Page 13 of Heart of the Sun

Okay, then.

The inside of the apartment felt about as welcoming as the outside. Everywhere I looked was white and shiny and bereft of knickknacks of any kind, as though I’d stepped into some futuristic alien pod.If the aliens in question were completely devoid of personality.There was a Christmas tree by the window that looked more like a large, white pipe cleaner adorned with shiny silver balls. I looked over at the woman just to set my eyes on something that wasn’t stark and mostly monochromatic. She was staring at her phone, her eyes practically bugged out. “Oh shit!” she exclaimed.

“Is everything…okay?”

“No, it’s not okay. Excuse me, I’m on damage control. Nova will be out in a few.”

With that, she raced out of the room, yelling something into her phone about an Instagram post.

I walked over to the couch and began to sit down but then thought better of it. I’d showered that morning, and my clothes, though old, were clean, but even so, I worried I’d leave a speck of dirt or an ass imprint in the smooth velvet. Standing seemed safer.

“Tuck.”

I looked up, and every molecule in my body seemed to quicken at the same time.Emily.It was her, only…

She came closer, her lips curved slightly, expression pleasant, if not warm. Her hair was no longer the golden shade I remembered, but instead a pale champagne blond, the waves hanging down to her waist. Her lips were plump and glossy with long, dark lashes shading her blue eyes. She was wearing a cropped shirt, a small slip of her smooth, tanned stomach showing, and torn jean shorts that barely hit the crease at the top of her thigh. This was not Emily. This wasNova.

I tried to keep my eyes from wandering. I didn’t recognize this woman, but she was undeniably sexy. A twinge between my legs reminded me that it’d been a long damn time since I’d touched a woman.Over six years in fact. Frankly, I couldn’t evenrememberthe last woman I’d touched. “It’s nice to see you.”

Her expression barely changed. She held out her hand, and I glanced down at her nails, silver and sharpened to blades.Walking contraband.I cleared my throat to hold back the nervous laughter that threatened to spill out.

“It’s nice to see you too, Tuck. You look good.”

“So do you.”

There was an awkward silence, and a pit opened in my stomach. Emily had become something entirely different than what she’d beenthen.Just like my family. My home. The entire area where I’d grown up. All that had once been overflowing with warmth and natural beauty, had either disappeared completely, or become cold and fake.

Even her.

I felt something I could only call deep disappointment trickle slowly through me. I hadn’t actively thought of Emily in a long time, but somewhere in the back of my mind I’d held her up as one of the last remaining pieces that still existed from my former life, the one I’d never been able to fully let go of. Seeing her like this felt like another unexpected loss, and one I hadn’t been prepared for. But I was standing in front of this new person now, and so I pushed my emotions aside. “I appreciate the job offer,” I said. “It came at just the right time.” I was sure her mom had told her I’d gone to their orchard looking for work. She might be able to guess that I’d had a hard time finding employment, but I wasn’t going to confirm it.

It’d also become exceedingly clear in the last few minutes that Mrs. Swanson had lied. Emily had not beenthrilledto hire me. Not even close. She’d most likely been guilted into it. The realization was humiliating. But I supposed it was a fair trade. IfIwas disappointed in what she’d become, there was a good chance she was disappointed in me too.I wouldn’t exactly blame her, but that didn’t mean it didn’t sting.

“I’m glad the timing worked out for both of us,” she said, gesturing to the couch and then sitting in the chair across from it. I hesitated, then sat down gingerly, beginning to lean, but realizing the back was tilted at a strange angle that would force me to practically recline, and so I remained upright. “I’m sure things have been…challenging for you,” she said, her eyes sliding away as though she was uncomfortable talking about my hardships.

“You’ve really done great,” I said, turning the conversation away from me.My challengeswere the last thing I wanted to talk about with her. I glanced around the room. Whether it was my personal taste or not, I was pretty damn certain that the decor had come with a substantial price tag. She seemed tofither surroundings. All perfection and gloss and superficial beauty. “You’ve become everything you ever wanted to be.” Had she though? Was this how she imagined her life would look once she’d found fame? Still, she was hugely gifted, and it was nice to know that sincere talent was rewarded. “You deserve it, Emily. You were always a beautiful singer.”

She held my gaze for a moment as though searching for something, but then blinked and looked away. “Thank you, Tuck.”

“You’re welcome… Should I call you Emily or Nova?” I asked, tipping my head.

“Emily. Unless we’re working.” She waved her hand in the air. “It can be kind of hard to switch back and forth, but I’m sure you can manage it.”

“I’m sure I can.” Plus, I didn’t imagine there was a lot of talking that went along with the job.

There was another awkward silence. I waited for a minute, wondering if she might bring up her parents, or the area where we had once lived, or something personal regarding the years we’d been apart, but when she remained silent, I sat forward.“So, ah, tell me about the job,” I said. “I understand of course that I’ll be part of your security team, but what do I need to know specifically?”

“Well, it’s not so much a team right now.” She let out a thin laugh. “I have a few people who help me out with things.” She made a face, which gave me the first small indication that she still had at least a tiny sense of humor and made me smile in return. “But none of them are equipped to handle any real trouble.” Her gaze moved down my body, but then as though her eyes had wandered without her permission, they shot back to my face. “I know you’re not trained either, but I think you can do a good job. You’re obviously very fit and, you know…in good shape.” I swore I saw the color in her cheeks deepen very slightly, but I couldn’t be sure. “Anyway, your job will be to have my back, watch the crowd, act as a barrier between me and any out-of-control fans. Two weeks ago, someone rushed me. He just wanted to give me a letter, but it spooked me. My boyfriend has a security team, but their job is to keep their eyes on him. So, when the guy shot forward, they surrounded Charlie, and I was sort of left hanging.”

Her boyfriend.“Got it,” I said. It sounded easy enough. I’d learned to keep my head on a swivel in prison as a matter of self-preservation. I could certainly keep Emily safe from overeager basement dwellers wielding love letters and reeking of desperation.

“You’ll accompany me to any and all social events. If it’s a party or something like that, you’ll only be expected to escort me in and out of the location. But if it’s a public affair, I’ll ask that you guard me inside the venue.”

“Okay.”

“So, your work hours may be unpredictable. I’ll have to ask you to be on call some days.”

“That’s fine.”

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