Page 42 of Benedict’s Rejuvenation (Dark Patriots #5)

We stayed at the house all day yesterday after our night out.

We wanted to see if Wynne would reach out.

Plus, we wanted to allow the women to relax.

Being constantly on and out, where you have to play a character, could get wearisome.

However, today we were back into character and in town.

We decided we’d go to one of Wynne’s regular haunts for brunch.

I had to admit, Kensy and her sister were doing a great job of projecting our cover story.

Part of it was their enthusiasm for Hawaii, period.

Neither had been here before, so they took in the sights and had lots to say.

And this would be what you’d do if you were deciding whether it was to be your honeymoon spot.

They took lots of pictures too. However, it was how they were projecting loving, carefree vibes that was incredible.

Most people, when they went undercover for the first time, were tense, and it showed.

The place, like most places here, had a huge open patio area for its customers.

The weather was too nice to sit inside and eat, so we found a table out there.

There were umbrellas to provide shade if needed.

And there were heaters for the times it got cold enough to need them.

We took our time placing our orders after we got our drinks, then kicked back to chat.

I smiled, hearing the two sisters talking about things they’d seen and how it triggered ideas for Beau and Keeley’s wedding or honeymoon.

They were planning to wed in February. Seeing how much joy it was bringing Kensy to help her sister plan it, I wondered what she’d be like if it were our wedding?

We’d known each other for over seven months.

They’d been intense months. And while we’d only recently gotten together as a couple, I knew what I wanted.

We’d confessed our mutual love for each other.

There was no reason to wait to make it more official with a ring.

Eagerness, combined with a bit of apprehension, began to take hold of me.

Could I do it? Would Kensy say yes if I took her in to look at engagement rings?

We were returning the jewelry we borrowed for the gala later this afternoon.

What better time to see how she’d react? A plan began to form.

I made myself concentrate on the food when it came.

It was good, so that wasn’t hard to do. I felt sorry that Justin and Heath were missing it.

But they’d be free to eat once we were done here.

At the moment, they were on the roof of a nearby building, providing cover.

It might sound silly to do that in a place like this, but if nothing else, it gave them a bird’s-eye view of our surroundings, and they’d be able to warn us of anything suspicious before we would see it.

We weren’t expecting them to start firing bullets at anyone, but if it was required, they were ready and able to do it.

The women were finishing up their food. They teased us that we swallowed ours whole.

I informed them that it was a leftover habit from our military days, and it was a hard one to break.

It started in boot camp and usually kept going.

You often got mere minutes to eat, and if you didn’t do it fast enough, you went hungry.

There was no stopping for a half-hour or longer lunch break.

In the field, you ate on the move or gulped down something cold and disgusting, but you ate because you needed the energy, and you were starved.

It also, in my opinion, gave many of us cast-iron stomachs.

We could digest about anything thrown at us.

I’d just finished explaining that to them when we received an alert from Heath. “ Sherman. Five minutes max out. Coming from the east. He appears to be alone .”

There was barely a pause in the conversation, then Keeley kept talking.

“Well, I hope you guys left room for dessert because Kensy and I did. There are some scrumptious items on the menu.”

“No way will I go without one of those desserts,” Kensy added.

We picked up the menus left on the table to pretend to be studying them.

That was how Sherman found us minutes later.

He appeared somewhat hesitant. We hadn’t given him a warm reception last time.

When he cleared his throat, we all looked up and projected surprise, whether in our speech or our expressions.

I straightened. “Mr. Sherman, we meet again. I hope this isn’t another creepy invitation for Kensy and Keeley to meet your…Client, I believe you called him. And before that, you referred to yourself as an associate,” I remarked.

He had no idea we had him checked out, and he was identified as a well-to-do lawyer with high-profile clients. Joshua Wynne was rumored to be one of them. Why he’d send his lawyer to ask was the mystery.

“Mr. Montgomery, Mr. Pierce, the lovely Misses Morgan, good day. To answer your question, Mr. Montgomery, I am here on behalf of my client, Mr. Wynne. He wondered if it would be possible to meet for dinner tonight. He’s willing to do so at a restaurant if you’re willing.

All he wanted me to do was extend the invitation and give you this. ”

Sherman handed me a card. A glance showed it was Wynne’s, and written on it in ink was another phone number.

“That’s Mr. Wynne’s private number. He would appreciate it if you could keep that private and not mention tonight’s dinner to anyone.

He’d hate to be disturbed by overly eager people trying to get his attention.

He has things to discuss that I believe you ladies will find lucrative. I hope you’ll say yes.”

When he paused, Beau asked him, “How did you find us? It’s hard to believe you just happened to be passing by.”

Sherman smiled. “I have my ways and lots of friends. Some are ordinary people, while others are public servants, such as police officers or private investigators. They were the ones who alerted me that they had sighted you. I’d put out to them that you weren’t at home and I was looking for you about an urgent matter.

It’s easy when you live somewhere like Hana. ”

Beau and I raised our eyebrows. We didn’t remind him that he should’ve had our phone numbers from the gala invitation.

The ladies had remained silent. We’d told them that after making contact, we wanted to present the illusion that they were submissive to us and to leave the bulk of the talking to us.

Yes, it rubbed them raw to do it, but they were complying.

“I’ll leave you to the rest of your meal. Don’t forget to have dessert. All of them are incredible here. I can vouch for them,” he said with a smile, then bowed before walking off.

We’d been told yesterday our flagged backstories had been read. Wynne had done as expected and had his people look into us. If Sherman approached us, it was a good indication that our backstories held up. I had no reason to doubt they would, but you always worried a tiny bit.

“Well, that was fun. What do you say? We’ll get some dessert, then you can call Mr. Wynne and see where we should have dinner. Don’t forget, we have to return that jewelry to Fabian,” Keeley said.

“Sounds good to me,” I replied. Beau and Kensy were all for it, so that’s what we did.