Chapter 9

The moment I turned the corner onto my street, my stomach twisted.

“Kath-er-ine Hall! Perfect timing!”

Mrs. Periwinkle’s voice cut through the evening like a delighted foghorn. She stood on her porch in her usual floral housecoat, one hand clamped possessively around the arm of a tall, good-looking man in his late twenties. He had a set of warm brown eyes, a set of bright teeth, and an easy-going face.

Oh no. Not tonight. Please, not tonight.

I kept walking toward my own door, legs aching from the endless day, the image of that bodyguard’s gun still burning behind my eyes and Heath’s cold ‘to keep you safe’ still echoing. Every step felt heavier than the last.

Mrs. Periwinkle wobbled down her steps with surprising speed for someone of her age. “Don’t you dare pretend you didn’t hear me, young lady!”

I stopped, forcing a tired smile. Daniel looked as mortified as I felt. “Auntie, please,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

She ignored him. “This is my nephew Daniel, visiting from Bristol. Daniel, meet Katherine. She’s back home after all these years. Single, clever, and far too pretty to be sitting alone every night. Did I mention Single?”

Heat flooded my face. I wanted the pavement to crack open and swallow me whole. “Mrs. Periwinkle…”

Daniel shot me an apologetic glance. “She’s been like this since I got here. Sorry.”

Mrs. Periwinkle beamed, already backing toward her door. “I’ll bring tea! You two chat.” The second she vanished inside, the curtain at her window twitched. She was watching. Of course she was.

Daniel exhaled. “Want to pretend we’re getting to know each other? Just for ten minutes so she stops plotting world domination via blind dates?”

Despite the exhaustion dragging at me, a small laugh slipped out. “Deal. She’ll stop plotting if she sees us talking.”

We stood on the pavement as the light softened around us. He turned out to be surprisingly easy to talk to, funny in that self-deprecating way that asked nothing heavy from me. For the first time all day, the tight knot in my chest eased a fraction. He told me about his last relationship disaster: a woman who brought her emotional support python on their third date and expected him to hold it while they kissed. I laughed so hard my eyes watered. The sound was strange in my own ears. I didn’t share any stories of my own. The only name I refused to speak out loud these days was Heath’s.

“I enjoy talking to you,” Daniel said after a while, lowering his voice. “But I don’t want any drama. You got a boyfriend I should know about?”

I shook my head. “No boyfriend.”

His face brightened with hope. “In that case… would you like to go out sometime? Coffee? Or dinner maybe... if you like?" his hand went back unconsciously rubbing the back of his neck.”

I hesitated. The weight of the day pressed back in. “You seem really nice, Daniel. But I’m still trying to figure out a lot of things right now. Relationships especially. I’m not in the right headspace.”

He nodded, disappointed but understanding. We exchanged numbers anyway, no promises made, grateful we had survived Mrs. Periwinkle’s ambush.

Mrs. Periwinkle emerged moments later, forgetting the tea mind you, beaming like she’d already booked the wedding venue. Daniel hugged her goodbye and left with a final wave in my direction.

After waiting for them to leave, I slipped inside my quiet house, the brief lightness fading. The kitchen felt too still. Pulled out a ready meal, and stabbed the microwave buttons harder than necessary, staring at the rotating plate while the day looped in my head.

My phone buzzed sharply on the counter.

Dress up. I’m coming to pick you up.

I stared at the screen until the words blurred. There was no greeting or explanation. Just another order dropped into my exhausted evening like he owned every minute of my life. The anger and tiredness of the day flared inside of me.

No.

The triple dots appeared instantly.

Still paying you £200k, Kattie.

That excuse is getting old.

Dress up.

My thumb hovered over ‘No’ again. The silence occupied by the sound of the microwave. Heath had spent the entire day controlling the narrative—issuing orders, deciding what I needed to know.

Not tonight.

If I was going, it would be on my terms.

