Falling for the Bodyguard

by Jean Oram

  “I am not going to sleep with Evander in order to save the cottage.”

  Polly and Maya focused on something behind Daphne.

  “He’s in the doorway, isn’t he?”

  They both nodded silently, eyes round.

  “You’re drinking my rum and have uninvited guests that you didn’t run past me,” Evander said, his voice low and unimpressed.

  “Sorry, I’ll buy you a new bottle. And you know Maya.” Daphne stood, turning to Polly, wishing Evander wasn’t looking so unwelcoming. “This is Polly Pollard. She’s an old friend. I didn’t want to wake you and I reset the alarm.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Evander said, stepping into the room to shake her hand before returning to his spot in the doorway.

  “You as well,” Polly said. “I apologize for drinking your rum.” She lifted her glass, looking demure, harmless, and a little bit on the prowl.

  Evander said nothing, just stared at Daphne. She felt as though she didn’t know this man all of a sudden. “Are you really a billionaire?” she asked, cringing as the words came out of her mouth. It didn’t make a difference if he was, and now he’d think it did.

  He turned on his heel. “Make sure you reset the alarm when you go to bed.”

  Daphne eased back onto the sofa and faced the two women. Polly appeared thoughtful, while Maya looked as though she was trying to hold in the giggles.

  “Good on you,” Maya said. “Just like the rest of us. Shacked up with billionaires, but not asking for a dime. What on earth is wrong with us?” She let out a snort of laughter. “We should be like Great-Grandma Ada and milk it.” She laughed again. “There’s some awesome irony in here somewhere, isn’t there?”

  “I guess we’re too independent for our own good,” Daphne said with a sigh.

  “Are you talking about the Ada who started Camp Adaker?” Polly asked.

  “The one and only.”

  “She really did know how to work an angle.” Polly lifted her glass in a toast. “Cheers to that.”

  Maya and Daphne frowned at her.

  “Well, I mean she got that cottage given to her when she was pregnant with your grandmother.”

  “What?” Maya perched on the edge of her armchair. “What? Say that again?”

  “It was a baby-keep-quiet gift. He was married. Stewart Baker—the father.”

  “How do you know that?” Maya leaned forward.

  “I work on the camp board.”

  “And?”

  Polly was dishing out fresh info and acting as though it was common knowledge. How did she know more about their family than they did, when Melanie had been digging for weeks?

  “Ada and Stewart started the camp.”

  “Okay. Melanie’s suspected that. The camp name part,” Maya said.

  “It’s an epic love story.” Polly cozied into her spot, looking dreamy. “Ada and Stewart used to camp out on Nymph Island when they were working on the summer camp. The island became their lover’s nook.”

  “Destiny causes people to fall in love when they’re on the island,” Maya said, eyes focused on something in the distance.

  “Yeah, but how do you know the cottage was a keep-quiet gift?” Daphne asked.

  Polly shrugged. “There are old letters at the camp. It’s all written between the lines.”

  “Letters?” Daphne pressed.

  “You have to tell Melanie.” Maya smacked the table with the flat of her hands. “That’s so crazy that they’re still around and we had no clue.”

  Daphne pinched her lower lip between her fingers, thinking. She turned to Maya. “Could you help me create a business plan for an ecotourism retreat?”

  “A business plan?”

  “Ecotourism is a fun idea,” Polly said. “My brother, Josh, the firefighter?” She waited for them to nod in recognition. “He just went on one of those trips. It was expensive, but he said it was incredible.”

  “I think Mistral could turn Baby Horseshoe Island into a nature retreat instead of the resort he has planned,” Daphne said. “He could obey environmental laws and guidelines, as well as have his development. He would have to scale back some of the things he’s planning to do, but it could be an ecofriendly retreat. A blending of tourism, development, and environmental awareness. But I need to be able to show him the bottom line.”

  “It’s kind of late to make changes to his plans, isn’t it?” Maya asked.

