Chapter 6: Close Encounters

After that, I did as I was told. Emily delivered Alex’s healthy meals to his study every morning and evening.

Every time I greeted Grandma Carol, she beamed, pride clear on her face.

“Even Dr. Lee says Alex looks better every day! Jenny, you’re a godsend.”

She was so pleased, she gave me a gold bracelet—heavy and old, with a Mason family crest.

Back in my room, I slipped it into my jewelry box. Inside were all the trinkets and treasures Grandma Carol had given me since I arrived—more than I’d ever owned before.

Emily noticed. “Ma’am, why don’t you ever wear any of this? It’s a shame to leave them in the box.”

“They’re not wasted. If I ever need to, I can sell them. Emergency money, you know?”

Emily’s brows knit together. “Would you really sell everything Grandma Carol gave you?”

“Not now. But if we divorce… sure, I’ll sell them. A girl’s gotta look out for herself.”

Emily just blinked, then turned to the door and whispered, “Captain.”

I looked up—and found Alex standing in the doorway, his gaze heavy, face paler than ever.

Grandma Carol must need new glasses. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

His eyes were sharp, cold as steel. I tried to hide my nerves. “Captain, can I help you with something?”

“I left some old things here. Came to look for them.”

“What should I be looking for?”

“Notebook.”

“Do you remember where it might be?”

He shook his head, lips tight.

I started digging through boxes, reaching up onto the top shelves, asking him questions now and then. The sun shifted through the blinds, stripes of light and shadow falling across the carpet.

At last, I found a battered notebook shoved way in the back of the top shelf. I had to stand on tiptoe to reach it.

Just as my fingers brushed the spine, another hand—hot, steady—closed over mine. His hand was warm, callused, the kind of grip that could have belonged to a soldier or a piano player.

It was the first time I’d ever seen Alex this close. His face was striking—clear, fair skin, sharp brows, eyes like a deep lake after rain.

My heart pounded in my chest. The next second, I lost my balance and toppled straight into his arms.

In that instant, my chest pressed right up against his heart, the world narrowing to the rhythm of our two quick, uneven breaths.

For a heartbeat, neither of us moved. Then Alex’s arms tightened, just enough to make me wonder—was he holding me up, or holding me close?