Holly sniffled, wiping her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she blubbered. Taking a shaky breath, she composed herself. “Is it true you met your stalker?” she asked.
Rodney peered around Kate and waved. “Is that me? Truly not my intention to become the stalker of this story. Honest mistake.”
Kate smiled. “Holly, meet Rodney Wash. Rodney, this is my friend Holly Clark. Rodney actually behaved very heroically, and I’m lucky he was there,” she told Holly. “He was about to charge Cynthia, which made me panic and throw the book at her.”
Rodney blushed. “Good thing you did, because I’m not sure I could have hit another person,” he admitted. “Even if they had a gun on me. Just not my nature.”
Holly’s eyes shone. “That’s so sweet,” she breathed. “You’re a gentle soul.”
Kate and Chris exchanged a glance. “Holly, would you mind taking Rodney to The Cirque Hotel?” she asked innocently. “I called in a reservation, but he doesn’t really know his way around the city. And feel free to grab something to eat in the hotel restaurant, too. Just charge it to the room.” She gave Rodney a hug. “We’ll keep in touch about your case against Penton House, okay? And when you’re ready to publish the next novel, call me. I’ll get you in touch with the right people.”
“Thank you,” Rodney said shyly. “For everything. This is…” he smiled. “Well, it’s a life-changer. Thank you, Kate.”
He and Chris shook hands. “Take care, Wash,” Chris said cheerfully. “I’m glad I didn’t get the opportunity to accidentally take you down.”
“Me too,” Rodney emphasized. He turned to Holly.
“Shall we?” she asked, smiling. Chris and Kate watched them stroll away, Holly chattering animatedly and Rodney listening and smiling. Holly looked back over her shoulder once. He’s cute, she mouthed at them. Kate laughed, and turned to Chris.
“So…thanks for picking up the slack today,” she punched his arm playfully. “I totally had it handled, though.”
Chris widened his eyes. “Oh, you did? Assault by hardcover was going to beat a gun?” he asked. “Maybe I should have just stayed away, then.”
“You could have. It would have been fine.” Kate grinned and ducked her head. “But…I’m still glad you were there. Just in case.” She looked at him curiously. “Why did you come back?”
Chris shrugged, blushing. “I…well, my flight was delayed,” he began. “And I just thought I’d…” he sighed. “Kate, I came back because I couldn’t leave you.”
Kate whipped her head around, sure she had misheard him. “What?”
Chris took her hand in his. “Kate,” he cleared his throat. “I want to be here with you. I want to stop running from job to job, hoping they make me feel alive. I want to build a life that makes me feel alive, and I want it—I need it—to include you. If you still need time to grieve, or move on from Aiden, that’s okay. You take all the time you need, because I’ll be right here, waiting. I love you, Kate.”
“‘Beware of enthusiasm and of love, both are temporary and quick to sway,’” Kate replied. A grin spread across her face. “Should I beware?”
Chris grinned. “Did you just quote Fear and Loathing at me?” he asked. “What can I say? It’s a good book, but it’s not gospel.” He bent down and kissed Kate, really kissed her. Even with the hint of chocolate still on his breath, she was the sweetest thing he had ever tasted. She kissed him back, and when they broke apart, she entwined her hand in his.
“Walk me home?” she asked.
“Sure,” he agreed easily. “Mind if I crash on your couch?”
“Of course not,” Kate leaned against Chris, sighing contentedly.
Although he would have been happy to sleep on the couch until he found his own apartment, Chris instead found himself spending that night in Kate’s bed. And in the funny way life works out sometimes, he never did get around to finding an apartment of his own.
Epilogue
“Nervous?”
Kate glanced up sharply at the sound of Holly’s voice, and smiled distractedly.
“A little,” she confessed. “But mostly just excited.”
Holly smiled and sat down next to her friend. “Well, it would be weird if you weren’t a little nervous. You aren’t gonna back out or anything, are you?”
“No. I’m already in too deep.”
The two women sat next to each other in comfortable, contemplative silence for a moment. Then Holly spoke again, her voice thick with emotion.
