AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What was the letter about?” I persisted.
“Just some nut job wanting to see you. It was really nothing.”
Not that I was worried about it, but that would have at least clued me in as to why I had security show up. “Either way, I don’t need a security detail.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s completely unnecessary. Besides, I don’t like the way they treated me.”
“They’re not here to treat you nicely. They’re here to protect you.”
“From a silly letter? That’s completely absurd.”
He sighed and cut into his steak, refusing to acknowledge my concerns.
“I have a driver. What more do I need?”
“I just want to be sure you’re safe. I don’t understand why Bryce hasn’t already taken care of this.”
I slid my fingers around the stem of my wine glass, trying not to get upset about Bryce. After all, we both knew what the arrangement would be like. “Because Bryce and I aren’t even engaged.”
“But he plans to ask you. I’ve already discussed everything with him.”
“Yes, and I agree that it should happen sometime in the next year, but after what he did?—”
“What did he do?” my father asked, his head jerking upright.
“You didn’t see the news?”
“Wren, I don’t have time to watch the news.”
“Well, let’s just say he was caught in a very public compromising position.”
He pointed his fork at me. “Don’t let that get in the way of what matters.”
“I would never allow that to happen. I’m not upset. He has his life and I have mine, but if I were to accept him so soon after that scandal, I would look pathetic. And nobody in our family looks pathetic.”
“Well, that’s true. All the more reason for you to get out with those bodyguards. Walking around with them is like gold. Soon, Bryce won’t be the headline. Everyone will be wondering why you need the security. Trust me, this is a good thing.”
It might be a good thing for my image, but I had no desire to be followed around like a puppy. Still, maybe he was right. Maybe this would be just the thing to thrust me into the spotlight after Bryce’s scandal.
“Well, I’ll consider it.”
“That’s my girl,” he grinned. “Now, about the wedding. If you need to wait a year, we should at least start planning. All the good venues will be taken if we wait too long.”
“I’ll never get away with that.” I took a sip of wine and replaced the glass, thinking over my strategy. “There are simply too many people who would love the scoop on a potential wedding.”
“We could always plan the wedding in Italy…or France? Maybe on a private island? I know someone who would be very discreet.”
I cringed at the thought of an island wedding. “We’re not hippies. And as beautiful as some of those weddings can be, the thought of having sand around me at my wedding is horrifying. I’m simply not a beach girl in any way. Besides, can you picture Bryce in the sand?”
He frowned for a second, then started laughing with me. The idea was absurd. “You’re right. I’ll make some discreet inquiries. I’m sure we’ll come up with something suitable over the next few weeks. And if this thing with Bryce doesn’t blow over, I have another candidate in mind. He’s a little rough around the edges, but would bring in a fortune.”
“Define rough around the edges?”
My father paused, then waved it off. “Let’s leave that until the last possible minute. I’m not sure how he’d fit into the family mold.”
I shrugged off his suggestion and finished my dinner. That was all the conversation we had, and when my father was done, he headed to his office for the night.