  A feeling of defeat washed over Daphne. For some reason she wanted to show Evander that she could do this, more than she wanted Mistral to make changes to his plans—as beneficial as that would be.

  She emptied her glass. “I have to try.”

  13

  Evander barely recognized Daphne as she sat in the meeting room wearing Maya’s borrowed pantsuit. Her hair was swept up into what Tigger had informed him was a French twist. Even though the outfit was a bit big, she looked professional and businesslike. Not at all like the woman he had come to know and feel comfortable with. When people began acting unlike themselves, it was time to worry. That was when the unexpected happened.

  He figured after their chat in the van the night before last that she would go back to Miss Take-It-As-It-Comes, instead of trying to be hard-edged. But here he was, on his toes again. At least before calling this morning’s meeting she’d given him enough of a heads-up that he’d been able to phone Austin Smith, the paparazzi, to create a diversion so they could leave the house in peace. The man, true to his word, had created a buzz that had all the lurking reporters sprinting away from the house, cameras waving so he, Daphne, and Tigger could sneak off to Port Carling to meet with Mistral.

  Again.

  Evander took up his post at the door of the library’s basement meeting room as Daphne greeted Mistral by handing him a stapled bundle of papers.

  Maya sat beside Daphne, her lips white from the effort of keeping them pinned shut and not sharing all her business know-how. Outside the room, Tyrone was caring for Tigger, as Kyle had stayed behind to take their mother to her radiation appointment.

  Mistral’s new hired gun, Leif, leaned back in his chair.

  Daphne began outlining the business plan she’d been working on with Maya since the night of the cottage picnic. A plan for an eco-retreat on Baby Horseshoe Island, rather than the monstrosity Mistral had planned.

  Evander figured it was a case of being at least a year too late, but admired Daphne’s determination, as most people would have given up, then always wondered if they could have made a difference.

  Mistral shifted, looking uncomfortable. “I appreciate you going through the bother to put something together, but we’re so far into the development that changing plans now could really set us back. Plus, the cost alone…”

  Evander had to give it to him, the man at least looked apologetic.

  “I understand that,” Daphne said softly as she pushed a sheet of paper across the table toward him. “That is why Maya and I came up with this.”

  Mistral held a finger over the graph, his attention on Daphne. “What is this?”

  “Money.” She slid a bullet-point list toward him. “And this is how to change direction without losing any. Basically, you’re simplifying what you already have planned. So it will actually cut your construction costs. You can make these changes, do it under budget and still open on the scheduled date a year and a half from now. You’ll be offering fewer services to your clients, which will lessen your overhead. As well, you’ll be offering things you don’t have to build or maintain, such as birds and other wildlife, and the peace and quiet of nature. In essence, build less, charge the same.”

  Mistral leaned back, leaving the graphs on the table.

  “Ecotourism isn’t a cheap vacation,” Maya blurted out. Hands clasped, she glanced at Daphne, then added, “We know you already have plans for the island, but the problem is that at the rate you’re running into compliance issues, you’re never going to get it built.”

  Mistral opened his mouth to argue, hi
s face red. Evander took a step closer to the table, arms loose at his side, ready to act.

  Maya continued, “I know you’ve got several agencies hot on your tail, so let’s be honest. Things haven’t been going easy for you. You’re losing money waiting for permits and plans to get pushed through, and the issue with the municipality not following permit protocols is not cool. Nobody’s going to back down on that fight.” She leveled the man with a steely look and Daphne shifted uncomfortably. Evander didn’t blame her. Maya was pretty darn direct. Painfully so.

  “You can either carry on with your original plan and hope you don’t go belly-up before you get through the delays, or you can give Daphne’s idea a serious look. It has incredible merits and I believe she is ahead of the game in terms of trends in tourism.”

  Maya leaned back. “I honestly don’t see how you could fail with this. In fact, Connor MacKenzie took a look at the plans last night, and if you don’t do this, he will. You’re lucky Daphne’s given you first right of refusal.”

