Ramsey Security (Ramsey Security #1-3)(15)

"Did you find someone else?"

"Not yet. Troy was happy to be bored. He has very low standards in life. I wanted more, and I won't settle. However, if he and I are still single at sixty, I'll give him another shot."

I smile slightly. "Sixty, huh?"

"Not worth settling before then."

I'd never been in love. Though I followed one boy around like a lovesick puppy all through high school. Was I about to do the same with Troy?

"He's a good man," Minka says, checking her phone. "He's a man, though. They come with a lot of baggage."

Smiling again, I wish I could be as casually confident as Minka. Even before Locke, I never got the hang of the attention my curvy body brought me. I hated public speaking or being the center of attention.

"Thank you," I babble.

Minka studies me. "Shelley will be here this evening. I think you should look into getting a more comfortable wardrobe. I've looked at the schedule she has planned for this month, and you're supposed to go to a party where sweats aren't acceptable attire. You need to find clothes where you're covered, but don't look like a cotton monster is eating you."

"I will."

"It's okay to be modest. Don't let anyone tell you differently," she says as her gaze lifts to a returning Troy. "You don't owe anyone anything."

Either Troy doesn't realize Minka is talking about him or doesn't care. His gaze focuses on me. I force a smile on my face because I want him to pay attention to me rather than the sexy woman a foot away. I don't care what Minka said about them being friends without passion. I still feel invisible in her presence. Troy sees me, and the part of me still alive under all the numbness never wants him to look away.





12


~~~

Troy

Temptation Takes Its Toll

Minka wants to meddle. She comes from a long line of women who play puppet master in other people's lives. Even only meeting her mother and aunts once, I learned quickly about their sneaky ways. While I approve of Minka's ability to manipulate things when she was working a job, Darla isn't part of the package.

"Go away," I tell her.

"No, you go away. I slept last night. You didn't. I'll run this shift."

We glare at each other until she grins.

"Don't be jealous of Darla," I say, killing her smile.

"Why would I be jealous?" she growls.

"I don't know. You've always been very delicate."

Smiling again, Minka rolls her eyes at me. "You might have a point about the timing of the shifts. I shouldn't leave you here at night when you might get ideas you can't control."

"I can be attracted to someone without doing anything about it."

"You couldn't with me."

Holding her gaze, I smirk. "We both know who made the first move there."

"Yes, but in my defense, the cable went out in the hotel room."

"Bombs will do that, Minka."

"She's like a little girl."

"No, she's a woman. She was a woman when Locke stole her, and she's a woman now. Babying Darla helps those around her but does nothing to help her."

"I'm not babying her. I'm treating her with respect. You just want to date her."

Shrugging, I take Minka by the arm. "If you respect her, trust that she can tell me to f*ck off."

"You know she can't."

"Right, because Darla was real subtle about feeling uncomfortable around Manny and Saskia."

Minka wants to respond to my comment but has nothing. Meddling is in her bloodline, going back generations.

"Behave and I'll be back around six with Shelley. We'll have a girls' night."

Before Minka leaves, I hold her by both shoulders and stare into her dark eyes.

"Thank you for all your lectures today. No one pulls the know-it-all grandma routine like you."

Shaking away my hands, she frowns. "When we train next time, I'm hurting you a little more than usual. Prepare yourself for the reckoning, Frosty."

Once Minka is out the door and I've locked everything down, I return to the living room where a damp-haired Darla sits. I swear she must own a dozen pairs of the same gray sweats. She's showered twice so far today and returned in the same style clothes.

"What did you do before Locke?" I ask and startle Darla, who turns slowly to look at me.

I watch her movements and study the expression on her face. If this were a movie, I'd think she believed a killer was in the house, and I was the prime suspect. After a moment of staring at me in horror, Darla relaxes.

"I read books," she says as if giving up a secret.

"What kind of books?"

"Nonfiction mainly. I liked learning about people in other parts of the world."

"Do you like traveling?" I ask, stepping around the kitchen island until Darla looks afraid. After taking a step backward back into the safe zone, I cross my arms. "I've been all over the world, and most of it is a shithole."

"In your line of work, maybe all the places you visited were shitholes. That doesn't mean everywhere is."

Grinning, I inch closer. When she doesn't panic, I re-cross my arms. "You're an idealist. I like that."