“I’m honored to be a part of your wedding, Kate. And even if you aren’t marrying my brother, I hope you know I still consider you to be my sister. I’m so happy for you, and I know Aiden would be, too. You deserve happiness, and I’m glad you finally found it.”
Kate turned to Holly, smiling radiantly. “Thank you, Holl,” she said, touched. “You mean the world to me, and I can’t thank you enough for being my Maid of Honor. Or, is it Maid of Dishonor?” she asked teasingly, patting Holly’s slightly swollen stomach.
Holly grinned and ducked her head. “Yeah, yeah. Rodney’s mom never lets us forget that we’re doing this a little out of order, but Rod keeps assuring her that we’re planning to tie the knot once this little guy arrives. Zelda’s great, though, Kate. You’ll love her. She made your cake, you know.”
Kate looked surprised. “Really? I thought she was nearly blind.”
Holly shrugged. “What can I say? She’s a whiz with fondant. The cake looks just like a giant Kit-Kat bar, it’s amazing. Zelda says it’s like sculpting, and she doesn’t need her eyes for that. I can tell she loves being back in the bakery. And honestly, I love learning from her. It’s pretty much my dream job.”
“I know it is.” Kate leaned into Holly. “I want to thank you for staying in New York as long as you did. I know you did it for me.”
“Pssh. You and the ultra-cheap Chinese food, maybe.” Holly leaned into Kate, the two supporting each other. “But mostly you. And it was my pleasure. But obviously the time had come to let you go. How’s Chris been doing as my stand-in?”
“Well, considering it’s our wedding day, I think I have to say he’s doing pretty well.” Kate grinned and stood up, spreading her arms to allow Holly an unobstructed view of her outfit. “How do I look?”
Holly grimaced. “Like you’re about to make a huge mistake. Are you sure you want to go through with this?”
Kate threw back her head, laughing. “I am! It was my idea, didn’t you know?”
Holly stood, sighing as she hoisted her heavier new frame up. “Well, then I guess it’s time to go, huh? Sorry I can’t take the leap with you.”
“Uh-huh. Sure you are. You probably got pregnant just so you wouldn’t have to do it.”
“Wrong.” Holly and Kate began walking towards the small plane waiting on the otherwise deserted runway. “I got pregnant so I wouldn’t have to wear one of those ridiculous jumpsuits at your wedding.”
Kate twirled around, her own jumpsuit crackling slightly with the motion. “It’s not designer, but it’ll do,” she grinned. “Don’t forget to live stream this for the girls, okay? They’re having a viewing party at Abbi’s house.”
Holly nodded, pulling out her phone. “Yup, got it.” She watched as Kate blew her a kiss and skipped happily towards the plane, where Chris waited in a blindfold and his own jumpsuit.
“Hey,” Kate greeted her groom. He smiled widely at the sound of her voice, his cheeks nearly pushing the blindfold off his eyes.
“So you didn’t run away after all,” he laughed, holding his arms out for her. “Lucky me.”
“Lucky you,” Kate agreed. “Ready?” She began to pull herself into the plane, when Chris stopped her.
“I have to ask you one more time,” he said seriously. “Are you sure this is what you want? No big ceremony, no white dress…? Are you sure this is the wedding you want?”
Kate leaned forward and gently pulled the blindfold away from Chris’s face. “I’m sure,” she answered, staring
into his brilliantly green eyes. “The wedding I want is the one that ends with you and I being married. The day isn’t important. Our marriage, our life together, that’s what matters to me.”
Chris grinned, blushing a little. “Well, you’re the bride.” He hopped into the plane and helped Kate up, nodding at the pilot when he looked back at them questioningly. The ground crew closed the door, and the engine roared to life.
“This is what we did all those practice jumps for,” Chris yelled over the noise. “Are you ready for this, Katherine Burt?”
Kate took his hand and nodded. The plane rose, soaring into the cloudless sky. It was a beautiful day, and Kate was excited to live it.
About the Author
Hi! I’m Michele Ciuzwo, and I want to thank you for reading my book. I’ve been writing my whole life, but this is my first published novel. When I became a mother, I realized how important it was to live by example for my daughter and work hard to create the life I want for us. Now, I work as a photographer and indie author to support us, and I’m grateful every day for the opportunity to spend so much time with my girl while also providing for her.
