Page 18 of What Started In Deception

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

He waited for her to get in and tossed her a wave as she backed up and drove away. “Not bad,” he muttered as he watched her pull out when there was a break in the traffic.

They had a lot of work to do—a long way to go—before he would be even remotely comfortable with calling them a “couple,” but they had to start somewhere, and tonight hadn’t been horrible, especially after she started to relax.

They needed a lot more time together, which he planned to make happen.

Lydia lay against her pillow in the dark, staring at the picture Ty had taken of them at the restaurant—like she’d been doing for the last little while. It was strange to see herself snuggled up and grinning with a man who was very much a stranger—her new boyfriend.

She sighed, still trying to believe that all of this was real. For the foreseeable future, she was in a “relationship” with an FBI agent turned personal trainer.

She studied his bright-blue eyes and perfect pearly whites as he smiled. There was no denying that he was breathtakingly gorgeous. Then there was the fact that he smelled amazing. And as much as she hated to admit it, there’d been moments when he’d been slightly charming while they shared a plate of nachos.

She shook her head as she rolled her eyes, knowing that none of that mattered—or she wouldn’t let it matter. But it was lowering to remember how he’d immediately caught her attention when she walked into Marney’s shop three days ago. She loathed it even more that, although she was very happily single, she absolutely would have taken the opportunity to sit down with him at a coffee shop or grab an ice cream cone with him at the park if he had asked when they bumped into each other outside of the gym on Tuesday afternoon.

But that was before she’d known who he was. Special Agent Tyler Corddry. The man who wanted her help so he could investigate and potentially tear her family apart.

“Keep your enemies close,” she reminded herself as she closed out of her photo app and put her phone on her nightstand.

Turning on her side, she nuzzled her cheek against her pillow as she stared at the wall. Ty had a job to do, but so did she. She had every intention of showing him that Uncle James and Will were honest and good—that they had nothing to do with organized crime. She had every intention of protecting her family.

Chapter Seven

Lydia finished vacuuming her large alphabet rug, then started rolling it up as Camille stepped in from the adjoining classroom.

“Knock, knock.”

Lydia smiled as she kept rolling. “Hey, you.”

Camille leaned her shoulder against the wall as she exhaled a long sigh, wearing a similar outfit to Lydia’s black capri yoga pants and tank top, but Camille’s shirt was pale pink, and Lydia’s was dark green. Long ago, they’d both pulled their hair back into ponytails. “I’m ready for a break. Right about now, I’m wondering why I didn’t hire professional movers.”

Lydia grinned as she finished her latest task, standing upright as she wiped at her damp forehead with her forearm. They’d been at it for a couple of hours. It was likely they would be at it for several more, but she’d actually slept a little last night, so she was here for it. “We are professional movers. Twice a year.”

“Well, I hate it,” Camille snapped.

Lydia winced. “Uh-oh. Do you need some of the chocolate in my emergency drawer?”

“I do.” Camille wandered over, opening the top drawer, helping herself to a full-size bar like she often did. “I can always count on you for the good stuff.”

“Let’s not pretend that that’s not survival food.”

Camille laughed before she bit into a dark chocolate square, humming in appreciation. “And just like that, I’m already starting to feel like me again, just a much less bitchy version.”

Lydia laughed this time as she wrestled the rug closer to the door, where everything would be taken out of the room so the janitorial staff could buff and polish the floors over the summer months. “Chocolate. It’s the true miracle drug.”

Camille took another bite. “Amen to that.”

She dropped the rug and brushed off her hands, stiffening when she spotted Ty standing in the doorway.

He grinned as their eyes met. “Hey, baby.”

Remembering her role, she forced a smile, noting the surprise in Camille’s big blue eyes as she darted a glance at her friend. “Hey.”

He stepped farther into the room, looking absolutely yummy in a pair of black athletic shorts and a white compression T-shirt that accentuated every glorious bump and ridge of his spectacular torso. “I brought you an iced chai.”

“I see that.” She took the cup that he held out to her, recognizing the logo from the local coffee shop down the road. “Thanks.”