Page 84 of The Bombshell and the Bodyguard
Mrs. Hood clasped her wrinkled hands under her chin and let out a sigh of delight as she stared up at the display.
“Oh this reminds me so much of the old days. Thepartieswe used to have. I wish my granddaughter Scarlett could be here. How she used to love fireworks when she was a little girl.”
“I didn’t know you had a granddaughter. Scarlett’s a pretty name. Where does she live?” I asked.
“Florida. She’s my only grandchild.”
“Is she anything like you?”
“I can’t rightly say. She used to be—same stubborn streak, same love of horses—we even have the same birthday. Unfortunately I haven’t seen her in twenty years—not since she was five years old. That’s when her parents divorced. My daughter-in-law got custody of Scarlett because of my son’s constant international travel. That woman made every excuse in the world to keep Scarlett from visiting me—probably to punish him. Now he’s gone, and she’s the only family I have left.”
“That’s terrible. You must miss her so much.”
“It broke my heart for sure. I’ve continued to send birthday gifts and written her letters over the years, but she never writes back. She might not even live there anymore. I keep hoping she’ll show up on my doorstep someday… before I run out of time to get to know her.”
“Awww come on now— you’ve got another twenty good years in you atleast,” I teased, but we both knew it probably wasn’t true.
I made a mental note to speak to Wilder about the situation when he returned from his honeymoon. Maybe there was something the security firm could do to track the girl down.
Speaking of the groom, he and the new Mrs. Lowe were headed our way, holding hands and glowing brighter than the pyrotechnic display over their heads.
“There’s the beautiful couple,” I said, getting to my feet to shake Wilder’s hand and give Jessica a peck on the cheek.
“That’s what people are saying about you two,” she teased me.
“Yeah, I thought I warned you about dating clients.” Wilder winked and smiled widely. “Hello Mrs. Hood. Having a good time?”
“Marvelous. I haven’t had this much fun in ages. And don’t worry about your Mr. Lupine. He’s a wolf in name only. I assure you my honor has been completely safe with him.”
“Good to hear it,” Wilder said with a laugh.
Turning to Jessica, Mrs. Hood complimented her dress and her music. “You have yourself a new fan. I especially like that ’Teaser’ song.”
“Thank you so much.” Jessica grinned up at Wilder. “I kind of like it myself. It’s about the first guy I ever kissed.”
“And I intend to make sure he’s thelastguy you ever kiss.”
Wilder brushed a sweet touch across his new wife’s lips then gave her a look that actually made me blush. It was a promise crossed with a friendly threat.
As the newlyweds walked away arm-in-arm to greet other guests, I silently congratulated myself for giving Wilder the advice to follow his heart.
It was good to see my friend and boss truly happy at last—and the sweet singer-songwriter as well. Jade’s song “I Will” had brought a tear to my eye during the ceremony.
When I told her so, she’d offered to write one for me one day—when I found the right girl.
IfI ever found the right girl. I was about to give up hope that she was out there.
“So, what are you doing next weekend?” I asked Mrs. Hood. “I have to go to another wedding, and if you’re not busy…”
She gave me a scolding look. “Iambusy. You can’t expect to monopolize all my time you know. I have many beaus, and I have been invited to a dance at the senior center next Saturday night.”
Her expression softened, and she patted my cheek with one soft hand. “Besides, you don’t want to spend your weekends squiring around an old biddy like me. You’re a young, handsome man, and you should be taking out some lovely young girl you can fall in love with and marry and have lots of babies with. If you can’t find someone, then I’ll make it my mission to find her for you.”
“My, my grandma, what big plans you have.” I laughed.
She joined in the laughter, picking up on my joke. “Just bring me a basket of goodies every so often, and we’ll be even.”
“You’ve got a deal. I wouldn’t say no to my own happily ever after,” I said. “If I can end up half as happy as Wilder is today, I’m in.”
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