Reviews are worth their weight in gold to indie authors, and it would mean so much to me if you left one for The Book Critic’s Bodyguard. If you’re interested in joining my mailing list for exclusive advance reader copies of future works, sign up here. Or, follow me on Facebook.
Please enjoy a sample chapter from my upcoming novel, Life on Isla Vida.
I had intended the next morning to head into town for some donuts and coffee, and present them as a peace offering for my neighbors before I bitched about the mini sun in their backyard. However, upon waking I realized I hadn’t washed my feet off from the night before, and had dragged grass into the bed. I groaned in frustration, realizing that I would have to wash the duvet again. I, not particularly familiar with what a duvet was or how it worked, had wasted a solid twenty minutes the previous day trying to figure out how to put it all together, and I wasn’t looking forward to a repeat performance. Honestly, I think I only got it done by sheer dumb luck, and I couldn’t be sure it was in the cards again for me.
I slid off the bed and groaned again, louder, when I saw that I had also gotten the rug dirty. I didn’t have the faintest idea how I would go about cleaning that. Maybe take it in the backyard and hose it off?
Wandering in the bathroom to wash off my feet, my good mood dissipated like steam on a mirror. At least I’m well rested, I grumbled internally. I have a lot to do today. I need to go grocery shopping…
I paused, surprised when I couldn’t think of what else was on my to-do list, then it hit me. Nothing. I didn’t need to do anything that I didn’t want to do. I mean, other than grocery shopping, which was bound to be more pleasant since I was only shopping for one person, and there wasn’t a teenager in the house to blow through my weeks’ worth of groceries in one day! I cheered up even more when I realized that the one other chore I actually had for the day was being here to greet Ronnie when she drove up.
I was so excited to spend a few days with my best friend. I felt like a little girl before her very first sleepover. I had so many grand plans and ideas, things I knew we would probably never get around to, but fun to think about nonetheless. Grinning, I stripped out of my clothes and hopped in the shower, excited to try out my fancy waterfall showerhead.
I turned the knob and water poured out of the spout. My smile fading, I realized I had no idea how to work the shower. You know how sometimes you visit a friend or relative and their shower might as well be the inside of a spaceship for all you know how to work it? That’s the situation I found myself in. There was no lever, or pulley thing. There wasn’t a switch or a button or anything! Naked, I knelt down and inspected the spout closer.
Water continued streaming out of it, but I wasn’t making any progress on getting the shower to turn on. I was, however, getting pretty wet and cold. I turned the water off and wrapped a towel around myself, plodding to the table next to my bed where I left my laptop. I opened it up and Googled my particular brand of showerhead. There were plenty of results, which made me feel better. I wasn’t the only idiot who couldn’t figure the damn thing out.
“What the…” I muttered, scanning the various posts. Returning to my shower, I dropped my towel and got in, ready to go to war. I again turned on the water, and pulled down the super duper secret ring under the faucet. Who’da thunk? I got as far as the beginning of a smug smile before water cascaded out of the showerhead, truly like a waterfall. Like a thundering, dangerous waterfall, actually. The water came out so hard and fast it knocked me down, leaving me gasping and sputtering on the shower floor like a woman lost at sea.
I raised my arms to block the liquid assault and flopped my slippery body over the edge of the death trap in which I found myself being waterboarded. Shaken, I thought about how close to death in my own home I had just come. Oh, God. Am I going to have to get one of those Life Alert buttons? Has it come to that, already? I’m not even 40 yet!
I needed to get clean, but I also wanted to live, so I filled up my bathtub and crawled into a nice, warm bath. Ahh, I thought contentedly, leaning my head back and relaxing into the citrus scented bubbles. I could get used to this, though. A bath every morning? Hell yes. The sun came streaming in through the window, bathing me and the whole room in a soft light. My bedroom and bathroom looked out over the lake, which faced east and the sunrise every morning. I thought that one day during the summer I would have to wake up early enough to catch it.
