“I see.” O’Conner closed his tablet. “Then we’ll just have to clear the others in the family before this event can move forward.”
This totally threw me for a loop. “Are you saying I should stop planning until you’ve cleared them?” I asked.
“Absolutely not. Please move forward with the plans. Mr. DeVine—and Miss Brierley—will be happy to know you’re on task. The last thing we need right now is a distraction.” He offered a strained smile and then shoved his notepad under his arm. “Now, just to fill you in, on the night of the wedding we’ll have a Motorcade Support Unit here. They’ll provide tactical support for official movements of motorcades.”
“Wait. . .we’re having motorcades?”
“Yes, but not until after the canine unit comes in for a sweep of the premises.”
“Gosh, I’ll have to get Guido out of here before then. He’s not very good with dogs.”
“Guido. The parrot.”
“Yes. Guido, the parrot.”
Laz started telling another story about Guido, but O’Conner cleared his throat. “Sir, we are the Secret Service. We don’t have light conversation.”
“You say that a lot.” Laz patted O’Conner on the back. “You should have it tattooed on your arm.”
“Mr. Rossi, I must inform you that Secret Service agents are prohibited from having visible body markings.”
Laz’s smile faded. “Oh, well I was just kidding about the tattoo.”
“Not just tattoos, Sir. We’re not allowed to have body art or branding, and this would include any visible areas of the human anatomy, including by not limited to the head, the face, the neck the hands and the fingers.”
“Oh, well I didn’t really mean to imply that you—”
“If I were to get such a tattoo, I would be required to have it medically removed at my own expense in order to continue my duty to my country.”
“I see. Well, I really was kidding about the tattoo.” Laz shrugged.
“We don’t kid, Sir.”
“I see that.” Laz’s gaze shifted to the door. I had a feeling he wanted to bolt.
“When one takes on the job of special agent, he—or she—takes the job very seriously. Very seriously.” O’Conner lowered his glasses, squinted at Laz—and then me—with his blue eyes, and then put the glasses back in place. “I have a fulfilling career carrying out integrated missions of investigation and protection, folks. I work with others in my division to implement strategies to mitigate threats to some of our nation’s finest leaders. No tattoo would be worth it. I’m sure you understand.”
I understood all right. These guys didn’t mess around. And they didn’t have light conversation. And they were here to protect the future President of the United States, even if it meant driving the entire Rossi family to the brink of insanity in the process.
Want to read more? Purchase Tea for Two here!
Look for More Bella Novellas in 2016!
(Available soon by pre-order)
Tea for Two (A Victorian Valentine’s Day Ceremony)
Pennies from Heaven (A Springtime Garden Ceremony)
That Lucky Old Sun (A Galveston Beach Ceremony): July 15th 2016
The Tender Trap (An Autumn Shabby Chic Ceremony): October 15th 2016
Have You Read the Books That Started It All?
THE CLUB WED SERIES:
Fools Rush In
Swinging on a Star
It Had to be You
THE BACKSTAGE PASS SERIES:
Stars Collide
Hello Hollywood
The Director’s Cut
THE WEDDINGS BY DESIGN SERIES
Picture Perfect
The Icing on the Cake
The Dream Dress
A Bouquet of Love
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning author Janice Thompson got her start in the industry writing screenplays and musical comedies for the stage. Janice has published over 100 books for the Christian market, crossing genre lines to write cozy mysteries, historicals, romances, nonfiction books, devotionals, children’s books and more. She particularly enjoys writing light-hearted, comedic tales because she enjoys making readers laugh. Janice is passionate about her faith and does all she can to share the joy of the Lord with others, which is why she particularly enjoys writing. Her tagline, “Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever Afters!” sums up her take on life.
Janice lives in Spring, Texas, where she leads a rich life with her family, a host of writing friends, and two mischievous dachshunds. When she’s not busy writing or playing with her eight grandchildren, she can be found in the kitchen, baking specialty cakes and cookies for friends and loved ones. No matter what Janice is cooking up—books, cakes, cookies or mischief—she does her best to keep the Lord at the center of it all. You can find out more about this wacky author at www.janiceathompson.com. Sign up for Janice’s Newsletter to learn about all of her upcoming projects and future books in the series. You’ll get a link to her free cookbook when you sign up!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’m so grateful to the following:
My Dream Team: What an amazing group of readers and friends you are! I could never publish a book without you! (Truly!) Thanks for proofing my story and for helping with cover ideas. You gals are the best!
My Cover Designer, Shar (from landofawes): Wow, girl! You have worked so hard on my behalf and I’m grateful, grateful. You truly captured the “Once Upon a Moonlight Night” essence in the lovely cover design and I’m tickled pink.
Revell Publishing: Though you didn’t publish this particular book, you helped lay the groundwork by publishing those first three Bella books. The rest, as they say, is history!
The MacGregor Literary Agency: Thank you for your undying support, no matter which publishing route I choose.
My Private Facebook Indie Group: You guys are the wheels on my bus.
Once Upon a Moonlight Night (The Bella Novella Collection Book 1) Page 15