Page 13 of Riding with the Secret Billionaire

"Couldn't sleep." She raises the mug in a small salute."Dawn was already up, making coffee.She's prepping breakfast now."

I take the porch steps two at a time, conscious of the sweat dampening my shirt."I'll shower quickly."

"Sit first," she says, patting the space beside her on the swing."Dawn brought out two mugs."

Indeed, there's a second mug on the small table beside the swing.The thought of sitting so close to Trish while my body is still charged from the run seems unwise, but refusing would be equally suspicious.

I take the seat, maintaining as much distance as the swing allows, and reach for the coffee."Thanks."

"How far did you run?" she asks, eyeing me over the rim of her mug.

"Five miles. It's my standard morning routine."

"Of course, it is," she says with a small smile."I bet you ran exactly five miles, not 4.9, not 5.1."

"5.2 actually," I correct, which earns me a surprised look."There's a nice loop around the lake."

She laughs, the sound unexpectedly delightful in the quiet morning."Look at you, deviating from the plan by a whole two-tenths of a mile. Next thing you know, you'll be ordering chocolate milkshakes and jaywalking."

"Unlikely," I say dryly, but I can't help the small smile tugging at my lips.

We sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes, watching as the town gradually wakes up.A bakery truck makes deliveries across the street.An elderly man walks his dog along thesidewalk.The normalcy of it all is almost jarring after years of operating in environments where ordinary moments are rare.

"I think I understand why you came back to small-town life after your time in security," Trish says suddenly."There's something grounding about places like this."

"It's an illusion," I reply, though not unkindly."Every place has its dangers.Its secrets."

"Even Heartstone?" She looks skeptical.

"Especially places like Heartstone." I finish my coffee and stand."I should get ready. We're still on schedule to leave by six."

"About that," she says, setting her mug down."Dawn mentioned there's a famous breakfast at Kathy's Diner that we absolutely have to try before leaving.She called it the 'heart-stopper special' or something."

"The Hearty Breakfast?" I correct, remembering the menu from last night."That would put us behind schedule."

"By what, an hour?" She tilts her head, studying me."The way you drive, you'd make it up before noon."

She's not wrong, but schedule deviations make me uncomfortable for reasons I can't explain to her without revealing more than I should.

"Please?" she adds, looking up at me with those dark eyes that seem to see right through my carefully constructed barriers."Dawn says it's a local tradition for travelers.Two eggs, hashbrowns, four pancakes, bacon, and sausage.A real artery-clogger."

"Not the best sales pitch," I observe.

She laughs again, and I find myself wanting to be the cause of that sound more often."Live a little, Jake. One breakfast detour won't destroy your precious timeline."

I should say no. Maintaining the schedule is important, especially with the deadline of her friend's dress fittinglooming.But the eagerness in her expression is strangely difficult to resist.

"Fine," I concede. "But we leave immediately after breakfast."

Her smile is like the sun breaking over the horizon, warm, bright, and impossible to look away from."Deal."

I head inside to shower, uncomfortably aware that this is the second time in less than twelve hours that I've deviated from my plan because of Trish Walker.The realization is unsettling.Control has been my cornerstone since leaving the Marines, the foundation upon which I've rebuilt my life and my security business.Control is what makes me effective, keeps my clients safe, keeps me safe.

Yet around Trish, that control feels increasingly fragile.The way she sees through my defenses and elicits reactions I thought I'd buried years ago is dangerous.And not just to my carefully organized schedule.

In the shower, I turn the water to cold, seeking clarity.Our journey has only just begun, and already the boundaries I established are blurring.This isn't like me. I don't get distracted by beautiful women with quick minds and quicker smiles.I don't deviate from plans. I don't lose focus on missions.

And this is a mission, whether Trish realizes it or not.My presence on Route 14 isn't a coincidence, nor is my destination of Foxfire Valley.The security contract for the Kane-McCrae wedding is my largest of the year, a complex operation involving high-profile guests and multiple potential threat vectors.

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