She glared at him. “Don’t call me ma’am, seriously. And don’t talk about me on the other side of a door. I’m not deaf or stupid.”
Right. “My apologies on every count. As I was just saying to Hope, I’d like to help.”
“I don’t need a bodyguard.”
No, you need a shrink, he wanted to retort. Instead he said, “Sure, of course not.”
“So go away.”
Something about her made him want to do battle. Not against her, exactly, but since she was poking at him…“Aren’t you the one who’s supposed to go somewhere?”
She slammed the door in his face.
Well, at least he’d called that one accurately.
Chapter Four
“WHAT…Why…How did you think it would be a good idea to bring that man into my business?” Liana asked, her pulse racing as Hope approached her across the living room—much like one would approach a cornered wild animal, she imagined.
Great, her best friend thought she might be rabid.
But Hope had looped a total stranger in on Liana’s freak-out, and that wasn’t cool.
“That’s Dean,” her best friend said softly. “He’s worked with Ryan in the army reserves for a long time. He’s a good guy.”
He was a cop, and a soldier? And he did “freelance security?” Ryan had some badass friends, apparently. Liana frowned. But that didn’t make them trustworthy.
If it were any other day, any other year, she’d have been all over “meeting” Dean. He was tall and broad and good-looking in that will-only-get-better-with-age kind of way. Classic, rugged outdoorsy kind of hot.
Exactly her type.
She narrowed her eyes at Hope, who didn’t seem to notice. “What exactly are you doing?”
“I thought you might need protection or something…” Hope trailed off, worry dripping off her words.
Liana’s mouth dropped open. Oh. Was concern for her safety better than matchmaking? Yes, probably. But way more complicated. “You think I need a bodyguard?”
“Sweetie, you showed up out of the blue, when you’re supposed to be on tour. And you’re about to do a concert with Track. And I’m not an idiot, right?”
With a frustrated huff, Liana puffed out her cheeks and started pacing. “I don’t think you’re an idiot.”
“So you wanna tell me what’s wrong, exactly?”
“No.” And not because she didn’t trust Hope. They were practically sisters. The actress had come to Nashville to research a part, eight years earlier, and they’d clicked hard. Liana had been fresh out of her break-up and had a big empty house. Hope had needed a place to crash.
They’d bonded over shared secret loves of science-fiction television and caramel corn. Preferably consumed together, late at night, with a bottle of champagne.
She squeezed her fingers together, then stretched them wide, trying to ease the stress-ache in her knuckles. She felt awful not being able to explain this properly to Hope, but how could she when she didn’t understand it completely herself?
“I mean, I can’t tell you because I don’t really know,” she said slowly. That was the truth after all. “I freaked out after the show the other night. Took a cab to the airport and came straight here. And yes, it’s also that I don’t want to see him, I guess, but that’s not the only reason I needed to get away all of a sudden.”
“You went to the airport straight after the show?”
“Yes.”
“You just happened to have your passport in your purse?” Hope gave her a disbelieving look.
Yeah, she had. Ever since the tour started. The realization made her stomach roil. “I know it sounds crazy.”
