He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face as he got in the van. Nobody said a word for a while. “Okay, you can resume talking now. And to answer the question you’re all dying to ask, yes, I really like her.” He paused. “A lot.”
The drive to Westchester was uneventful. Most of the group was asleep when they pulled into Joan’s driveway. Security team four had been waiting for them at the house. They dragged themselves to their rooms. The other security teams drove back to the hotel.
Reid’s mind had been racing the past few nights in bed. At least he had something good to counter the distressing thoughts of the threat. He only hoped he would be luckier than Romeo in the end. He finally drifted to sleep around 4 a.m.
In spite of the rough night and limited sleep, he woke up in a good mood. Thoughts of Shane left no room for anything else in his head. Looking into the bathroom mirror, he repeated a phrase that he used to say to himself as a kid. “Look and feel like the star you are.” He laughed as he thought about how many times he had said those words into this mirror. Who knew, maybe it helped. He knew his life was about to change. Shane made him feel… He thought, How does she make me feel? Complete. Yeah that’s it, complete. As silly as that phrase had always sounded to him, he finally understood the feeling. He had never felt like this before and, although it made him nervous, he liked it.
He threw on some old shorts and a college T-shirt that looked more like an old rag. Hunter and Jeff were in the kitchen. “Good morning,” he said cheerily.
“Good morning,” Hunter said. “Someone’s happy this morning! Coffee’s ready if you want some. Are you going for a run?”
“Yeah, just a quick loop around the reservoir. Jeff, I hope you don’t mind. It’ll only take half an hour.” “No problem. I could use it myself.” “You’ll love the run. It’s quiet and really beautiful.” “Great. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be ready.” “Take your time.” After Jeff left the room, Hunter said, “You’ve really fallen hard for this woman, haven’t you?” “Is it that obvious?” “Hey, you and I may fight a lot, but there is nothing you can hide from me.” He wrapped his arms around her in a big hug. “I guess you’re right. If there’s anybody who can read me, it’s you. Well, it is mutual you know. I’ve seen the way you act around Keith. You can’t tell me you don’t have a little crush on him.” “Shut up,” she said grinning. They both laughed. Jeff came back in and he and Reid left for their run. They started slowly but kept pushing each other faster. Both were very competitive; by the end, they were racing back to the house. When they got to the front lawn, they collapsed, sucking wind.
Joan walked by a window, looked outside and saw them lying there. She screamed and ran out. “What happened? Are you okay?” she asked in panic. Too winded to speak, Reid just held up his hand and gave her a thumbs-up sign. “Oh my God, I thought…” She sighed heavily, “You guys are killin’ me.” Both men laughed with what little air they could get. “Sorry, Mom.” “Never mind sorry! Come in when you’re ready; I made pancakes for breakfast.” She turned and walked past the others who had all come running when she screamed. Looking at Betsy, she said, “Your brother is going to give me a heart attack.” She continued into the house, letting the screen door slam shut.
After breakfast, Reid showered, then joined everyone on the deck. He said, “Who wants to take a ride to Westchester Country Club? I want to study the course. Beforehand, we can walk around the sculpture gardens at Pepsi, then hit Walter’s for lunch. Afterward, anyone who wants to walk the back nine can, and anyone who doesn’t can come back here.” “That’s some itinerary. I’m in,” Betsy said. They all agreed. Reid called Shane and explained the agenda. She said she’d love to join them. “Great, I’ll send a car for you. You can meet us at the sculpture garden.
Call my cell when you get to the parking lot. Okay?” Shane agreed. When the call was over, he hung up then quickly called Buck and asked if he’d send his driver to run Shane up to meet him. Buck said, “No problem. Tell her to be ready in 15 minutes. By the way, Jay and I will take care of the press conference today; I’ll let you know how it goes. Jay has some updates on the investigation. I think he cleared Jennifer. Eli and Mike Gatto are still MIA. It seems Eli has gotten into some legal trouble since you fired him. Jay’s concerned. Make sure you have security wherever you go.”
“I’m no fool, Buck. I’m not going anywhere without them. Hey, I have to go, everybody’s waiting for me. Talk to you later.” He hung up.
“Okay,” Reid barked loudly. “Whoever wants to come, let’s get this show on the road. We need to be back early enough to get ready for Caramoor.”
Once again, they were on the road. They drove to the sculpture gar dens and started walking the gravel path. Reid was trying not to be impatient, but he desperately wanted to call Shane. He gave in and dialed. She answered on the first ring. “Where are you?” he asked. “Turn around,” she said. He turned and there she was, wearing shorts and a halter top, looking so good his heart skipped a beat. He ran, picked her up and hugged her. After a long kiss he said, “I missed you. I haven’t stopped thinking about you.” “Me either,” she admitted. He smiled and said, “Come on, let’s catch up with everyone.” They walked up to the others, hand in hand. Betsy turned around as they were getting close. “Uh-oh Mom, this looks serious.” “I know. Good for him, he deserves it, and I think I like her. She seems classier than some of the other girls he’s dated. Do you think she broke up with that other guy yet?” “I hope so. Should I ask her later?” “No, let’s not meddle. They’ll work it out.” Betsy nodded. They waited for Reid and Shane to catch up. Everyone said hi and they continued their stroll. “This place is beautiful,” Shane said. “I can’t believe I never knew it existed.” “It’s one of Westchester’s hidden treasures,” Joan said. They walked through the gardens, studying and appreciating the sculptures. They stopped pond side at a life-size bronze of a polar bear. Reid lifted Shane and she climbed on the bear’s back, then he jumped up as well. “Hold on,” Betsy said as she grabbed her camera and took a few shots.
A guard from the gardens walked over and nicely asked them to get off the bear. They apologized, got off and moved on. They all took turns posing for pictures, sitting among some lifelike sculptures of people on a bench. Arriving back at the vehicles, they boarded for the next leg of the journey.
“Okay, time for Walter’s,” Reid announced, “home of the world’s best hotdogs.” They drove to a funky, old-fashioned road side stand.
“Holy cow, this place must be good, the line’s a mile long,” Joel exaggerated.
“Joel, Shane and I will go wait on line,” Reid said. “You all go in the back and reserve some picnic tables.”
When they reached the front of the line, Reid ordered 50 hotdogs and enough fries and drinks for the group. The girl that took the order repeated it, causing everyone behind the counter to shift gears. Those in line behind them groaned. Reid appeased everyone in line by signing autographs until his order was ready. As he paid for his order he handed the cashier an additional $300 and said, “This should cover everyone’s order in line, and leave enough to share as a tip for everyone behind the counter.” Applause broke out on both sides of the counter as Reid, Shane and Joel carried their order away.
“That was nice,” Shane said as they walked. “Maybe if the press saw you doing things like that they’d get off your back.” “Maybe they would.” They placed the food on the picnic tables. “What was all the commotion about?” Joan asked. “Nothing,” Reid said. “It was your son being a nice guy to his fans,” Shane said. “Really?” Betsy said in disbelief. Reid shrugged. They passed around the food and as everyone gobbled it up the only noise to be heard was, “Mmm, these dogs are great!” After his last bite, Reid said, “The last stop is the back nine. Anyone not up to it?” No one said anything. “Mom, are you sure it’s not too much for you?”
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