Page 81 of A Very Un-Shakespeare Romance
“Oh, stop!” Sheila said, hitting him again playfully.
Lily wanted to strangle her partner. Sheila damn well knew that Billie was acting weird…and also why.
Lily watched as Billie proved her partner right by aggressively extending his hand to Tyler.
The agent shook his hand, gripping it tightly, giving Billie the same unflinching look.
Billie didn’t let go right away but leaned in and said in a menacingly soft voice, “Yeah, a pleasure, but if you get my cousin or any of these other beautiful people killed, we’re going to have a problem, you and me. And no freaking tongue when you’re playing boyfriend. With either of them. Got it?”
Lily’s eyes widened as Sheila puffed out a laugh. “Well, that ruins my day.”
Tyler shot her partner a look. “I’ll bet…”
Robbie politely laughed before glaring at Billie. “My brother is a protective kind of guy.”
“We have that in common, then,” Tyler said, suddenly looking dead serious despite his casual white T-shirt, worn jeans with a rip in the knees, and black flip-flops. “Trust me. They’re in good hands.”
“The best.” Sheila grinned as she grabbed one of Tyler’s. “I mean, jeez, look at the size of these. I’m surprised you can find a gun that works, Tyler.”
“Cut it out, Sheila,” Tyler said, saving Lily the task of threatening to kill her partner. “I’m trying to assure Mr. O’Connor here. I know it can’t be easy leaving here today, but I promise you that Lily’s plan is one of the smartest operations I’ve been involved in. From the moment I heard she’d smoked my training officer at Quantico in a run up Radar Hill, I knew she was someone to watch.”
“Thanks, Tyler,” she said, ducking her chin a little. “Tara is inside putting her little girl down for a nap.”
“Not anymore,” Robbie said as she stepped out onto the patio.
“Is that my new friend?” she called breezily.
Lily braced herself for the next possible drama, wishing Tim wasn’t still trying to keep Reagan occupied with building a sandcastle. The little girl had to be watching everything, especially since her mother had told her how they were kind of putting on a play to explain her new clothes and why she was staying behind for a day. Just this morning Reagan had made a point of telling her mother how pretty she looked in her new sleeveless black Dolce & Gabbana dress.“I’m back to myself, Miss Pixie,”her mother had said with a wink.
And Tara did ooze confidence as she sauntered over in her new undercover dress, wearing the killer designer gold heels they’d had expressed from Manhattan with the rest of her spending spree items. How did she walk on the beach with those?
“I heard your car drive up and told Miss Purrfect to keep Cassidy company until she fell asleep. Hi, I’m Tara.”
“Agent Tyler Darren,” he said, extending his hand, professional to the bone. “I appreciate you trusting me to take care of you and do my part while we’re executing Agent Meadows’ plan.”
Tara shook his hand with both of hers, a fixed smile on her face, but Lily caught how her shoulders seemed to drop their tension. “You have no idea how much your help means.”
“Lily and Sheila know this,” Tyler said in that relatable way of his, “but I became an FBI agent because someone hurt a woman I cared about. Lily specializes in cases involving kids. I specialize in cases with women in trouble and in dangerous situations.”
Wetness shone in Tara’s eyes momentarily. “Well, that’s me! Agent Darren, you are heaven-sent—like our guardian angels Lily and Sheila here.”
“I’m only doing my job, ma’am,” he said, continuing to let her shake his hand.
Billie rolled his eyes, making Sheila putter out a laugh, but Robbie sent Lily a half smile. She could all but hear him thinking,Okay, I like this guy.
Billie didn’t seem so convinced. He was staring at Tyler like he was a cockroach he’d like to crush with his boot.
“Tara, why don’t you and Agent Darren go inside and sit down with Sheila and talk through the itinerary today?” She patted her cell in her cotton drawstring pants. “I need to see how close Agent Petris is to arriving.”
“It would be a pleasure.”
“Hang on,” Tyler said, reaching into his pocket. “Lily asked me to pick this up for you, Robbie.”
When Robbie noticed the bottle of antacids he’d requested, he sent her an amused look. “I was kidding. Mostly.”
“Details,” she only responded as he pocketed them in his shorts.
“Lily doesn’t forget anything, does she?” Tara linked arms with Tyler as the trio walked off. “So tell me a little more how you see things working between us.”
