Hide and Seek
Page 22
It was clear enough. But how would he break the news about great-grandchildren to Jennifer? He smiled.
It might be fun.
It might be dangerous.
I know, left brain. I know.
Mr. Akihara smiled and shook Lee’s hand. Apparently, their business was concluded and he was now courting Jennifer Akihara with certain stipulations about offspring.
When he entered the house Jennifer smiled when she saw he was smiling.
Her grandfather looked at both of them and smiled.
A short time later when Lee and Jennifer left her grandfather’s house to drive home they were still smiling, though he hadn’t told Jennifer the outcome of his talk with her grandfather.
He pulled out of the driveway still withholding the outcome of the courting discussion. When he glanced her way Jennifer’s smile was gone. Evidently, her patience went with it.
“I know Granddad would want you to tell me about your discussion. But when did you plan to do that? Just before the wedding?”
He cleared his throat. “Well, I was trying to think of a good way to break the news.”
“Come on. Granddad would never have turned you down. So tell me what—”
“You’re right about one thing. He did say yes to our courtship, but that’s not all he said.”
Jennifer’s smile returned. “OK. Tell me the rest.”
“Are you sure you want to hear this?”
“Just tell me now, or I’ll—”
“I know. You’ll kill me. But the real question isn’t about what you say you’ll do. It’s whether you’ll do what your grandfather wants.”
Jennifer’s eyes narrowed, squinted, and then opened wide. “Spit it all out. Now.”
He placed his hand on her arm. “OK. OK. First, he told me if I ever hurt you, he would kick my head into orbit.”
She slid her arm until their hands clasped. “That sounds like Granddad.”
“Then he demanded that we court quickly so you can give him great-grandchildren soon. He was very emphatic on that point.”
“Oh.” Her mouth froze in the shape of the letter she spoke.
He studied her face. Two intensely pink areas appeared on Jennifer’s light brown cheeks. After a few moments she spoke in a soft voice. “Then I guess it’s official. We’re courting and the courtship may not be very long.”
Jennifer placed her left arm on the center armrest and leaned her head onto Lee’s shoulder. There was a warm, sweet silence in the car.
For Lee Brandt, life indeed was good.
Only one more item of business to handle.
He slowed a few blocks before they reached the freeway and pulled into the coffee shop parking lot. When he turned off the engine Jennifer still leaned against his shoulder.
He lifted his right arm and draped it around her. “I’ve heard it from your grandfather, but I need to hear the official answer from you, Jenn. If we’re going to do this—”
“Of course we’re going to do this.” She sat up and slapped his knee. Jennifer’s intense stare returned. She aimed it directly at his eyes.
Lee returned her gaze trying to match its intensity. “Then we need to seal the deal.”
“And just how do you propose we do that, Mr. Brandt?”
He continued peering into the depths of her brown eyes. “Something like what we did on the Benson’s front lawn, but without the audience.”
She smiled warmly. “Hmmm, ‘Sealed With A Kiss.’ Wasn’t that one of those oldies songs?”
“Would you please shut up and start sealing?”
Jennifer sealed the deal very, very nicely.
Author’s Note
The setting of this book is never disclosed sufficiently for the reader to determine exactly where the scenes take place. Though the Pacific Northwest is alluded to, and a metropolitan area that sounds like Seattle is described, you won’t find the streets and areas referred to on a map—not in the orientation described in the book.
The other areas used in the setting actually do exist in the Pacific Northwest. However, I have woven two interesting geographical areas together, though they are actually about three-hundred miles apart. Yes, the caves exist, and I know them intimately—too intimately. All of this obfuscation was done purposefully because I did not want the book to sound like an indictment of any American person, business, or organization. We are not the enemy.
Please note that National Aerospace was meant to represent generically an important American industry, the defense industry, and not any existing corporation.
The law enforcement and anti-terrorist organizations mentioned all exist and cooperation between them is improving as they attempt to combat terrorists and organized crime. Unfortunately, terrorists are also improving their cooperation and extending that collaboration to organizations like the drug cartels. The threats presented in the book are very real. The author has personally investigated a similar security breach.
Most of the characters in the book are composites of people the author has known, thus they are fictional. However, many events depicted in the lives of the characters have actually occurred. Though some of these events may tug on the bounds of believability, most have actually happened, albeit in somewhat different contexts than in the book’s plot. For example, you can email the author and inquire about the flea cave if you want to know what it feels like to be shrink-wrapped in fleas and jump into a creek fed by melting snow to wash the little devils off.
As for the two main characters, Lee Brandt and Jennifer Akihara, people like them do exist. That is as much as I will reveal about this extraordinary couple, except for one last comment. If enough people enjoy reading about Jennifer and Lee, they will be back very soon with the danger level ratcheted up several notches.
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