Chapter 88 The Bodyguards
The next day, Emily was completely spoiled at the spa. She got a massage and a facial treatment with mineral masks made of local clays. Byron joined her as they wrapped up the session by relaxing in a scented steam room followed by herbal tea and a selection of chocolates.
They went for another hike in the afternoon, and every single moment was magical. The natural scenery delighted their senses. All the people they met seemed sweet and friendly. The promise of a future together was more amazing than Emily had ever dreamed.
When Emily headed back to work, it was as an engaged woman. Even the most boring tasks seemed to have an extra sparkle to them in the days following the special proposal.
She made a few videos as Anita had advised, where she talked about the inspiration for her designs. She already had dozens of viewers from the beginning, people who were fans of the clothing. It soon turned into hundreds. Emily was concerned that somehow this would provoke Josh to come out of hiding, which was why she never filmed anything at home. She usually filmed the videos at her workplace or at a park.
Anita was very happy with how the promotion was going, and Emily started to get quite a big boost in income from the international sales of her brand. She couldn’t complain about how business was going. But some of her old fears were coming back. She often looked around nervously crossing the street and checked to make sure no one was following her on her way home from work.
She decided to bring it up over dinner since she hoped Byron would have some advice.
Byron had almost forgotten about the former stalker situation, but when she mentioned the heightened publicity, he offered his help right away.
“I’m not too worried about it when I’m walking the dogs in the park,” Emily said, “because I doubt anyone will want to approach me with Rupert looking so intimidating.”
“I’ll come with you on every dog walk,” Byron offered. “I think Rupert only looks intimidating, but he might run away at the first sign of trouble.”
Emily laughed as she scratched the big dog behind the ear. “He doesn’t mean that.”
“Maybe we should increase security for your commute to and from work,” Byron said more seriously.
“By ‘increase security’ you mean bring Fred into the picture?” she asked, smiling.
“Yes, you may recall Fred was brilliant on his last assignment. And maybe he could just look out for you when you go to highly publicized events. Wouldn’t it be kind of cool, having your own bodyguard?”
“I don’t know if I would use the words ‘cool’ and ‘Fred’ in the same sentence,” Emily remarked, “but maybe you’re right.”
“Fred is a cool guy, in his own way,” Byron said in deadpan tones. “And I’ll drive you to work myself so you feel extra safe.”
“You don’t need to,” she objected.
“But I do,” Byron said. “I know you enjoy your freedom, but your safety is important too. Could you make this allowance for me, because I need to know you’re safe? It’ll only be temporary, until we know whether Josh is going to be a threat.”
“Okay,” she agreed, her heart melting at his words. His need to protect her was understandable as she would have done the same if Byron had been in danger. Besides, she had no desire to go back to the old ways, always looking over her shoulder for hidden threats. It might be kind of cool to have some “bodyguards” watching over her.
“Good!” Byron said, “We’ll try it for a few weeks. If your new status as a hot shot celebrity doesn’t lure him out of hiding, it’ll be safe to say his stalking career is over.”
Emily was more than happy to let Byron drive her to work. It felt like an even closer connection was forming between them when she saw how much time he took each day to make sure she was safe.
Meanwhile her designs gained even more recognition and fame. She was invited to do an interview at a local news station, which was featuring young female business people.
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