Chapter 12: Chapter 12

ANNABELLE

“Missy, I’m heading back the day after tomorrow. You want to come with?” Killian asked.

His question caught Blake’s attention, and I felt his gaze shift to me.

“I think so,” I responded, my mind still focused on what I’d just seen.

~Should I tell them? What if it’s nothing, just some nature photographer? I don’t want to get Blake worked up.~

“Great. We can head out in the morning if that works for you?” Killian suggested, his gaze flicking to Blake before returning to me.

“Is something on your mind, Annabelle?” Blake asked, his voice holding a tinge of concern. “You look distracted.”

“That’s fine,” I agreed, giving Killian a small nod and avoiding Blake’s question.

“I brought some lunch, but I left it at my cabin. I couldn’t carry everything,” Killian announced, rising from his seat and heading for the door. “I’ll be back in a bit. Behave yourselves while I’m gone.”

I shook my head in amusement as Killian disappeared, leaving Blake and me alone.

“What’s on your mind?” Blake asked again. “You keep glancing at the window. Did you see a bear? I told you there were a few up here.”

“No. But are there other people who live up here? Besides you and Killian?” I asked cautiously.

“As far as I’m aware, no,” he responded, his face going a bit hard as he asked. “Why? Did you see something?”

I nodded.

“Where? What were they doing?” Blake asked, his jaw ticking.

I hesitated. I’d never seen his face so furious.

“At the edge of the clearing. I think they were taking pictures, but I can’t be sure,” I replied.

“Pictures?” he asked. “Did you see anything else?”

“No, I just—”

A knock at the door interrupted me. We simultaneously glanced at it before looking back at each other.

“Maybe Killian forgot something,” I said before pulling it open to reveal a man in a black, knee-length coat.

From up close, I could see his features more clearly. He wasn’t tall, less than a head taller than me, with blond hair and light-blue eyes. A camera swung at his side.

~Definitely a reporter~, I thought, trying to close the door.

“Can I help you?”

“Hi, I’m just—”

He peered around me, catching sight of Blake as he stood. “Mr. Blake Stone! My name is Thomas Henderson! I wanted to get your reaction about the recent statement issued by a Stone Financial representative.”

The man barged into the cabin, holding a voice recorder in his hand. Blake’s mouth set in a hard line, his expression distant.

“No comment,” Blake growled.

“Someone high in the company claims you were negligent with funds! Did you abuse your position for your own financial gain? What does your family think about you destroying the Stone name? Is your father disappointed you ruined the company he worked so hard to build?”

“Enough! I will not be engaging with any reporters today or any day,” Blake said sharply, his voice holding a level of cold I had never heard from him before.

“This is your chance to come clean about what happened to Stone Financial,” the reporter rattled on. “People deserve to know the truth. Some lost millions, and the company seems to be pointing the finger at you. Is that why you’ve been living out here? Are you avoiding the repercussions?”

Blake’s hand clenched into a fist.

“Mr. Henderson, I really think that you should leave,” I interjected, stepping between the reporter and Blake.

He looked at me, finally noticing I was in the room. “Miss Clark, right? I thought you looked familiar.”

“You know each other?” Blake asked, his face guarded.

“She’s with the ~Tranquil Times~,” Mr. Henderson added with a sly grin, noting the way Blake’s eyes hardened. “It seems that you beat me to this one, Miss Clark.”

I looked down, unable to glance back at Blake for fear he’d see the truth on my face. I hadn’t wanted him to find out what I did like this.

“Please leave,” Blake said in a low, commanding tone that left no room for argument.

The journalist got the hint, pocketing his recorder. “Maybe another time then. I’ll be around for the next few days if you want to share your side of the story, Mr. Stone.” He nodded at me. “Until next time, Miss Clark.”

The door closed behind him, silence enveloping the room. I slowly turned to face Blake.

“You’re a reporter?” he asked, unable to keep the hurt from his voice.

“I-I… Yes, I am.”

Blake glared at me as Killian made his entrance.

“Who was that? I didn’t know anyone else knew where this place was,” he said with eyes full of surprise. He quickly noticed the tension in the room, glancing back and forth. “What did I miss?”

“When were you going to tell me?” Blake shouted, his eyes growing darker by the second. “Was this all part of your plan to get the scoop? Help me and get me vulnerable so that you could get the story?”

“What? No!” I replied. “I promise you, Blake. I didn’t even know who you were at first. It was a coincidence. I just wanted to help you. Please believe me,” I pleaded.

Blake’s jaw clenched and unclenched, but his expression remained hard. Tears came to my eyes as I stared at him. I wanted him to believe me with every fiber of my being.

