Page 46 of Say Yes to the Death

“The croissants! The patisseries! Oh my god, can we see the Eiffel Tower?”

Agent Dinkle sighed deeply, clearly irritated at Claire’s joy. “Ma’am, I need you to open this and take out the batteries.”

Claire took the bag and opened it clumsily, only half paying attention and peppering Luke with questions as she twisted the cylinder.

“Where are we staying? Left bank? Right bank? Where will we have dinner? Can we see the Champs-Élysées? Nicole is going to be so jealous,” she continued as the screw top finally popped off. The batteries sprang out of the vibrator and escaped from the lip of the bag. They rolled across the floor.

“Gerald! Watch out, there are some vibrator batteries on the floor behind you,” Agent Dinkle called to her teammate.

At this point, everyone in line had turned to watch, barely concealing their laughter.

“Huh?” A lumbering man turned around from his conveyor belt and stepped right on one of the free-rolling batteries. His foot slid out from under him, and he went crashing to the floor, sending a bag of Cheerios and a sippy cup flying out of the bag he was checking. The cereal exploded onto the floor, scattering across airport security.

Claire gasped and tried to run over to help, but Luke grabbed her arm.

“Stay here. As much fun as it would be to see you in handcuffs, they will tackle and arrest you.”

“Oh, god. I’m so sorry, sir!” she called after the man who was now lying prone on his back and probably questioning his career.

Gerald snorted like an angry bull as he rolled himself from his back to his front and then clambered up.

“Ma’am, I’m going to ask you to keep control of your belongings before you seriously injure someone,” he said, plodding over and handing her the remaining battery.

“I’m sorry. We’re going to Paris,” she explained. She was too excited to worry about some grumpy TSA agents.

Gerald rolled his eyes and turned away from them, walking back toward his line. Halfway there, he slipped on a stray Cheerio and crashed into the conveyor belt.

“Okay, time to go.” Luke stuffed the now-silent cylinder and batteries into her backpack. He grabbed Claire by the arm and dragged her away from security.

Several people behind them applauded. The mother who had lost the Cheerios glared. Claire turned toward them and thrust her shoes, which were still in her hands, dramatically into the air.

“We’re going to Paris!”

CHAPTER TWELVE

To Do:

- Go to Paris!!!!

- Set out of office message

The sun was rising over the city as Claire and Luke stepped onto French soil. Nearby buildings were bathed in gold light, adding to the inherent charm of the City of Love. Cars, Vespas, and taxis honked and fought for a position along the road in front of the airport, even at this early hour.

Claire blinked, trying to clear the sleep from her eyes. She followed Luke blindly, stumbling as they joined the taxi line.

“You good?” he asked with a smile.

She squinted in the morning light, yawning as he tucked her into his side. Even thousands of miles away from home, he still smelled like freshly mowed grass and musky warmth. He pressed a tender kiss to her forehead, and she smiled.

“I can’t believe you’re not brushing up on some conversational French or digging through a map right now. It’s very uncharacteristic of you,” he said, regarding her with fake surprise.

“My clients are asleep. And that’s what Google Translate is for.” She stifled another yawn as she snuggled in closer to him.

People of all ethnicities bustled by them, speaking a myriad of languages. Drivers honked impatiently as the sun crept higher into the sky.

“You gave up control. You know what this means, don’t you?”

“It means you owe me a generously buttered croissant and a brief nap before we start this adventure,” she said.

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