You don’t get to lie to me, disappear, and then summon me like nothing happened.

You owe me answers, Heath. That’s the only reason I’m coming

I turned off the microwave, appetite completely gone, and stepped next door before I could talk myself out of it.

I opened my wardrobe and stared. Everything looked wrong. Too plain.

Petty? Maybe.

But if Heath wanted to order me around, the least I could do was show up looking unforgettable

I headed on to Mrs. Periwinkle house.

“Back so soon? Did Daniel forget something?”

“Not exactly.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Then, what brings you here dear?”

“Actually… I need a dress. Last-minute thing.”

A smile slowly began tugging at her lips “For Daniel! I knew it!”

I was about to correct her when she disappeared into a room on the side.

“Your mom is going to be so proud and happy you’re not spending your whole life in that room. Don’t worry, I have the perfect dress for you. It’s my niece own, Has only been worn once”

My stomach dropped at the mention of my mom. I hadn’t been to see her since this rollercoaster-of-a-ride started. I was on my way to making a mental note to go see her when Mrs. Periwinkle came out with the most beautiful red dress.

Scarlet fabric poured over her hands like liquid silk, catching every sliver of light. She disappeared in an excited flurry and returned holding a stunning red bodycon dress. The neck demanded attention – neckline plunging into the sternum, fabric gripping every curve like a second skin, flowing all the way to the floor.

I tried it on in her guest room. The mirror showed someone who looked powerful, exposed, and too much like she was stepping into Heath Moore’s world.

Did I look like I belong beside him, or did I just look like I’m trying too hard? The dress made me feel strong and vulnerable all at once. A quiet thrill mixed with the insecurity gnawing at my stomach.

This isn’t me, I found myself thinking. Maybe. Or maybe it is the version of you that survived him.

“You look stunning, dearie.” Mrs. Periwinkle said as she fussed through my hair “Daniel won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”

I’d barely finished touching up my makeup when headlights flooded the driveway. My heart slammed against my ribs as I stepped outside.

Heath had traded his usual stark white suit for black tonight, and somehow that small change made everything feel different. His sleek black hair caught the headlights, and those hazel-green eyes—usually so controlled—went wide the second he saw me.

He still wore his gloves.

Behind him, at the edge of the limousine, stood the same man that has been guarding his office earlier today. He looked like he'd been carved from muscle. Seven feet if he was an inch, dark-skinned, tattoos crawling up his neck and disappearing beneath the collar of his suit. The event of this morning flashed through my mind again. I became all too aware of what I was walking into.

But I couldn't look at him for long. Because Heath—the unflappable Heath—was just standing there on the driveway, mouth slightly open, a muscle ticking in his jaw like he'd forgotten how to speak.

His fingers flexed at his sides.

And I realized he was stopping himself from reaching for me.

Heath’s sleek black car idled at the curb. He climbed out and stopped dead.

“You—” His voice came out rough, lower than usual. He cleared his throat, eyes still locked on me with an intensity that made my knees feel unsteady. “You are very late. Get in, Kattie.”

I raised an eyebrow, pulse racing. “That’s the best you’ve got? After dragging me out on my off hours?”

He stepped closer. His cologne wrapped around me, painfully familiar. His dark eyes held mine, rawness flickering beneath the control. “You look…” He exhaled sharply, as if the admission cost him. “Beautiful. Dangerously so.” His gaze dropped to my mouth for a fraction of a second before returning to my eyes. “Now let’s get in before I lose my restraint to be a gentleman.”

Heat flooded my cheeks. I brushed past him, letting my arm graze his chest deliberately, and slid into the passenger seat. The door shut with a soft, expensive click, sealing us together in the low light.

As we pulled away, city lights slid across his sharp profile. The familiar war inside me started all over again.

The part that still hated him for everything he'd done, and the part that was already leaning dangerously toward whatever came next.

I had tried to make this simple. This work-job relationship, but nothing with Heath Moore was ever simple.