Page 13 of Protector

A slim smile plays on his lips when I open the door.

“Hey, Elaine. My mom’s not here right now.”

She waves me off and pushes the door open. “That’s all right. I just want to drop some things off for her,” she says, holding up a mesh bag, the handle draped over her wrist.

But as soon as she spots Brooks, she stops in her tracks. “Well, hello.” Her grin works around her pursed lips. “And who might you be?” She looks Brooks up and down as if his very presence was a gift to her.

I rush to Brooks’s side and loop my arm in his. “Oh, this is my uncle… Todd.”

She squints at me and then looks at Brooks’s face when she replies, “Uncle? Your mom didn’t mention anything about family visiting.”

Elaine thinks of my mom as her bestie, but the feeling is definitely not mutual. I’m sure my mother tolerates her because her husband is a VP at a movie studio.

“That’s because it was unexpected. Uncle Todd’s on my dad’s side, and he’s in town on business.”

Brooks gives her a plastic smile and a head nod. “Nice to meet you, Elaine.”

“I see…” She keeps her gaze on Brooks, whose expression is completely unreadable.

“Did you want to leave that with me?” She doesn’t answer or even look at me, so I step in between her and Brooks. “Elaine…my mom probably won’t be back for a while.”

“Oh…” Finally, she snaps out of it. “Oh! I forgot she’s meeting with the clothing company, right? It must be going well. Of course, why wouldn’t they want a gorgeous girl like you to represent their brand.”

“Thank you. So, you have something for her?” I prod, then gesture to the bag.

“Yes, sorry.” She shakes her head. “I know your mom has a lot going on, but she was very interested in these essential oils.” She hands the bag to me and gives her brows a couple of bumps. “She’ll know what they’re for. Oh, and I wouldn’t look in there if I were you. There’s a, uh, electronic gift as well.” She winks.

Brooks and I exchange a look, and I escort Elaine back to the door. “I’ll be sure she gets them.”

When I close the door and turn, Brooks is giving me the side-eye.

“What?”

“Todd? Really? What are we, living in the eighties?”

“No good?”

“Do you know any Todds that are not total douches?”

I laugh. “Sorry, I was on the spot, and I had to wing it.”

He huffs, still looking annoyed. “I guess you were right, after all.”

“About what?”

“You’re not a good actress.”

CHAPTERFIVE

Brooks

By the time Shay and I go over to her house in Calabasas, check the place out, and then return to her mother’s house, Adele is home and cooking in the kitchen, the sweet domestic scene the complete opposite of her earlier strong business persona.

Holding a glass of wine and stirring something in a pot that smells pretty damn divine, Adele sings along to the Bruno Mars song, “Treasure,” playing from the speakers in the ceiling.

Startled when she hears us draw near, she releases the spoon and turns to us, the smile slipping from her face. “Shit, you scared me.”

“Sorry… Seeing you cook scared me.”

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