Sweet on You

Chapter 4

It had been two weeks with Xander.

Lydia felt like she had a shadow everywhere she went, which, technically she did, but this shadow was a six foot two man with a permanently grumpy facial expression, and incredibly dark eyes and hair to match.  

Xander followed Lydia into Kelly’s office. Her sister looked exactly as she did last week and the week before that, her platinum blonde hair in a tight bun and her blue eyes lined with thin black eyeliner. But instead of wearing a blouse and skirt, she wore a navy pantsuit. Lydia almost flinched at the sight. Between the outfit, the office, and how much Kelly looked like her mother, Lydia nearly had to do a double take.

“There’s a few things I need you to sign,” Kelly said as a way of greeting. Lydia didn’t expect much of her, but a hello would have been nice.

Lydia sat on the leather cushioned chair across from Kelly’s desk. Xander simply lingered by the door, saying nothing. She took the few file folders from Kelly’s desk and began to read them, earning a scoff from Kelly. “You don’t need to pretend to care what you’re signing, Lydia. I just need the owner to give me their signature and be on their way.”

Owner. Not sister, owner. Lydia shut the file folder. “I do care about what I’m signing, Kelly.”

“You never cared before,” she replied tightly, glaring at her.
Lydia ignored the jab. Kelly was their mother’s most prized possession. She was the one their mother cherished, raised, loved. Lydia not being in their lives was not her choice, not in the beginning. It was her mother’s. But she wasn’t going to say that, not to Kelly, who was mourning the loss of her. Instead, she simply returned to the documents at hand and quickly skimmed over them, signing where it was needed. After they were all signed and accounted for, Lydia placed them on the desk. 

Kelly took them, her icy eyes watching Lydia intently. “You know, we have been wanting to branch out into the culinary industry.”

Lydia nodded her head. She knew this. The last time she had seen her mother two years ago, she had acquired a small chain of italian restaurants. “I know.”

“Your bakery isn’t too horrible,” Kelly continued, in her own strange way of a compliment.

Lydia didn’t like where this conversation was going.

Kelly pulled a small file out from her desk and slid it over to Lydia. “I took it upon myself to look at your numbers, they're fairly good. Hollis Enterprises is willing to buy you out for a hefty some, launch a few locations across North America.”

Lydia didn’t bother to open the folder, to see the offer laid out in front of her. “I don’t want to make a chain out of my bakery.”

Kelly scoffed, waving off Lydia’s remark. “With that sum, you wouldn’t have to work another day in your life. Until after your absurd contract is over, that is.”

“I like working,” Lydia snapped, sliding the folder back to Kelly. 

Kelly gave her a smile, but it resembled more a look of cruelty. “I could always buy it out from under you.”

Lydia stood from her seat, shaking her head vigorously. She knew Kelly was pissed about their mother leaving the ownership to her, but she didn’t think Kelly would threaten to take her business from her. Lydia took a deep breath before she spoke, not wanting to raise her voice, to unleash the anger she felt in the pit of her stomach. She exhaled and stared her sister right in the eyes. “Look, I get you’re mad. I’m mad too. I didn’t want or ask for this. But don’t take her decision out on me. You will not touch my bakery or else--”

Kelly arched an eyebrow, the challenge in Lydia’s voice igniting her anger. “Or else what?”

Lydia, despite herself, lost control of her anger. “Or else I won’t sign the company back to you.”

Before Lydia could react, Kelly slapped her, her sister’s nails raking down her cheeks.

Xander swooped in at that moment, he had been so quiet throughout the meeting, Lydia had forgotten he was there. He pulled Lydia back from Kelly. 

“Don’t touch her,” he snarled, his expression murderous.

Even though it wasn’t directed at her, Lydia cowered a bit at his tone. They had only known one another for two weeks and within those two weeks, they shared small conversations here and there about mundane things. She hadn’t seen him in bodyguard mode for the most part, until today, that is.

Kelly looked from Xander to Lydia, her face revealing nothing about what thoughts were racing through her head. She pointed to the glass doors of her office, which Lydia found herself grateful that the blinds were shut. “Get out.”

Xander gripped Lydia’s elbow, escorting her out of the office and into the elevators. When the metalic doors shut, Xander let go of her, pulling out a tissue from his pocket. He inspected Lydia’s cheek, which stung. His free hand took her by the chin, his touch unnerving her. 

“You’re bleeding,” he said softly, dabbing the blood away.

Lydia tried to make light of the situation with a joke as she watched him wipe away the blood. “Believe it or not, it’s not the first time I’ve been slapped.”

Xander’s eyes moved from the scratches on her face to her eyes. “That isn’t funny.”

Lydia shrugged, but his reaction surprised her. “I deserved it. I taunted her with a threat I didn’t mean.”

“She tried to take your bakery from you,” he growled, dabbing her face one last time before he placed the blood ridden tissue back in his pocket. “I think the taunt was perfectly warranted.”

Lydia was surprised by his words. He had been Kelly’s guard before hers, so she assumed he would carry some fondness for her, but by the sounds of it, he really, really did not care for Lydia’s sister. She leaned against the elevator wall. “Well, I wouldn’t say that to her when you go back to being her guard again. She might throw hands at you, too.”

Xander chuckled, but it was more of an amused breath of exhale. “I would quit before I worked for her again.”

Lydia arched a brow, the action reigniting the stinging sensation in her cheek. “I take it she isn’t as lovely with her guards as she is with me?”

Xander looked at her, a look that confirmed her suspicions. “You may think I hate the lack of action working for you, Lydia, but I would take watching you at the bakery then being ordered around like a lap dog by your sister any day.”

Lydia simply blinked dumbly in response. This was the most her and Xander had spoken in one fluid conversation. Not only that, but he admitted he didn’t fully hate working for her.
Despite being slapped in the face, being threatened by her sister, and owning a company she wanted nothing to do with, Lydia smiled.