  Mistral’s head tilted to the side. They had him.

  The Summers had been underestimated again.

  Maya stood, and a panicked look flashed across Daphne’s face. Evander awaited his cue from her.

  “I still don’t see how changing my plan is going to allow me to come out financially ahead,” Mistral stated. He tried to emulate Maya’s earlier posture by leaning back in his chair, as though he was the one in control. It was obvious the man wanted to learn more.

  “Here on page six,” Daphne said, pushing papers toward him.

  “Read at your leisure,” Maya said. “Daphne and I have another meeting to get to.” She checked her watch. “If you want to work with us you’d better let us know soon, because we’re pulling this off the table in four days.”

  “Four days?” Mistral began flipping pages and Leif scooted closer to the table to help him find whatever he might be looking for. “I’ll have to ask my dad.”

  Pansy. The man didn’t even run his own company? No wonder things were so messed up.

  “Don’t forget that we own the rights to this resort plan,” Maya said. “Don’t try opening it elsewhere.”

  “I also made a list of the endangered species in the area,” Daphne said. “It’s something that could—”

  Both Maya and Evander reached for her. They had Mistral where they wanted him. It was time to shut up.

  “Everything you need to know is in the package,” Maya said, pushing Daphne out the door. They left Mistral and Leif hunched over the papers.

  Maya shut the door, and said, “I think that went well.” She gave them a bright smile that reminded Evander of Daphne.

  “Do you think he’s interested?” Daphne asked, her hands twisted into a tangle.

  “We’ll hear from him soon enough,” Maya said.

  Daphne turned back to the door and Evander cringed, catching her hand. She didn’t know when to let well enough alone, did she?

  “What did you forget?” he asked.

  “I just wanted to ask if he wants to see Tigger, since he’s out here today.”

  Evander shook his head. “One thing at a time. Don’t distract him.” With a gentle hand on her shoulder, he moved her away from the door, wishing they had the kind of relationship where he could give her a hug.

  Maya was watching, her lips pulled into a frown.

  Maya would make a good soldier, with her determined, straight-forward approach, but Daphne had too much hope and too much heart. She’d make a lousy soldier, and for that reason it made Evander like her all the more.

  Against his better judgment, he pulled her close, wrapping his arms loosely around her. She leaned in, resting her head against his chest. She trembled, making him think of a sapling in need of protection from the storm.

  “I’ll go round up Tigger.” Maya hustled off, and Evander wished she’d come back. He was doing a sister’s job right now. He should be rounding up the kid and she should be doing the mumbo-jumbo, loosey-goosey, huggy thing her sister needed. Not him.

  He smoothed Daphne’s hair, reveling in its straightness when bullied into a twist.

  No, definitely not him.

  He allowed himself to snuggle her closer.

  Mistral and Leif left the room, Mistral not even looking their way, and Evander had to struggle not to go after the man. The way he’d dismissed Daphne during the meeting had bothered him. Daphne was right here, wanting Mistral in her incredible life, and the man couldn’t even give a crap. He was taking everything for granted. His freedom. His life. Other people. Even ideas. What was the point of Evander getting blown up and going to war if goofs like Mistral could sit around in offices and ignore great ideas?

  This was a democracy. There was freedom to try new things. To live a real and full life. But what was the point of it all if you were going to live by tight rules and never try stepping out of the box? If you were never going to even bother to try and stretch a little?

  Evander hadn’t gone to war so men like Mistral could ignore their awesome kids. The man didn’t have an inkling of what he was missing. If Mistral could see what Evander saw, he’d be a changed man. But Evander didn’t have the power to open the man’s eyes. Mistral had to make the choice to open them and to see everything he had.

  Sometimes, Evander had discovered, you had to go across the world and get shot at in order to understand just how precious one small child growing up in Canada could be.

  He shook his head. Mistral didn’t even know what section of the dictionary to find the word lucky let alone where to see it in his own life.

