Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“More ongoing,” I offered.
“Correct.”
“Oh dear God,” Ash groaned miserably.
“It’s okay,” I soothed him. “It’s been taken care of already.”
Ash looked at me and then at Locryn, who waggled his eyebrows at him.
“You took care of it?”
“It’s what I used to do, and technically what I still do,” my friend told him. “I’m a fixer. That’s my calling.”
“I’m sorry, and I’m not trying to sound obtuse, but what exactly is it that you do now? I’m fairly certain you don’t simply live with your husband.”
“No. That could never happen. I’m a social worker. Which is why we keep that piece very private.”
“Got it. So now you fix things for…?”
“For kids, mostly, but for others too,” he said softly. “I try my very best.”
After another moment of us standing outside the terminal, not moving, I cleared my throat.
“He’s coming around,” Locryn informed me. “There’s traffic, you know.”
“Is Nick Madison about to pick us up?” Ash asked. “Because if he is, I need a second to prepare for that.”
Locryn scoffed. “Absolutely not. Nick only comes to airports when he flies in or out. Otherwise, never. And more importantly,” he said, turning to Ash, “he can’t drive.”
“He can’t drive?”
“I mean, he can. Technically. In the broad sense of yes, he understands the mechanics of it all and does, in fact, have a driver’s license.”
“I’m guessing he’s not a good driver,” I teased him.
“That would be the understatement of the year,” Locryn said just as a black Chevy Suburban stopped in front of us. A very large man got out, the kind you knew instantly not to mess with, dressed in cargo pants and a T-shirt under an open flannel shirt. He opened the back and waited for us to get in.
“This is Isaias Ortiz,” Locryn made the introduction. “He’s one of Nick’s bodyguards. Isai, this is Ash Lennox and my buddy Cooper Davis.”
He shook hands with both of us, told Ash he was a big fan, after which they took a picture together so he could show his wife later, and then we all piled into the SUV.
“They thought Nick would be driving,” Locryn told Isaias, and they shared a laugh.
“Nooo,” Isaias drew out the word. “We do not want Nick behind the wheel. He has too many things buzzing around in his brain at any given moment to concentrate on anything as mundane as the suggestion of traffic lights.”
“That’s a good way of putting it,” Locryn said, and then got up and moved back to a seat in front of Ash and me. “Okay, so about your house. It’s taken some damage, to the point where you can’t go there at the moment.”
“What?” Ash sounded winded.
Locryn grimaced. “There’s a…what is it?” he asked Isaias.
“Toyota Land Cruiser,” the bodyguard supplied.
“Yeah,” Locryn said. “A Toyota Land Cruiser in your pool.”
“Holy shit!”
“Yeah,” Locryn agreed. “It’s a lot, and because of that you have structural damage and some flooding, not to mention your patio doors, which were cool and folded up—I think people were trying to manually close them instead of using the controls, so they’re down now, and there was glass everywhere, and I’m guessing the wood was custom-made, so…yeah.”
“You’re telling me my house is trashed.”
“Not trashed, as you have security making the rounds in your neighborhood, and since people complained, the cops were called, so all the people were herded out of there.”
“But?” I asked.
“But that all didn’t happen instantaneously, and there were more issues than just the ones at your house, so yes, it’s a bit trashed.”
“Define a bit,” I insisted.
He winced like the telling would hurt. “Your bedroom is fine—good job with the keypad lock there—but there’s just a lot of mess, broken glassware, and there was a small fire in the game room, but then, you know, the sprinklers came on, so there’s that.”
“Oh my God,” Ash groaned, leaning back in his seat before turning to me. “I wanted you to see my refuge, I wanted to share that with you and—”
“It’ll be a refuge again,” I soothed him, putting my hand on his face. “It’ll just take a minute, which is fine.”
He covered my hand with his, kissed my palm, then faced Locryn. “What do I need to do to—”
“Nothing,” Locryn assured him. “Brent Donovan—he’s Nick’s assistant—asked his friend Danika Howard to step in, since you don’t have an assistant for whatever reason, and direct the restoration of your home. So she’s there, after receiving clearance from your lawyer, Gina Savill, as well as a credit card and signatory authorization, directing the large cleanup crew, the locksmith, and the people taking the SUV out of your pool. She’s also coordinating with Owen about your new security system and talking to him on Skype or whatever. I wasn’t really listening to that part.”
“You’re telling me that Nick Madison’s assistant found me someone to navigate this crisis and that person is at my house, at this very moment, coordinating this mess.”