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“Well, you’re lucky I have my cell phone, otherwise you’d be on your way to a felony kidnapping charge.”
“Oh, you have a satellite phone? That’s lucky.”
“A satellite phone. No, of course no–” She clamped her mouth shut. “You don’t get service out here.” She tossed thephone back into her purse, took a deep breath. “And I don’t suppose you have a satellite phone?”
With all his travelling? Of course, he did. Again, multiple ones, just in case. “Not with me.” Again, not quite a lie. One was in the bedroom, one was in the living room, another was in the office.
She closed her eyes, opened them. “Let me get this straight. We’re stranded on an island with no way to contact the mainland and a boat that’s not returning for a week and a half. Is that correct?”
He smiled heartily.
She looked ready to commit her own felony. “What if there’s an emergency?”
Now to give her the perfect out – an option she wouldn’t take but which would prevent her from accusing him of blatant kidnapping. “Actually, I do have an emergency device that lets me contact the Coast Guard. It’ll be impossible to keep it a secret, of course. We’ll be on every news station within the hour. There will be helicopters, news crews, media boats, all those things. Of course, it might be a little challenging convincing them you’re just my personal assistant, but we can try. Since I don’t want to be accused of kidnapping, we might have no choice.”
His reluctant guest clenched her fists, clearly fighting for control. Thank goodness she hadn’t found something to throw at him. “That won’t be necessary.” She scowled. “I know you planned this.”
Oh yeah, she did. She couldn’t prove it, but she knew. Hopefully by the end of the trip, she’d forget about his little deception. Of course, if things really went downhill, he could always call for the boat to get them early, and she always had the option of contacting the Coast Guard.
So it wasn’t really a kidnapping.
Just sort of.
She turned and started back to the house. “You better have a lot of that cake.”
He smiled. He did.
“Strike!And a turkey. What a way to end the game.” Cheyenne held her arms in the air, did one of those super-geeky fist pump motions and sat back down. She tried to tamp down her enthusiasm, but it didn’t work. She was simply too happy.
Julian laughed. “Wow. Who would guess Ms. Excavator Falls not only liked bowling but played competitively?”
It was true. Her competitive streak extended to almost everything she did. Yet no matter how she surprised him, it couldn’t compare to her surprise at her own mood, especially after her kidnapping. She simply couldn’t help it.
She was having a great time.
Julian had been lying earlier. It wasn’t obvious from his expression – he was an award-winning actor after all – but he had to be. Who lived on an island with only one form of communication? And what sort of emergency communication only worked with the Coast Guard? Undoubtedly that had been an excuse to give her a way out so he wouldn’t technically be kidnapping her. If it were going to compromise her mission, she’d call his bluff, but her investigation couldn’t progress with production suspended this week, and the captain would be furious if he found out. Staying was the best option.
She didn’t have to have fun, however. Yet, it seemed she couldn’t avoid it. She considered spending the week holed up in a bedroom, but in the end it just didn’t make sense. Why punish herself? If she was stuck on the island for a week, she might as well have a little fun. But she wasn’t having a little fun.
She was having a lot.
Even the reminder of her failed cover story couldn’t stop the humor. “You didn’t know bowling was the main criteria for Miss Excavator Falls?” she teased.
Julian laughed again. “No, I didn’t. Maybe they should add it to the Miss America pageant.”
“I completely agree.” She took a sip of wild cherry sparkling water and sat back on the padded vinyl seat. “I still can’t believe you have a bowling alley in your house.” Sure, it was only four lanes, but really – a bowling alley? “I was excited when I found a pinball machine at a yard sale, but now it seems kind of lacking.”
“What are you talking about? A pinball machine is exciting.” Julian took a swig of his beer. “I love old fashioned pinball games. In fact, I still play them.” He took a gleaming silver and white ball from the ball return, wound up and threw one straight down the center – too straight – and split it. He’d have to get the spare and then another strike just to tie her. “Not that I have a lot of free time, but once in a while I get a break between projects. I prefer games to the television. Ironic for an actor, isn’t it?”
She was learning, and liking, more about him every day. “True, but I would’ve thought you’d have other pursuits.”
“Like what?” He smiled wolfishly. “What did you think I did in my spare time?”
“I don’t know. Lounge around while a harem of women peel grapes and fan you with huge feathers?”
He laughed and picked up the ball that had just returned. “That’s exactly what I do… while playing video games.”
She chuckled, then quieted while he set up his shot. He took several graceful steps and threw the ball. Just when it looked like it would miss, it hit the right pin at the very edge, sending it flying toward the left. They slammed together with a loud crack, and the spare was secured. He came back and held up his hand for a high five.