Page 2 of Trust My Bodyguard

Nick only chuckles, pretty pleased with himself.

I throw an arm over Zane’s shoulder. “Don’t mind him.”

Zane gives me a grateful nod, a slight smile in his teal eyes. “Keep him in line?”

We turn to watch Nick struggle out of his ski gear.

“I’ll try.”

Zane scoffs and claps my back. I’m certain that’s the full extent of our emotional reunion for our years apart.

“Let’s head in.” I lead the way into the diner.

It hasn’t changed a bit. Broad wooden beams line the ceiling. The linoleum floor is still scuffed and the red seat coverings are as they were.

Even the woman behind the counter is the same.

“Oh my…” Nancy places her hands on her chest and ambles over. “Look at you all.” She goes right past me since she has already seen me today to pull Nick into a long hug, and then she drifts to Zane and fusses over him, fixing the hair Nick ruined.

It’s comical watching them together. Zane stands with an impassive look on his face while Nancy pecks around him like a mother hen with her chick. She asks him questions and doesn’t even wait for an answer before running on.

Nick and I share a look.

He exhales. “I’m not jealous or anything but what about me?”

Nancy breaks into a belly laugh. “Oh dear. Don’t mind me. I’ve missed you all so much. Tell me, what would like? Anything. It’s on the house.”

After giving her our orders, we claim the secluded table by the bay window. Snow-white hills rise and fall outside and light flakes rain down.

Zane’s gaze is fixed on the outside. “I almost forgot how peaceful it can be up here.”

“Or turned up in the on season.” Nick sports a wide smile.

I scoff. “We’re here for work, not that.”

He leans back in his seat and kicks his feet up on the spare one. Nancy used to hate that. The hiss that comes from across the room proves that she hasn’t changed her rules.

Nick doesn’t care. He blows her a kiss. “There’s no reason we can’t combine both.”

I sit up. “Not at first, we aren’t. We’re staying on task.”

“Come on. We’re adults now. It’s not like our moms can stop us from having fun,” Nick says.

Our mothers have been friends for as long as we have. Bonded by single motherhood, they’ve relied on each other for help and support. Maybe that’s one reason why leaving when I was only eighteen to join the military didn’t feel impossible. My mom had Nick’s mom, Bethany, and Zane’s mom, Amanda, to keep her grounded.

“Mine will have something to say about it,” Zane states.

“Youwill have something to say about it even before your mom does,” Nick counters.

Zane doesn’t argue that point.

“Forget our moms. We need to keep our heads focused if we want to make this a success.”

As a US Army Ranger, I got lots of recommendations, but I decided I wanted to do something different. The dreams that me and the guys had when we were younger of starting our security and investigation firm kept calling to me. So I set the ball into motion, calling them up and proposing the idea.

What do you know? Nick had just gotten his PI license after a stint with the police and his honorable discharge from the Air Force. And Zane was getting into cyber security. Their acceptance to come on board marked the birth of the Hawke, Everett, and Yates Security and Investigation Firm.

We’ve been going back and forth for months about our plans through emails, phone calls, and video correspondence. This is the first time we’re seated in person to review our progress so far. Our combined military experience alone, and the knowledge that comes with it, gives us a big shot at success in the field.

---