Page 5 of The Bombshell and the Bodyguard
Hap’s high school buddies had become his housemates at the billionaire bachelor house and then his groomsmen. Now they sat around the table laughing, talking, and stuffing their mouths with Rachel’s incredible cooking,
And it did smell good. My empty stomach roared its protest as I made my way into the warm, bright, fragrant room.
Spotting me, a couple of the guys—Josh and Paul—jumped up and hugged me. Aiden kept his seat—even after all these years of knowing each other, he was too shy to greet me with anything but a quiet hello and a bashful smile. Even Reid, who’d moved out of the billionaire bachelor house and was sometimes a little grumpy and standoffish, was there.
“What are you guys all doing here?” I asked.
“Eating us out of house and home,” Rachel quipped as she delivered a platter of hot pancakes and sizzling bacon to the table. Forks shot out to spear the replenishments.
Paul answered her question. “Hapstoleour in-house chef.”
“Yeah, so wehaveto come over here now if we want anything good to eat,” Josh said.
Rachel had worked as a personal chef in Colorado before moving to Eastport Bay to be closer to family. She’d taken a job at the billionaire bachelor house cooking all the guys’ meals—that was where she and Hap had met. Last fall she’d opened her own fine dining restaurant in a renovated rum distillery in Eastport Bay’s harbor district.
Apparently she was taking a day off today, since on a normal workday she’d already be out of the house and at the fish market and produce stands securing the freshest local ingredients for her menu.
Hap entered the kitchen, coming up behind his wife and wrapping his arms around her waist. He tossed a verbal barb over his shoulder.
“Your loss is my gain, suckers. You’re either going to have to learn to fend for yourselves in the kitchen—or find your own chef to marry.”
“I’m never getting married,” Josh said. “We hardly see you and Hunter and Tuck anymore—your wives never let you out of the house.”
Hap gave a silly eyebrow waggle. “Maybe we don’twantto leave the house.”
His overdone lecherous tone elicited a giggle from Rachel and a playful slap at his arm.
“You dating anyone at the moment, Jess?” Reid teased. “Maybe I’ll marry a beautiful, rich pop star and letherpay for a personal chef.”
“Hey—” Hap barked. “All of you losers stay away from my baby sister. Not a one of you is good enough for her. And you—” He pointed at Reid in mock-threat. “You’re probably richer than all of us put together at this point, so pay for your own damn chef.”
Reid, who was my age—younger than the other guys—had not only helped to launch Chipp, but he’d started his own website that was sort of a blend between Facebook and a matchmaking service.
StillYours.com had helped to reunite millions of “young loves” across the globe and was the fastest growing social media site in the world.
Everyone laughed at Hap’s remark, and I made myself a plate, enjoying the unexpected immersion in the family environment so alive here in my brother’s home. My own house would seem awfully quiet when I went there later today—alone.
I would try not to think too hard about that. While fame delivered the the ultimate “popularity,” inspiring throngs of strangers to feel a kinship to you and even declare their love, it was actually rather isolating.
Even reconnecting with high school friends might be an awkward proposition. Though we’d been close, I’d lost touch with them long ago after leaving school in the tenth grade to star in a TV show.
On the set ofJust Jadein LA, I’d been surrounded by mostly adults and had spent all my time working and finishing high school with a private tutor. Now, I traveled so much that the people I did consider friends were scattered across the globe, and we kept in touch via phone and social media.
Well, you can’t have it all.
I knew I was lucky. I had a career and lifestyle countless others would envy. I had more money than I could ever spend.
It was unreasonable to expect a stellar personal life as well. And true love… well, based on the way my love life had played out so far, that wasn’t in the cards for me.
Hap made a plate and came to sit beside me at the table. “I asked my buddy to stop by your house this morning and check things out. He’ll be here in a little while to meet with us.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” I scolded gently. “I’m a big girl now, Hap. I can deal with my own security issues. I was planning to call my company today and have them post an additional guard.”
“Uh-uh. You’re firing that company,” my brother said bluntly. “They failed. This guy’s the best in the business. And he’s a personal friend. I’d trust him with my life—and with yours. Anyway, he’s already on his way over.”
Oh no.
I worked hard to keep from gritting my teeth, though my nails bit into the flesh of my clenched palms. “Who is it?”
