Page 28 of Three Reckless Words

“Fine, Mr. Buzzkill.” She slides off her seat and twists around to face me just as I’m preparing to leave, elbows propped on the counter, watching me with hooded eyes. “For the record, I’m not allergic, and yes I know what I’m doing with bees. If I get stung, I won’t sue you.”

I almost crack a smile again. What the hell has she done to me?

“I’ll need that in writing.”

“…was that a joke?”

“Do I look like a comedian?” Fucking never. Except when chaotic redheads push back when I least expect it, maybe. “You can do whatever else you’d like while you’re here. Whatever floats your boat, if you waive all liability and you keep a safe distance.”

It’s obscene how much her face lights up at the thought. Her eyes turn from emerald to peridot, dancing at the thought of her damn bees.

I’ll never understand it.

“Thank you! Thank you so much,” she gushes as I head for the door. “Sorry for sucking up so much of your time. I know you’ve got a kid and probably a wife at home to get back to and oh, it’s the weekend, too…” Her voice trails off.

I give her the coldest smile.

Let’s not make this personal, even if it already is. Better to keep her at a distance.

“Colt keeps me busy,” I say.

Then I walk out and leave her in peace, hoping like hell I don’t regret this.

I don’t havea spare minute until evening, when I can finally sit down in the living room with my laptop and a glass of cold brew.

I have Winnie’s full name from her booking details, so I punch it into Google.

The first result is a brief tabloid article trumpeting the “Emberly-Corban Power Wedding Meltdown!”

Brutally interesting.

I scan the piece for info, and fuck, there it is.

When she mentioned powerful connections, she neglected to tell me her father oversees justice in the whole goddamned state.

I thought I recognized his name, and now I know why.

The man who called the office hounding us for his daughter’s whereabouts is none other than Carroll Jackson Emberly III, the Attorney General of Missouri.

My eyes scan the article, quickly reading.

The engagement was announced late last year by Missouri Attorney General Carroll Emberly and Senator Klein Corban, the father of the groom.

A DC senator.

Bingo again.

When she said she’d spent some time as a staffer, I didn’t know she was working for her own future father-in-law.

Technically, father-in-nothing now.

The more I read, the more this feels like some bizarre medieval arranged marriage. Aside from her name, there’s no mention of Winnie until the end.

Some photographer took a grainy image of her hunched behind the wheel of her car, wedding dress on and angry determination in her eyes.

It doesn’t take long to find that picture everywhere on social media.

I’m amazed there’s no attempt to squelch it to save the family some embarrassment. I’m no stranger to rich political types with their heads lodged up their asses. The only thing they hate more than losing money is having their drama splashed out in public.

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