While I soaked, I thought about my son, and wondered how he was doing so far on his summer with his dad. It had only been twenty-four hours, but I missed Dylan. Even for all his attitudes and teenage angst, he was my little boy and I couldn’t help the motherly feelings of guilt building up in my chest.
You shouldn’t be enjoying your time away from him so much, the bitchy voice in my head scolded.
“What, I should be miserable all summer just because he’s not here? He’s safe and well taken care of, and he definitely needs some time with his father,” I argued back aloud.
Do you ever do that? Talk to the voices in your head? I used to do it a lot, but teenagers have a knack for catching you doing embarrassing stuff and then making you feel like a total asshole for it, so I had cut back quite a bit since Dylan hit his difficult phase.
That’s a convenient excuse, The Bitch hissed. Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?
“You,” I answered instantly. “Because you’re just trying to mess with me right now. Dylan is fine, and I’m more than fine, and this summer is going to be good for everyone.”
The Bitch quieted down after that, and I enjoyed the rest of my bath. It was a little difficult to wash my hair, as it always is in a bath for adults, but I vowed that the next day I would conquer the shower.
“I am the queen of my domain, after all,” I smiled at myself in the mirror as I towel dried my hair and gave myself a cheeky wink. It was going to be another great day.
***
I went downstairs to make myself a coffee and wait for Ronnie to show up. She was an early riser, insisting that waking early enough to greet the sun was absolutely necessary. I assumed she had been up since well before the butt crack of dawn, and was probably already on the road.
I paced the house, sipping my morning brew and flipping through the channels before turning the TV off again. I was bored, and restless. I couldn’t think of anything but Ronnie getting there, and I needed to channel that nervous energy into something productive. I looked around idly, trying to think of an activity that would take my mind off the wait.
A vibrating in my robe pocket jolted me from my thoughts, and I dug my cell phone out, expecting to see Ronnie’s name on the caller ID. Instead, Gary’s home number lit up the screen, and my heart began to race. Oh, God. Dylan ran away. He’s sick, he and Gary got in a fight, Gary can’t handle him- A million worries flew through my mind in the seconds it took me to accept the c
all.
“Hello? Gary?” I swallowed, bracing myself for bad news.
“Hey, Mom,” Dylan said back. My heart began to return to a normal tempo. Dylan sounded fine. For a brief moment my mind insisted on projecting an image of him calmly speaking to me on the phone while his father and Sherri-With-An-I were tied up and gagged beside him, but that seemed fairly unlikely.
“Dylan, hi! How’s it going? How’s your dad’s house?” I took another sip of coffee, glad to speak to my son. Although I knew the odds were slim, my heart still hoped he had called just because he had missed me.
Instead, I could practically hear the smirk in his voice. “I wouldn’t be calling if everything was great, would I?”
“Uh-oh,” I didn’t let my disappointment show in my voice, and tried to keep my tone light. “What’s wrong?”
“Trouble in paradise. Sherri’s gone, and Gary’s all tore up about it.”
I rolled my eyes. Calling his father by his first name was a habit I kept hoping Dylan would drop sooner rather than later. My personal feelings for Gary aside, it seemed crass and disrespectful.
“Well, I hope you’re trying to be a loving son and supporting him.”
“Yeah, sure. Anyway, Gary made a comment about how maybe this isn’t the best time for me to be here, so he suggested I call you and make arrangements to come stay with you this summer.”
“What?” I nearly dropped my coffee cup, slamming it so hard onto the countertop that hot liquid sloshed over the side and scalded my hand. I barely felt it. “Dylan, are you serious? Put your father on the phone right now!”
“Serious as a heart attack, which, by the way, it seems like Gary might be headed right for. He’s put on another few pounds.” Dylan laughed.
“Uh-uh. Don’t even try to sweet talk me,” I fumed. “Let me talk to your dad.”
“He’s down at the shop right now.”
“Dylan,” I began, trying to keep my voice calm. “Your father and I agreed that working for him this summer was the best thing for you. We aren’t doing this to punish you, we’re doing this to help you. I know it’s not how you want to spend your summer-”
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