Page 58 of Mail Order Splash

KLEINE

The driver was waiting for us at the elevator. It all felt so James Bond and unnecessary until we drove around the front side of the building to a throng of news station reporters and people everywhere that it hit me that I was in over my head.

“Wow!” Josh exclaimed. “This is insane. You agreed to marry the guy.”

“Yeah, you pushed me to say yes. Remember?”

“Sure, I remember, I want your place saved, but wow, wow, wow.” He looked out the tinted windows. “People with cameras are chasing us.”

“Maybe I made a mistake. This is nuts.”

“You didn’t make a mistake. You made a wise decision to save something very important to you. It’s not forever and you didn’t want to date, anyways.”

“True, but what if he is a merman and I don’t find out until later? Like, why does he live on the water? Is it so he can dip his legs in?” I joked.

“All interesting thoughts. We’ll have to watch him tonight.” He relaxed back on the seats. “These seats feel so nice, not like my old Toyota with cracks and rips.”

His cell rang, I told him to answer it then lost myself in thoughts.

“I’ve got you”. No one beside Josh has said they “got me” for far too many years now. Can I trust this, or am I going to be destroyed when it’s all over? Doc won’t be around forever.

“Oh, no, Josh!” I grabbed his arm. “I didn’t warn Doc.”

“Doc already knows something is up. That was him on the phone. He was there to see you but the place is swamped so he drove away thinking it was city people there to shut you down or something.”

“It’s a good thing we don’t have any rescues. Did Tony say anything?”

“Yep, he said ‘congratulations’.”

“Argh, him too?”

“Doc said we could stay at his place tonight. I didn’t tell him you’re engaged, that’s on you.”

“Nice, Joshy. You tell me to say yes then chicken out on that. I’m not sure he’s going to be thrilled about this.” I turned in my seat. “I forgot to tell you, we’re going to meet Sydney tomorrow for proper clothing.”

“Well, he needs you to fit the part, and you do need to wear more than sweatpants and sneakers.”

“No, Josh, both of us are doing it. Dalton says you will be a very big part of this and you need to dress the part as well.”

“I knew I liked him. I’ve always wanted to have that GQ look.”

“Oh, brother, tomorrow will be interesting. Maybe you can go instead of me. You can decide what I need.”

“It’ll be fun, like “Pretty Woman”. We can even order a pizza.”

“We’re here, ma’am. I got you as close as I could to the entrance.” He opened his door. “Wait here while I move the crowd.”

We watched as he moved people back with ease. The gun on his hip probably helped with that. I’d seen this exact kind of situation in various movies, but it was something else in person.

“Should I come in to help with your stuff?” Bobby held the door open.

“I don’t travel with much, I can get it. You’re welcome to come in with us.”

“I probably should to make sure no one got in. They do that.” He went in ahead of us. “Looks okay so far.”

“Bobby, do you ever have to do intense protection? Like, should I be worried?”

“No, ma’am. Now, Charlie and the guys that run their security, they’ve had some situations, but for specific reasons, nothing like this. And, it will calm down.”

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