More Than Protect You (More Than Words #6.5) - Shayla Black Page 0,49

Nothing is set in stone yet. I’ve got to get a few things worked out and—”

“Would you have time to instruct a few of the security guards around here first?”

Is he serious? “You’d want me to?”

“Once you’re done helping Amanda, yeah. Harlow and I have had our share of problems with people respecting our property lines and our privacy. No one dangerous…so far. But occasionally, paparazzi try to sneak around the place and get photos of us. Sometimes, it’s a curious fan. When I hired the security team, I hoped that simply having guards would be deterrent enough, but these trespassers aren’t letting up. Some are getting really bold. I’d like the security team to brush up, be both safe and proficient, before I put any weapons in their hands.” He peers my way. “You any good at your job?”

“Damn good. I don’t expect you to take my word for it, but—”

“My brother likes you. That counts a lot with me. And Amanda trusts you. I see it on her face. That’s a feat. Based on what my wife has told me, the last couple of years Amanda cut nearly everyone out of her life—not just friends, but most of her family, too. She just doesn’t let anyone close. Stephen has had to fight just to get her to take his calls.”

“Granted, I don’t know him, but the phone conversation we had? He behaved like an asswipe.”

Noah laughs. “Do you have any siblings?”

“No,” I admit.

“When you’re the oldest, you feel as if it’s your role to protect the younger ones, especially your sister. My sister Samaria had a couple of bullies back in grade school, who I realize now probably had crushes on her. But boy was I pissed that anyone was messing with my sister, and I would have totally punched their lights out if anyone had let me.”

Protecting a kid, sure, but… “Stephen should be more mature than a grade-schooler.”

“He is. Reserve judgment until you actually meet him. He’s been concerned about Amanda. I think he was totally blindsided to find out that her boss, who was old enough to be her dad, had taken advantage of his position of power, coaxed her into bed, and gotten her pregnant.”

I’m not telling Noah that wasn’t the case since it’s Mandy’s secret. But if that’s what Stephen believes, I can see how he might be worried I’ll use our isolation and my close proximity to seduce her into another mistake. “Thanks for the info.”

Noah smiles. “You still think he’s an ass.”

“He was that day. But I’ll take a wait-and-see approach.”

“Thanks. Since Amanda trusts you after everything she’s been through, I’m guessing I can, too.” He cocks his head. “If she’s going to stay on the island, has she said anything about work? What kind is she looking for?”

That’s a more difficult question. “I know she tried to find a job in LA, but after Barclay’s arrest…”

Noah grimaces. “Listing her position as a felonious thief’s executive assistant probably didn’t look good on her resumé.”

“Nope. And will it be any better on Maui?” I’m guessing not.

“Do you know if she’s looking for another assistant job?”

I shake my head. “We haven’t talked about it. Everything has happened so fast. We spent a lot of yesterday moving her to Masey’s vacation rental. Then she and Oliver tried to recover from being awake half the night.”

“I’m sure. The thing is, Harlow has been running our non-profit, the Weston Foundation, dedicated to helping athletes of all ages, from all over the country, who have suffered long-term injury as a result of concussions and other head trauma to get the resources they need. She’s worked relentlessly to help everyone from children to pros get the right doctors, therapists, and facilities—not to mention the money—to rehabilitate.”

“That sounds like a great cause.”

“It is. We got to know each other because I suffered speech deficits after multiple concussions on the field, and she’s a trained speech therapist. She helped me tremendously, but I know too many people don’t know where to find the necessary resources and can’t afford them if they do. Harlow has been the heart and soul of this organization from day one. Her last secretary got married and moved to Florida two weeks ago. My wife has been tearing her hair out since. Think Amanda might be interested?”

Would Harlow really want to hire the childhood friend who had an affair with her father? “I can’t speak for Mandy, but I don’t know of a reason she’d say