Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 109299 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109299 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Haven waits for me on the red carpet. We smile for the cameras, and a sea of photogs snaps shots of us—the star and the sister who hosted the film crew.
Silas and Ludwig are here behind their lenses. Funny how they were never really the problem. They’re just a couple of guys trying to make a living. As for Ian, he was charged with trespassing and simple assault and served a short jail sentence. I also have a restraining order against him, so he can never set foot on my farm again.
It’s good to be proactive, though, so I took a self-defense refresher course that my boyfriend gave me as a gift. Sometimes, I even practice on him. Well, I don’t kick him in the balls. I rather like all his parts.
With the photos done, I step out of the limelight, letting Haven take the spotlight she deserves as she walks the red carpet with her fiancé.
Notting Hill.
William proposed to her a few months ago, and they’re getting married in Darling Springs in a couple of weeks. I happen to know the perfect place for their wedding—Lavender Bliss.
They went public as a couple shortly after she returned to LA. Their first public date? A bookstore in Silver Lake where they ordered coffees and kissed over a stack of paperbacks.
New Chris also made his first public appearance recently with his new girlfriend. And wouldn’t you know it? She’s from Darling Springs as well. Turns out the fortune teller at Tell Me Your Tarot was spot-on. Chris Carlisle, one of the world’s most bankable stars, is seeing Katrina from The Sweet Spot. Cookies were the way to his heart.
They head in next.
Grandma is here too. She flew home from Paris to attend the premiere. She’s been having the time of her baking life with Laurent, her Frenchman. I miss her fiercely, but I couldn’t be happier that she’s getting to enjoy her golden years while I manage the farm, her bees, and often, the lives of Ramona and Cyrus. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.
After Grandma and her man sail into the theater, I go inside with my boyfriend. But tonight, he’s doubling as my bodyguard.
Banks likes to play that role from time to time when I have public events, and since I’ve always had a thing for his protective side, I don’t mind it one bit.
Oh, who am I kidding?
I love it.
Banks
Inside the lobby, I stop to say hi to Dean, who wears a black suit and an earpiece.
“Everything good tonight?” I ask my business partner.
“Everything’s great,” he says, then turns to Ripley. “Glad to see his better half,” Dean tells her.
“And I’m happy you’re keeping busy,” she says.
“Me too.” It’s said with relief, but also with contentment. Dean claps me on the shoulder. “Get inside, brother. You’re off duty. Go enjoy the movie with your woman.”
I smile. “I will.”
As we weave through the glittery crowds, I set a hand on Ripley’s back, as I’ve always done. I keep a close watch for threats, as I always will. She’s not a client anymore, but I’m not a bodyguard most of the time either.
Sure, with Apex Solutions I take the occasional job as a close protection officer, but mostly I’ve transitioned to training new guards and to management and IT security.
The other benefit? I can do it remotely a lot of the time. Apex Solutions has offices now in Los Angeles and just outside of San Francisco, and I can spend most of my days in the small town I’ve come to love.
All is well with Dean. My friend understood when I told him I’d put my heart on the line for Ripley. Love happened on the job—I’m not the first, and I won’t be the last.