“Blakey boy, think about this. She couldn’t have known you were going to get hurt, or that there was going to be a storm,” Killian said calmly, trying to reason with him. “She was just in the right place at the right time to help. Nothing more.”

“I know journalists, Killian. They stalk and harass people, whatever they need to do to get their story,” Blake explained, not even trying to hide his disdain. “Never had one pretended to be something…more to get close to me before though. That’s clever.”

“Not many people would stay and do as much as she’s done for a stranger. I know that this might seem hard to believe, but Annabelle is truly a caring and genuine person. She didn’t even know who you were at first. She just wanted to help you. Okay?” Killian said, surprising me as he took my side.

“Maybe I should leave,” I suggested.

“Giving up doesn’t suit you,” Blake said bitterly. He sighed. “I want to believe you, Annabelle. It’s just… It’s a shock. I came out here to get away from all the reporters, and now I find that I’ve been sharing a bed with one… I just need to calm down. Give me some time to digest this. Okay?”

I nodded with a small smile, resisting the urge to hug him as he took a seat on the bed, lifting up his healing ankle to give it a break.

“How about we have some lunch in the meantime?” Killian suggested. “I brought burgers. Did anything else happen while I was gone?”

“No,” I responded.

Killian let out a defeated sigh, making me chuckle in amusement.

“What were you hoping happened, Killian?”

“Nothing,” he sighed, pulling up a chair and opening a thermal bag to reveal some delicious-looking burgers and fries.

“Wow! This looks great.” My stomach growled in agreement.

“Let’s dig in,” he said, taking a large bite of his burger.

I followed, letting out a delighted moan. The taste was divine, even if a bit cold.

“You have a little something here,” Blake said, pointing toward the corner of his lip.

“Here?” I asked, wiping at the spot but feeling nothing.

“More like here,” Blake murmured, wiping some sauce from the corner of my mouth.

The small gesture caused me to choke on my food. I coughed as Blake patted me on the back.

“That definitely gives the phrase ‘he takes my breath away’ new meaning,” Killian joked, watching me recover.

“Are you okay?” Blake asked, concern in his eyes as he removed his hand.

“Yep. The food was just a little too eager to get to my stomach,” I wheezed, bringing a small smile to Blake’s face.

“Aren’t you two adorable?” Killian said nonchalantly, continuing to eat his burger. “It’s a shame I’ll be separating you in less than forty-eight hours.”

I shook my head. The man was relentless.

“Why aren’t you eating, Blake?” I asked, noticing his untouched burger.

“I’m not hungry right now,” he grunted.

“Eat,” I insisted, holding my burger to his lips.

He refused to open his mouth, so I pushed the burger closer.

“Please eat, Blake.”

Amusement filled his eyes, but it quickly disappeared as he finally took a bite. His expression remained neutral as he chewed.

“How is it?” I asked, pulling my hand away.

“Delicious,” he replied, picking up his own and taking a bite.

The rest of lunch went by with no issues.

“That was fantastic,” I said, standing and patting my satisfied stomach. “Wish we’d saved some for dinner. I think the cabinets are getting a bit bare.”

I walked over and opened them, finding nothing but Blake’s chamomile tea and some dried mint leaves.

“We’re out of food,” Killian said, appearing next to me.

“Blake and I didn’t eat our fries. Looks like you’ll be the only one starving tonight, Killian,” I said, watching his reaction from the corner of my eye.

“You’d let me starve, missy?” Killian asked, feigning disbelief.

“She wouldn’t, but I might,” Blake said, winking at me. “You’ve lived a full life.”

Killian looked at him in disbelief.

“Love is truly terrifying,” Killian said, his shoulders slumping dramatically. “The people you care about most throw you under the bus when things get difficult.”

“So dramatic,” I said, grinning at the spectacle before me.

“I’m starting to think he’s an actor, not a doctor. That role seems more fitting, don’t you think?” Blake asked.

“Definitely,” I agreed, watching Killian’s amused reaction to our exchange.

“I’d gladly starve to see more of this,” Killian teased, chuckling. “The sparks flying between you two would at least keep me warm.” He stood. “I’ll go back to my cabin for more food. I’ll bunk here with you tonight so we can get an early start tomorrow, missy. You two better figure out the sleeping arrangements though. I’m certainly not bunking with Blake.”

Killian laughed as we both blushed, the sound echoing outside as he shut the door behind him. I peeked at Blake, catching the small smile on his face before he quickly looked away.

Maybe, just maybe, there was hope for us.