Page 25 of Until Kendal

She nodded. “Joel is sending a bodyguard. Isn’t that sweet of him?”

My breathing grew shallow. Had my mother talked about my father? I pressed my hand to my belly. “He is?”

Joel tilted his head and glanced at me. “To help her with whatever she needs.”

Help. That didn’t answer the question that screamed in my mind.

My mother stood. “Yes, and I should get going to leave you two alone.”

Joel put down his napkin. “Stay as long as you want.”

My mother hugged him then kissed my cheek. She left, and I gulped my coffee.

Then my body buzzed because we were alone. Heat rose to my face. It wasn’t the liquid—that never happened to me—but I refilled my cup. “I don’t understand you, Joel. Look, I came to talk to you about last night.”

He scooted his chair closer, and my hairs stood on end. I wanted his touch, but he said, “I was a jerk. I didn’t want to take advantage of you when you’d been drinking.”

My skull tingled. I wanted to believe him. But he was perfect, and I wasn’t. I let out a breath. “It wasn’t that much.”

He put his hand on the table next to mine. Though we didn’t touch, I felt him. “I wanted our first time together to be special.”

Any other man I’d ever met would have taken what I offered. My stomach had butterflies as I said, “You're out of my league.”

He then took out his phone and put it in my hand, with a PDF open. “Look, I wrote you a legitimate contract where you can field our calls from game creators as a buffer.”

I scrolled it. “You didn’t have to.”

My heart sped up as I saw the number one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars. I wasn’t sure I could breathe.

He just stared at me. “I want you coming to New York. I can ensure you and your mother have a place, so logistics aren’t a problem.”

Adrenaline rushed through me. “This is more than I made in three years.”

"New York is expensive," he said.

I rubbed the back of my neck. “Did you really just say no to sex last night because you didn’t want to take advantage of me?”

He nodded.

For a second, I was speechless. Then my lips curved, and I realized I couldn’t leave. He was amazing. I let out a sigh then sipped my coffee.

His phone rang, and he showed it to me. “Look, it’s Arman, and it’s a business meeting. It won’t take fifteen minutes. Can you wait?”

“Yes," I answered quickly.

If I took the job, then I would want him to be successful. And there was no way my father would ever search for us in Manhattan. Wherever I ended up living, I would share with my mom.

Bubbles grew in my body as I finished a small breakfast. For a second, I saw myself in some nice place like in the movies I’d enjoyed, shopping in stores, and walking in heels. I giggled, knowing that would be a two-minute dream because sneakers were more my speed. The sound brought me out of the fantasy. He was in the other room, but I grew chilly, so I headed off the patio.

Next to the couch lay a half-open box. He’d carried in several boxes after the car accident. I tried to ignore it, but a picture of a baby caught my attention.

My gaze narrowed. It looked like Ellie’s daughter. When I reached in to pick it up, the box top fell off. There were tons of pictures of Hope, Ellie and Jax’s oldest. I rubbed my forehead. “What’s this?”

Ellie hadn’t been born in Murfreesboro, and I’d been a teenager when she arrived. I closed my eyes, trying to remember her story, but only pieces came back.

I picked up my phone. If Joel was involved in anything criminal, then I owed my boss and friend. I called, and my voice was fast and low so he didn’t hear me as I said, “Ellie, it’s Kendal.”

“How are you?”

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