Page 3 of Trust My Bodyguard

But only if Nick curbs his tendency to choose play over work and Zane manages not to get lost in endless research.

That’s where I come in.

I flip open my laptop and email them the documents with the details we’ve agreed on.

Zane is quick to whip out a tablet and run his eyes over the screen.

“Aren’t you going to look at it?” I ask Nick.

He shakes his head. “Give me the TLDR, Zane.”

Zane breaks it down easily for him.

“See?” Nick smirks.

I scoff, shaking my head.

Nancy’s lunch platter arrives and Nick assists her with setting the table while she dotes on Zane. “Look here. I gave you extra fries.”

A rare smile lights his face up. “Thank you, Nancy.”

When we were boys, she was under the impression that Nick and I lorded it over Zane. That couldn’t be further from the truth.Zane has always been quiet and willing to go along but he’s by no means a pushover. Hell, he’s apush-forward, always calculating and coming up with brilliant schemes to make our mischievous plans work.

“Don’t take his extra fries, Nick.” Nancy eyeballs him.

Nick sputters. “I wasn’t going to do that.”

She flounces off. “Say that like I don’t know you.”

“I was totally going to,” he whispers, eyes bright with mischief.

Zane nudges his plate toward him. “How’s Caroline?”

The question sobers me for a few seconds. “She’s doing fine.”

When I was younger, I believed my mom was invincible. She was the bravest woman I knew, raising me all by herself. I never thought that a time would come when she’d seem frail to me. It doesn’t help that she’s five-four to my six-four. I spent my week back fixing up her place to ensure she didn’t experience any injuries from loose floorboards and dodgy electric outlets.

“Still hot, I bet,” Nick says around a mouthful.

I give him a warning look. If only my mom could see this side of him. When he cracks a smile, she believes he’s god’s gift to planet Earth and thinks he can do no wrong. Maybe I should arrange an interview between her and Nancy to fix that.

“How’s your mom?” I ask Zane.

“She’s alright. She asked after you guys.”

“Haven’t had time to check on anyone since I got back. I do need to visit her one of these days.”

“It’d be easier to gather them all in one place,” Nick says. “Like a party!”

I clasp his shoulder before he can psych himself up for a party that’s not happening. “Not until we get this firm off the ground, okay?”

“Boring.” He dusts his hands over his empty plate. “Where were we? Let’s get this shit rolling so we can have some fun.”

“Speaking of people we need to see. Have you seen Cliff?” Zane asks.

“Yep. Briefly. Earlier on.”

Cliff Harbor is the owner of Pine Peaks Skiing—the resort we’re on. He caught my stubborn twelve-year-old self trying to make away with a snowmobile. Instead of calling the police, he gave me a job cleaning ski gear. It was the kindest hand a stranger had ever extended my way. Soon after, I brought on Nick and Zane, and our trio wreaked more havoc on the grounds than Cliff could have anticipated. Despite our mischief, he’s always been kind to us.

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