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ME: Have a surprise waiting for you when you land
As I suspected, she didn’t respond.
* * *
Nicole
We wentthrough an elaborate hugging session after walking off the plane in Santa Monica. Saying goodbye to everybody was emotional for me, as my thanks to them all was heartfelt. The entire family had been so welcoming to me—the newcomer they didn’t know at all.
I heard more than once that if Josh said I was an “okay kid,” they didn’t need to know any more. Even though I was certain some or maybe all of them knew of Lara’s travails, not once did I get so much as a sideways glance for having a troubled youth as my cousin.
Lloyd and Robin had been especially nice to express their condolences on the loss of my parents. I hadn’t even known they’d been acquainted, but they had apparently been out on Daddy’s boat with them twice, years ago, and Lloyd even remembered the boat’s name—theStella Maria. Daddy had named her after his mother, my Nonie, and he’d loved going out on her. The time I’d spent with Josh’s father reminded me so much of Daddy it made me cry as we said goodbye. He was an M&M, just like my father had been—a soft, sweet center under the hard shell.
The group dispersed, and there were town cars waiting for each of the couples with the requisite drivers wearing black coats and slacks who helped them with their luggage.
I didn’t seem to rate the same ride home.
A woman in a leather flight jacket and jeans who had been standing next to a black SUV walked my way. “Miss Rossi?”
Lloyd Benson watched from beside his car.
I waved and pulled my bag behind me. “That’s me. Nicole.”
“Constance Collier,” the short woman said as she reached me and extended her hand.
I took it and was surprised by the strength of her grip.
“4312 Orangebranch,” I told her.
“I know. Josh sent me.” She handed me a card.
Hanson Security. “I don’t understand.”
“We’ve been contracted to provide security for you,” she explained.
“But I don’t need anything like that.”
“Mr. Benson disagrees,” she said.
Seeing my standoff with this lady, Lloyd walked our way. “Is there a problem?”
“The assignment will be more difficult if she doesn’t want to cooperate,” Constance told him.
Lloyd put on his grandfatherly face. “Nicole, I can assure you Constance here is first rate. You won’t even know she’s around half the time. Josh wanted you to have security while he was gone. I’d hate to have him mad at me for not keeping you safe. Please do me a favor and accept Constance’s help.”
When he put it that way, I had no choice. I couldn’t turn him down. “Sure, if you think it’s best.”
“I do,” he said. “And don’t underestimate Constance. The Secret Service trained her well.”
Constance might’ve been a hardened ex-Secret Service agent, but Lloyd had her blushing.
“Okay,” I said, following her to the SUV. “How does this work?”
She opened the back. “First, we get you home.”
I hefted my bag in, and a minute later we were on the way.
“So, Secret Service, huh?” I asked.
