The bustle in Panera Bread had faded with the lunch hour. The few remaining customers seemed content to sit in the quiet, staring at laptops or speaking in soft voices to their companions. The restaurant possessed a relaxing atmosphere, and Wren Adams could only guess this was the reason his boss had requested they meet here.

Seated at a table in the farthest corner, Wren was grateful for the privacy it seemed they would have. He didn't fancy complete strangers hearing his troubles. It was embarrassing enough being covered in... He let his gaze slide to his work jeans and frowned at the dust and grime that covered them. He flicked a wood chip off the faded material, then leaned back in his chair. He sighed.

There's nothing shameful in hard work, he reminded himself. He shoved away that embarrassment like a soiled rag and focused his weary mind toward the important question of the day: What did Tony Kingsley want? Wren had already paid the man his allotted monthly payment. He had even doubled it! There was no way he could pay another installment, but fear this was what his boss and benefactor wanted, struck Wren to his core.

Please, Lord. Turn his heart to be merciful toward me. I'm doing the best I can.

Tony Kingsley, owner of Springdale Construction, had hired Wren to work in one of his many construction chains. He owned five chains, all scattered across the United States, and Wren had heard gossip that his wealthy benefactor had teams in England also. Wren wasn't certain of those claims. Nor did he care. For the past five years, Wren had lived for one thing—to pay his debt to Tony Kingsley. Yet, while progress had been made, Wren felt like a stuck semi truck, wheels spinning in a muddy bog in a fight for solid ground but never accomplishing it.

The bell on the door jingled, and Wren squared his shoulders as his boss entered the restaurant. As always, Tony was dressed as if he'd stepped from the front cover of a magazine. He wore a pinstriped suit, tailored to fit his stocky frame, his gray-streaked ebony hair was slicked back, and black Mezlan Lupo dress shoes adorned his feet, sparkling with polished perfection. Wren scowled down at his appearance again. He was a mess.

Tony approached then slid into the seat opposite of him. "Have you had lunch?" Not even a "hello", or a "how are you?". Tony rested his elbows on the table and studied Wren with such intensity, Wren shifted, uneasily.

"Yes, sir. We had lunch break a couple hours ago."

"Good. How do you like construction work?"

"It's a great job. I enjoy working outside too. I appreciate you setting me up with it. "

Tony waved a hand as if to dismiss the appreciation. "I know it can be a dirty job at times, but work is work. I admire your determination to pay off your debt."

Wren ducked his head and said nothing.

"You seem tense."

Wren offered a lopsided grin. "To be honest, I'm worried."

"About?"

"I'm wondering if our meeting has something to do with my debt. Is there a problem with the agreement we've made?" Often, Wren regretted not requiring legal papers the day he'd borrowed money from Tony. But then again, when Tony had come along all those years ago, legality hadn't seemed all that important.

Tony scoffed. "You're already doubling your payments, Adams. I wouldn't ask you to pay more."

Relief doused Wren. He sat a bit straighter. He could handle anything... except scraping more money together. "Then...?"

Tony grew serious. "I've come with a proposition. How would you like to be a free man?"

Wren froze, but his heart beat faster. "H-how is that even possible? I owe you well over two hundred thousand dollars."

"Have I told you about my daughter?"

Startled by the change in conversation, Wren blinked but managed, "The night we met. You mentioned her then."

Tony smiled. "Oh, yes."

"What does your daughter have to do with settling my debt?"

"It's a lot to explain, actually. I need to travel to England, and I'll be there off and on for a year; I'll only return to renew my Visa."

Wren nodded. So it was true Tony had construction branches in England. Still, Wren didn't know why he was being informed of this. Tony traveling the globe was nothing new.

"I have a business partner there. We're contemplating a seventh construction chain, but it's risky and in need of close supervision. I'm the most experienced, so it's imperative I oversee it from start to finish.

