Page 37 of A Case of Extreme Mistaken Identity

He turned back to Kay. “Can you put in a request that all deliveries for my room be refused?”

Her eyes widened and she nodded while she typed on the keyboard. “Of course. We take these things very seriously.” She finished clicking on the keys. “Done. And I’ll keep an eye out for any suspicious behavior.”

He tapped the counter. “Thanks, Kay. I appreciate it.”

They walked through the glass doors to the sidewalk outside. Someone shouted, “There she is!” and a rush of people came at them, camaras flashing.

At first Austin was so stunned, he didn’t know what to do. Dani covered her face with her arms and ducked her head as reporters and paparazzi fired off questions, microphones stuck in her face.

“Are you working as a housekeeper?”

“Did you leave rehab on your own?”

“Did Rafael really date you to get a part in the nextFast Carsmovie?”

“Were you in love with Rafael? Tell us about his deception.”

Austin pulled her to him to shield her from the camera flashes. He knew how much she hated being caught on camera. “Let us through, please.”

“Wait, are you Austin Scott, from the Los Angeles Demons?”

Suddenly the interest turned to him. Microphones were thrust into his face. “Are you dating Danica Jordan?”

“What’s your relationship with Danica?”

“How long have you dated?”

“Are you aware of her drug problem?”

Austin shoved through the paparazzi and helped Dani into the golf cart. “We have no comments. Please, leave us alone.”

He got into the driver’s seat and took off, at the top speed of 20 mph. Several tried to follow them, but he pulled out onto the street and lost them.

Dani turned to him, her face white. “Thanks for getting us out of there.”

“I’ll tell Kay they were loitering outside of the establishment, and she can make sure they get cleared out.”

Dani nodded and glanced away from him, her grip tight on the seat. He knew she was worried about the notes, and the paparazzi probably shook her up. Maybe he could take her mind off of all that with something fun. He just needed to find something she’d like to do that would make her forget about everything else.

Chapter 19

Dani breathed in the salty air as the golf cart came to a stop by the docks. Luckily, no reporters were hanging around, and no one had followed them. She breathed out relief. Austin motioned to her. “Stay here. I’ll go down and see if there are any tickets left.”

She gave him a thumbs up. They’d decided to try one of the boat excursions. They might not have much luck, since it was Labor Day, but maybe someone cancelled. Dani watched as Austin walked to the booth selling tickets.

Seagulls circled overhead. Now that the paparazzi knew where she was working, they wouldn’t be deterred. She’d be hounded until the next juicy story broke and someone else took the limelight. She could only hope that was soon.

Austin came back waving two tickets. When he got to the golf cart, he grinned. “The only thing that had any spots left was a day cruise, but it sounded fun, so I bought them. It includes lunch and dinner—”

“My favorite,” she interrupted.

He chuckled. “Yes, I know. Your two favorite things in the world. Lunch and dinner.”

“You know me best.” After she said it, she wanted to take it back. It made them sound close, which she didn’t want. She still didn’t know why he was being so nice to her. But, thankfully, he ignored the comment.

“Besides the food, we’ll get to sail around the islands and see the sun set before we dock. Come on. We can board right now, even though the boat won’t leave for another thirty minutes.”

She took his hand and let him help her out of the cart. “Sounds fun.” Before he let go, she had this crazy idea that she should hang onto his hand and walk with him down to the ship. But that was a silly idea. She was trying to distance herself from him, not make him think there was something between them.

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