Page 27 of Not the Bodyguard's Baby
Alan answered him. “She heard from Sven.”
“She called to warn us. He’s already booked a flight from LA. She’s flying out in the morning.”
“Why did she contact you?”
“Your mother and I have long been listed as September’s emergency contacts. Shyla didn’t even ask me to confirm or deny we’ve been helping September.”
“Does Sven know about us?”
Alan grabbed a fifth plate from the cupboard. “He definitely knows about you.”
At the sound of the footsteps in the hallway, the three of them stopped talking.
* * *
September had never experienced stage fright until she walked into the kitchen and the three Hastings men stopped talking to stare at her. She shifted Harmony on her shoulder. “I couldn’t get her to burp. I wondered—”
Adam came and took Harmony. Almost instantly, the baby released a loud burp. Jethro crossed the kitchen. “That is some trick you have. I wish I had known that one, thirty years ago.” He opened his arms, and September stepped in for a hug.
“I’ve been worried about you, kiddo. I’m glad you will be staying with us for a couple weeks.” Jethro ended the hug.
“Are you sure I am not an imposition?”
Jethro took Harmony from Adam. “Are you kidding? I love having this little one around. The best part is Adam gets to get up in the middle of the night.” He used a lighter tone, addressing the baby more than her.
Melanie came into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “Alan, nice you can join us. Put the salad on the table, will you? Adam, go get the bouncy rocker thing so September can use both hands to eat. And, September, be a dear and add some napkins to the settings. My barbarians always forget them until after they’ve spilled.”
In a matter of seconds, they were all gathered around the table, holding hands for prayer. September found herself between Melanie and Adam as Jethro prayed.
“Now that we are all sitting, Alan, why don’t you fill me in on why you’ve joined us, as I doubt it is because I used leftover pot roast in tonight’s dinner.” Melanie passed the food around the table as she spoke. September admired the way Melanie took control of the situation and moved it forward.
Alan scooped some of the pie onto his plate. “We were discussing a call Dad received.” He looked from his father to September and back before continuing. “Shyla is coming out in the morning. She assumes we are helping September, but she didn’t ask. She wanted to warn us that Sven is on his way too.”
September’s fork slipped from her fingers and bounced on the table before falling to the floor. She pushed back from the table. Where could she hide? Canada wasn’t far. Adam put his hand on her knee. “Don’t get up.” He bent and retrieved her fork. “I’ll get you another.”
“I’m catching up on this case, and I need you to fill me in on some of the details. We need to figure out how much Sven knows about us and Adam.” Jethro gave her almost the same look her father used to.
She took a deep breath before answering. “I’m not sure. He knows how I felt about Adam and that I’ve known the family forever. But pretty much anyone who knows me knows that. I don’t think I talked much about anyone other than Adam.”Constantly, for months. “If Shyla suspects you are helping me, it is likely he does too. Should I go to my house? No one but Melanie knows where it is.”
Melanie shook her head. “I don’t think there is a need to leave yet. Sven is more likely to show up at the office than he is here, as he would have to find the house. Shyla may show up here, but that is easily remedied. We will put a bassinet in the safe room, and you can be in there before she even rings the bell and we’ll only keep baby paraphernalia upstairs. I’ll keep one of the boxes Abbie brought over down here. I can always say I am expecting triplet grandchildren and I’ve started collecting for them.”
“That’s sure true,” muttered Alan.
Melanie scowled at her second son. “We could have some of the female guards rotate through too. Visiting friends, housekeeper to help me in my old age, that sort of thing.”
“I’ll be here.” Adam added a second helping of shepherd’s pie to his plate.
Jethro forcefully set down his water glass. “You can’t be. If Sven comes to the office, he will expect to find you. He’ll follow you, and you need to lead him on the most boring day of his life. I think we need to do some surprise inspections of the buildings we monitor. Also, work on training Elle. He might assume there is an interest there.”
“I don’t like ZoElle involved.” Alan crossed his arms.
“She needs the training on dealing with tails, etc., if she is going to work with us as a bodyguard,” said Adam.
“But she isn’t ready.”
“Alan, this isn’t your call to make. It’s mine, and I think she is. She isn’t your client anymore.” Jethro sat back in his chair, his now-empty plate in front of him. September glanced at her own full plate. How could they eat at a time like this?
“So can I still come here at night?” asked Adam.
