Amy Vastine - Falling For Her Bodyguard

There was a group of women gathered around one of the tables. Their laughter came in bursts in between their raucous conversation. There was a dad and his two kids at another table. Both kids had to be under the age of five. The older child knocked over his cup and spilled red punch. His dad jumped up and grabbed the roll of paper towels off the holder at the other end of the table to wipe it up. The man’s patience was admirable. He didn’t yell or make the little boy feel bad for spilling; he simply had his son help clean it up.

Donovan wished he had that kind of patience with Graham and Avery. He was a military man who was used to always having things in order. Clutter wasn’t something that existed on a military base. Kids created clutter without even trying. His niece and nephew were like two tiny tornadoes who could mess up a room in the blink of an eye.

A group of thirtysomething professionals walked in together. Behind them was someone wearing a dark blue hooded sweatshirt. He wasn’t with them but stayed close enough to them that Donovan couldn’t get a good look at him.

“We’re going to be hanging out for another hour, so I hope you’ll come on in and spin our wheel of prizes and enter for your chance to win two tickets to the Grace Note Records Concert for the Kids,” Kelly said into her microphone. “Speaking of Grace Note, let’s play the new song from Boone Williams. This is ‘One Mountain at a Time.’” She clicked a button on her laptop and took off her headphones. “I cannot wait until the real promo for this show starts. You think I’ll get an in-studio interview with Boone Williams? I have been in love with him since I was six years old.”

Lyle laughed. “Careful, you don’t want him getting a bodyguard because you’re the obsessed fan.”

Donovan’s attention was split between Kelly and the guy in the hoodie ordering his lunch. The group of work buddies came over to the table and took turns spinning the wheel and chatting it up with Kelly and Lyle. The lone wolf sat in the far corner with his back to the radio station’s setup. It began to irk Donovan that he couldn’t see the guy’s face. He didn’t even know what color his hair was.

Something inside his head told him to get a better look, so he waltzed over to the mystery man’s table. “Want to spin the wheel for some prizes? They’re giving away free pulled pork sandwiches on your next visit.”

The guy didn’t move. “No, thanks.”

“Come on.” Donovan tried to cajole him. “You can sign up to win tickets to some big concert, too. Boone Williams is going to be there.”

The guy kind of chuckled. “Don’t need any tickets. Especially to Boone Williams.”

Donovan still couldn’t see his face but could tell he had a baseball hat on under that hood and sunglasses on. “You got something against Boone Williams? Kelly over there loves him. You know, Kelly Bonner. From the local radio station.”

“Everything all right over here?” The restaurant manager was back with a worried expression and a tray full of cornbread slices. “Can I offer you gentlemen some cornbread while you wait for your food?”

Finally, the guy turned and looked over his shoulder. “I’m not going to say no to that.”

The manager’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Boone Williams?”

“He’s not interested,” Donovan said, getting a good look at this creeper. The man was in his forties. Dark hair under his hat and hood. Strong jaw. No visible scars on his face.

“Boone Williams!” a petite brunette from the table of women shrieked.

Before Donovan knew it, pretty much everyone in the place, save the dad and his two kids, was huddled around them asking for pictures and autographs. That was when it hit him.

“Ah, Boone Williams.”

CHAPTER FOUR

“I CAN’T BELIEVE that Boone Williams walked into my Great Barbecue for lunch.” Kelly helped Lyle load up the station van with the last of the equipment.

“Oh, it’s your Great Barbecue now, is it?” Lyle slammed the doors shut.

Kelly smirked. “You know what I mean. He must have heard me on the radio and couldn’t stay away.”

“I’m pretty sure the guy had no idea there was a radio station inside. He was definitely trying to avoid being recognized. My guess is he did not plan to show up where someone was playing his song and giving away tickets to see him in concert. Walking into your show was probably his biggest nightmare.” Detective Walsh had an affinity for being no fun.

“Okay, so I know he’s a private guy, but I don’t think he’d call it his biggest nightmare to walk into a restaurant where I’m doing my show.”

“Your Great Barbecue. Your show. Someone sure is all about what’s hers,” Lyle teased.

Kelly nudged him with her elbow. “Keep it up and I won’t put in a good word for you with a certain someone we both know.”

“Did I mention what a great show you had today?” Lyle asked, changing his tune. “Top-notch, Kel.”

“I’ll meet you back at the station,” Detective Walsh said, backing away.

She was happy to be free of her shadow even if it was only for the short drive to the radio station. When she got back to her office, she would call her uncle and see if there was any other possible solution to this problem. Maybe she could convince him there wasn’t really a problem. Yes, the guy messed up her car yesterday, but maybe that was it. He was mad, got his revenge and now he would move on.

She could hope.

“It’s overkill to have a bodyguard, don’t you think?” she asked Lyle. She wanted him to agree with her and put the lingering doubts she had to rest.

“Maybe,” he answered quickly. He glanced her way. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s not. This guy had to know what car you drove to mess with it, which means he’s watched you come and go. That’s a bigger deal than someone sending you gifts in the mail. A bodyguard might be what you need until your uncle finds the guy.”

It bothered her to think about being watched. How long had that been going on? Was he still watching without her being aware? The thought made her skin crawl.

At the station, Kelly contemplated asking the detective to stay in the parking garage instead of coming inside. She hadn’t yet explained to Caroline that she had been given private security and wasn’t sure how that would go over with the boss yet. He was there to open her door as soon as Lyle parked the van, however.

“If you can give me a quick tour of your office, I should be able to wait outside for you to finish up. It would be helpful for me to have a lay of the land in case anything was to happen while you were inside,” he said.

The relief was immediate. Kelly’s shoulders were no longer tight. “That sounds like a good idea. I’ll show you around right now.”

He offered to help Lyle carry the equipment into the building. With his arms full, he used his body to hold the elevator doors open for her. Kelly noticed the scar on the left side of his neck as they rode the tiny elevator up. She wondered how he got it but didn’t ask.

“Do you have a first name?” she asked instead. “I’d like to be able to introduce you as a friend of mine if we run into my boss.”

He stared at her with his hazel eyes. Outside they had looked greener, but inside they were a golden brown. “You can call me Donovan.”

“Okay, cool. You can call me Kelly instead of Miss Bonner. That sounds so formal and I’m not really a formal person,” she said. Donovan nodded and Lyle snickered. If he had been close enough, Kelly would have given Lyle’s shins a little kick. She hated that the detective made her feel so awkward. Maybe now that they were on a first-name basis, he would lighten up and things would be a bit more relaxed. “Donovan. That’s a good name.”