Her Heart's Desire. Lisa Watson

wide smile etched his face. “Thanks. It was my honor to serve my country.”

      He held the door to the coffee shop open. They placed their order, and Ivan insisted on paying.

      Tiffany found a table, and he came over with their drinks.

      She inhaled the aromatic smell of her chai latte. “You don’t strike me as the tea type.”

      He glanced down at his green tea. A lopsided grin etched his face. “I only drink coffee when I’m on assignments.”

      “So you install security systems for a living?”

      “No. I installed one a year ago for my grandmother’s assisted-living facility and picked up a few more locations by word of mouth. I’ve done a few businesses in Chicago. One being the community center where Ms. Jeannie teaches classes. I’ve taught a few senior security classes there.”

      “You’re big on security.”

      He laughed. “You could say that. My company, Mangum and Associates, specializes in personal protection for dignitaries, business executives and notables. We take long and short-term assignments.”

      “Wow, so you’re like high-end bodyguards. Have you ever protected anyone famous?”

      “A few,” he admitted.

      “Seeing all those new places must be exciting for you.”

      “Not all glitz and glamour, I assure you. It’s plenty of long hours, even longer reports and not much of a social life. In fact, I live a pretty monklike existence.”

      “I’m familiar with that,” she said drily. “Not the danger and intrigue, but the long hours, minuscule social life and loads of paperwork. So why the business of protection?”

      Ivan shrugged. “It seemed a natural extension of my skill set, plus I enjoy it.”

      “I’m sure the world is a much safer place because of it,” she said sincerely.

      Ivan glanced up. Their gazes connected across the table.

      Clearing his throat, he opened his laptop. “I suppose we should get started.”

      * * *

      For the next thirty-five minutes, Ivan laid out his plan for Tiffany’s store. He took into account everything she asked for, plus a few Mission: Impossible–type features that she didn’t. When Tiffany started to protest, he cut her off.

      “It wasn’t as expensive as you think.” He slid his laptop around to face her. “See?”

      Tiffany scanned over the screen. She blinked a few times. “Wow, this is actually...affordable.”

      “I get discounts on the merchandise, and my fee is reasonable.”

      “Ivan, this seems like almost a pass-through on costs.”

      “I’m not doing this to become wealthy, Tiffany. This is more of a hobby for me. The work I do at Mangum is high stress, keeps me busy and affords a great living. The services I provide to the community allow me to give back.”

      She looked skeptical.

      “It’s true.” He chuckled. “Now stop worrying, and tell me when you’d like to get started. It won’t take more than an evening or two to get it done. We work at night so there’s no interruption to you or your customers.”

      “We?”

      “I’ll be getting my brother, Cole, to help out,” he explained. “It will go much faster that way.”

      “You have a brother? I don’t know why, but I assumed you were an only child.”

      “Cole is my younger brother. It’s just the two of us. I think we exhausted our parents, so they quit while they were ahead,” he joked.

      “My parents weren’t able to have more children, so I was it. Normally, I don’t miss having a sibling, but there are times when it would be nice to have more family—or at least a buffer every now and then.”

      Ivan glanced over with a quizzical expression.

      “They argued a lot toward the end. It was intense at times,” she explained.

      That caused Ivan to frown. “I bet that was hard on you.”

      She shrugged. “Kids are resilient. I learned to cope.” Tiffany played with her cup. “You know, I cried with relief when they told me they were getting divorced.”

      “I’m sorry to hear that.”

      “I wasn’t. Besides, I got another bedroom to call my own, so it all worked out. But enough about me. What about you?”

      “My parents are still married and in love. Which only makes them more interested in what my brother and I are up to,” he said, trying to interject some levity.

      “Sounds like they’d get along quite well with Ms. Jeannie,” Tiffany joked.

      * * *

      Ivan observed various emotions cross Tiffany’s face. She wasn’t as unaffected by her family’s problems as she tried to portray. There was real pain in her expression and body language. Before he knew it, he reached across the table and covered her hand with his. He squeezed it reassuringly, giving her some of his strength. A shocked expression crossed her face momentarily, but then she relaxed.

      “I’ll bet your rooms were every teenage girl’s dream.” He watched a few tears glisten in her eyes before she blinked them away.

      She laughed. “Maybe not, but I thought they were pretty cool.”

      He released her hand. To give her a chance to compose herself, Ivan relayed some tales of his childhood. The sparkle in her eyes slowly returned, and she even chimed in with some funny stories of her own. Reluctantly, their discussion returned to work, and they were able to finalize the plans and payment arrangements. When they were done, Ivan escorted Tiffany back to her store. He held the door open for her, but stopped just inside.

      “Thanks for this afternoon. And thank you for the wonderful security system, Ivan.”

      He chuckled. “That’s the first time someone’s thanked me in advance.”

      “That’s because I know I’ll love it.”

      “Then you’re welcome...in advance.” He smiled broadly. “Cole and I will see you on Wednesday.”

      “Great, and thanks again.”

      Ivan took her hand in his again and squeezed. “Anytime.”

      Moments later, Ivan was getting into his SUV. Their afternoon together had been illuminating. He learned that Tiffany held a lot inside, and that her emotions ran deep. He was surprised that sharing a few of her childhood memories had caused her composure to slip. Seeing her distressed like that had stirred something inside him. He barely knew her, and yet wanted nothing more than to protect her from the sadness lurking behind her eyes.

      Then he recalled his vow on remaining strictly professional. Cole would have a field day when he found out Ivan’s latest predicament. With a wry smile, he started his truck and pulled off.

      * * *

      Inside the store, Tiffany’s sales associate, Celeste, came over to her. “Aside from having lunch with a bona fide hunk, what’s got you in such a good mood?”

      “It wasn’t lunch,” Tiffany corrected. “It was a business meeting. I’m getting a new security system for the store. It’s long overdue.”

      The younger woman tilted her head to the side. “Are you sure it’s not the man installing it that’s got you so happy?”

      “Don’t be silly.” Tiffany tried to sound stern, but failed miserably. She couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. “He’s simply doing a favor for a mutual friend. Nothing more.”