Bella heard Helen gasp as they walked off and couldn’t contain her grin. Caleb stood behind her as they walked through the buffet they always had set up.
He glanced at her plate. “Is that all you’re going to have?”
She looked down at the small ham sandwich, a few chips, and fruit. “Yes. This will be too much. I think my eyes are bigger than my stomach. Besides, I can’t remember the last time I got to eat chips or a ham sandwich.”
“All right. Don’t worry. I’ll eat the rest.”
She eyed his plate. It was heaped with food, but then he was enormous, so he needed the extra calories. When she turned to walk back into her room, where she usually ate, the director called her over to the long table he sat at.
“Is it okay if we sit with him?” she asked Caleb.
“If that’s what you want.”
“I think it will be fun. I usually eat by myself.”
“That’s bullshit,” Caleb said, making her laugh.
Caleb made sure she was covered, and no one could get a shot at her where she sat, and then pulled out her chair.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Do you want to introduce me to your friend?”
“Eddy, this is Caleb. He’s helping keep me safe.” She turned to Caleb. “This is Eddy, the director.”
Caleb smirked. “Ahh, I wondered why you yelled all the time.”
Eddy and other people at the table burst out laughing.
“I usually have to to be heard,” Eddy quipped.
She enjoyed lunch. The jokes and stories going around were hilarious, and she couldn’t remember having such a good time. But then, her mother always kept her isolated, and she was starting to consider why she would do that. She decided she’d ask Caleb later.
The more time she spent with Caleb, the more things she started to question. With time, she knew the changes in her life would only make her better and stronger.
After lunch, they got back to work, and the afternoon sped by. Eddy was yelling cut for the day before she knew it, and Caleb walked her back to her room. The same girls and her mother waited.
Caleb stepped out again while they undressed her and took her makeup off.
He took one look at her when the door opened. “Let’s get you home. You look beat, little star.”
“I am tired.”
“Let’s go. Are you ready, Helen?” he asked.
“I’m coming.” Her mother followed them out to the limo and got in.
Bella relaxed back against the cushions and sighed.
“If we get back to the condo and I see those wolves, Helen, I’m going to shove you out and then take Bella to an undisclosed location.”
Helen hissed out her anger. “I didn’t.”
Bella grabbed his attention. “She only does that in the morning. In the afternoon, I usually look tired, and she doesn’t want people to take pictures of me.”
Caleb growled.
She patted his arm. “It’s okay.”