By Your Side

13

Ioannis

"How's law school going?" It's later in the day after Gracelyn's appointment at Designed By Isabelle and I'm in my room on a FaceTime call with my sister.

Thankfully, Gracelyn had no more errands after that today. Because the way my body had reacted when I saw her in that last dress she tried on—looking like a siren and as though she'd just stepped out of a James Bond movie—was not at all conducive to maintaining a professional working environment. She looked like a dream in every dress she tried on but that damn red dress seemed to do something else to me and when she asked me to zip her up, I'd felt a burning fire in my chest.

If Gracelyn wears that dress to the Sapphire Film Festival, she might as well just kill me. Figuratively.

"Same old," Tonia replies. "Just readings, assignments, and more readings."

"It sounds fun."

Tonia rolls her eyes. "Enough about law school." A mischievous grin taints her face. "Can I say, there's something different about you."

I raise a brow. "What are you implying?"

She smirks. "I'm implying that you're enjoying working with a certain someone."

She's obviously referring to Gracelyn and she's not wrong. I enjoy working with Gracelyn more than any client I've had before. Even if I'm just standing in a corner quietly watching Gracelyn do her thing at an event or walking behind her when she's running an errand.

"You've been so mysterious about working for her," Tonia adds when I don't say anything. "Every time I ask you about her, you just dodge the question."

Tonia has asked about Gracelyn numerous times when we catch up over the phone, which isn't a surprise given The Game of Love is one of my sister's favorite films. However, it's the last thing I need when I'm trying to not think about Gracelyn outside of work hours.

"There's not much to say," I grumble.

It's a big lie because there are endless things I could say about Gracelyn Pearce.

I could tell Tonia that Gracelyn is perhaps the most breathtaking woman I've ever seen, but also one of the most thoughtful and caring people I know. I could tell Tonia about the sparkle in Gracelyn's eye whenever she's excited, or the way she huffs and scrunches up her nose when she's annoyed at something. I could tell Tonia about how Gracelyn's kindness extends to the Pearce family staff, those she works with, and even strangers, like the time she'd stood up for Charlotte.

A cheeky expression lingers on Tonia's face. "I saw the photos of you and her at that elementary school you visited."

I'd seen the photos earlier today—there were various shots of Gracelyn interacting with the school kids and some of them featured me in the background, unable to take my eyes off Gracelyn. There were a few other pictures in which we were laughing and smiling together while playing basketball together.

"What about it?"

"You look like you have a crush on her."

"I do not have a crush on Gracleyn Pearce." My hand flexes on my thigh. "She's my client."

"Then why do you look so tense?" Tonia quips.

"I'm not tense," I grunt. Being interrogated by my sister was not what I'd planned when I'd called her today.

Despite my comment, her facial expression softens. "You know, it's the first time I've seen you smiling in a candid photo."

"You know what it's been like with previous celebrity clients I've worked with." I don't know what Tonia wants me to say—the fact of the matter is, I'm just Gracelyn's bodyguard and this isn't one of these romcom movies that Tonia likes to watch.