"I usually take my daughter with me on longer trips such as these, but she's graduating this year from High School. And she detests the Queen's daughter more than rats. And that's saying something."

"The Queens?"

"Yes, Robert Queen is my business partner. He has a daughter a year older than Leah, but they don't see eye to eye on most things.

"This is where my offer comes in. I've always had a nanny for my daughter; we also have two security guards that rotate watching the premises of my home. The last nanny quit, but I managed to keep her on until the end of the week. She will officially resign in two days."

"And your daughter's name is...?"

"Leah. I'm sure I mentioned her name."

Wren tried to mask his dread, but he had a sinking feeling he knew exactly where this conversation was headed. "So you need a babysitter."

"Exactly! Since, I'll be gone for so long, her safety is a major concern for me. I've decided to hire a butler instead of a nanny."

Wren stared. "A what?"

Tony chuckled. "A butler. But not in the traditional sense of the word. The Queens have a butler that takes care of their home, but they also have a personal butler for their daughter. At first, I thought it quite silly, but now... I like the idea. I don't let her go as many places with nannies; I don't feel she's protected enough. But with a butler, she could have more freedom. If," Tony emphasized the word 'if', "I trust that man. And if he possess the skills to protect her. The only man I know that fulfills both of these requirements..." Tony arched a suggestive brow.

"So really, you want a body guard for your daughter."

"Protection is included in my request, yes. But also, take care of her for me while I'm away. Take her on a few adventures to keep her wild spirit satisfied, assist her in whatever she needs. Do this job well, and I'll erase your debt when I return in a year's time."

Stunned, Wren remained leaning against his chair. Whether his shock was from the request or due to the fact freedom was suddenly much, much closer, he wasn't sure. "This doesn't make sense. Why would you want a young man with my past to watch your daughter? What if she becomes emotionally attached, or-"

Tony raised a hand, his expression now cemented in stern rigidity. "Oh, there will be rules. I've been good to you thus far, but if you dare break them, you'll regret the day we've met."

Wren tensed at the warning in his boss's tone.

"No romantic involvement," Tony said, "ever. Leah is a beautiful young woman with a bright future, and she will marry someone benefitting that future. You are not him. Are we clear?"

"How old is she, exactly?"

"Seventeen."

"Understood. No romantic involvement. Anything else?

Tony half-smiled. "I think you get the picture."

Wren tapped nervous fingers on the table. "You know my past. I don't understand why you feel I'm right for the job. I mean, a man of your wealth, you could hire anyone!"

"It's because of your past I picked you. Who better to protect her than you? Who better to trust than a man who has proven for the past five years that he can be trusted? Who better to trust than a man still trapped in a past he can't escape."

Wren raised a brow at the blatant honesty. Yet, it was true. Freedom could be a year away; there was no way he'd blow it for a seventeen-year-old. No way at all.

"So? Do we have a deal?"

Wren stared at the older man, hesitated as his mind wrapped around the request. Did he really have a choice? "I accept. I'd be crazy not to."

Tony grinned. " Excellent! I need you to begin in two days."

"Two days?" Wren's jaw sagged.

"Short notice, I know, but I leave tomorrow, and Leah's nanny refuses to stay longer. Don't worry about your job. I will clear things with my foreman as soon as I leave here"—Tony looked at his watch—"which I need to do now. I have a suit to pick up." He withdrew a small paper from his coat pocket and thrust it at Wren. "My home address is on this. Knock on the guard shack Monday morning, and Edward will assist you."

"But!" Wren scrambled to his feet when Tony stood to his. He reached out as if to beg for more time, but another silencing hand from Tony brought Wren's stuttering words to a fast halt.

"It'll be fine, Adams! Just think. In a year's time, you'll be a free man."

Free man. Those words slammed Wren back into his chair. Yet, as he watched his boss, benefactor, and the father of his future ward leave the restaurant, he shook his head in stunned defeat. What had just happened?

*****