  “Mistral doesn’t realize what he is missing,” Evander said, hugging Daphne tighter as Tigger came bounding over, her face lit up like sunshine. “He has absolutely no idea.”

  Daphne had been moping around his mother’s house all day and Evander had finally figured out a decent way to distract her. Yesterday’s meeting with Mistral had torn a piece out of her, and he could only imagine how she must feel—rejected at every turn.

  He peeked into the sitting room, where his mother was patiently teaching Tigger to knit, her usually smooth ball of yarn a mess of tangles at their feet. Kyle was trying to sort it out without getting attacked by Rudolph, laughing whenever the cat pounced. Radiation had gone okay, but Evander could see how tired Florence was.

  He climbed the stairs to the bedrooms and found Daphne sitting cross-legged on her bed, her head in her hands, elbows on knees. She was wearing uncharacteristic jeans and a T-shirt, her feet bare.

  Gripping the door frame above his head, Evander leaned his torso into the room. “Bored?”

  He definitely was.

  There hadn’t been a hint of danger in almost a week. And the past few days of checking his monitors and security measures for breaches had become a tedious, mindless habit that was making him wonder if he was missing things because there was never anything to see.

  Were the Summers finally safe? Oddly enough, Daphne hadn’t asked to go back to her house other than to pick up a few things.

  She turned to him, her eyes sad. “Just feeling sorry for myself.”

  “Isn’t there a yoga meditation thing for that where you shove your butt in the air while sticking out your tongue?”

  “Probably.”

  It occurred to Evander that he didn’t know how to proceed from here. An eight-mile run usually helped him out of any funks, but he didn’t think sending Daphne out was a wise idea. Not yet. Who knew if Aaron Bloomwood was still on the warpath, especially if he was indeed working for Mistral’s father, who obviously ran Mistral. And if Mistral actually brought Daphne’s new development idea to his father’s attention, Evander could pretty much guarantee Aaron would do something stupid in order to preserve all he’d been trying to accomplish in making a name for himself within Rubicore and the planned development.

  “So?” Evander said, not quite self-centered enough to walk away from the woman and her blues.

  “So?” she replied.

  “W
hat’s got you down?”

  She let out a long sigh. “What doesn’t?”

  He let go of the door casing and sat down beside her on the bed, making the mattress dip so low she had to shift away from him in order to not fall against him. She smelled like sunshine.

  “List the blues. It’ll be like skeet shooting. You fire, I’ll blast them.”

  He got a flicker of a smile. “For one, I’m stuck living in G.I. Joe’s headquarters.”

  “Ouch.” Of all the crappy things she had to choose from, and she picked that first? He’d actually believed they were doing pretty good at the cohabitation thing.

  “I’m sorry. That came out wrong. I mean, the food is much better here than in the army, from what I’ve heard.” She gave him a half smile that made him want to kiss her lips.

  He shifted farther away.

  She began listing more blues-causing grievances. “My ex wants nothing to do with our daughter. My sisters are in a battle with him. His partner tried to run me off the road and break into my home. His bodyguard would have shot me or something if you hadn’t intervened.” She shuddered and Evander eased closer in case she needed him. “My life has become an action movie. I don’t even have the money to help with the cottage. My sisters are all going to be able to raise enough to not only save the place, but their billionaire boyfriends are going to fix it up. Meanwhile, I’m over here, about to lose the island for our family after a hundred years of ownership. All because poor Daphne the single mom is an irresponsible hippie with her head in the clouds, and doesn’t understand money. What I understand about money is that there is never enough. No matter how much I budget or skimp or save or buy used.”

  “Are you looking for an ear? Or do you want me to argue those points and shoot them down?” Evander angled himself so he was facing her more fully. “First of all, I think you’re doing a bang-up job of keeping those ducks in a row. Especially that bouncing one you’ve got going on. But Daphne, you can’t control what others do and how they run their own lives. You can only change your own. But by doing so, sometimes we can change someone else’s.”