fell out!”
“That’s awesome!”
“Aunt Kenzie said the tooth fairy will bring me something extra special tonight. Isn’t that cool?”