Page 44 of The Bodyguard's Fall

Plot: A twenty-something female is fleeing from an abusive ex-boyfriend. She hides out as a children’s librarian in a little New England town with no ties to her. She changes her name and rents a small apartment above a garage. Her landlord is a cop in town. Early thirties, never married, haunted by something in his past. He slowly learns her story and watches out for her. He doubles up on the locks in her place, sets up cameras, and teaches her self-defense, which she gets progressively better at as the movie goes on (shown in an ultra-cool and sexy montage scene). Through her work at the library, she is put in charge of helping gather donations for the fall festival in town. For some reason, he helps her. They slowly fall in love. Her ex eventually finds her. She beats him up and saves herself with her newfound self-defense moves. *It must be noted that Tate morally opposes this part. For selfish reasons, he wants the cop to beat up the bad guy, but it is staying in for the principle of the idea. If we’re spending time on a montage scene where she learns self-defense, she has to use her skills for the best payoff. The look of aversion on his face when I told him that was just a bonus.

They declare their undying love.

The end.

Plot Twist: *cough* I don’t hate it.

Tate: Anything?

Will: Nothing. My boss is pulling everybody out tomorrow.

Tate: What’s your plan?

Will: I’m not sure where to go from here. I’ll come and get Liv soon.

Tate: About that. Let me keep her.

Will: What does that mean?

Tate: That means she stays here. Let me take over and see if I can draw him out.

Will: It’s too dangerous. He knows she’s gone. He’s probably looking for her now.

Tate: That’s what I’m hoping for.

Will: I don’t want her used as bait.

Tate: She already is bait. She’s been his bait for six months. He’s not stopping until he finds her. But this time when he finds her, he finds me.

I was a ball of nerves leaving the house tonight.

Going on errands with Tate a few days ago had been a nice boost to my spirits. Once we got back to the house and I’d survived the whole thing without a Leroy sighting (with the exception of one questionable phone call), I was on a high for days. Eating at a real restaurant felt so luxurious. Spending time with Tate had been fun and even helpful as I’d now written three scenes since Elaine’s begrudging approval of my changes early this morning. I still hadn’t told Tate yet.

But our outing had been days ago. The high had worn off, leaving a fresh dose of anxiety in its wake.

Not to mention, Tate and I would be going to the party as a couple. I grabbed my phone to text my friends to warn them when Ari beat me to it.

Ari: Okay. I just wanted to warn you both that if you happen to see me hanging off of Wade’s arm tonight, just act natural. It’s for a good cause.

Me: UM. What?

Ari: No time to explain, but just don’t make it weird.

Reese: I LIVE to make things weird. I can’t be there, but maybe I should try to swing it.

Ari: NO. Stay home and thank your lucky stars you don’t have to witness this.

Me: Okay, this seems like a good time to jump in here. If you also happen to see Tate and me holding hands, please also don’t make it weird.

Ari: WHAT?

Reese: It was the tractor and those sexy forearms, wasn’t it?!

I hadn’t brought anything nice enough to wear to Autumn Ridge’s beloved Mayor Monroe’s fiftieth birthday party, so I was grateful when Landrie brought me one of her dresses to borrow. It was a red halter top that landed just below my knees. The skirt was light and silky and felt soft against my skin. Ann lent me a pair of shoes to match. I did my hair in a twisty updo. And walking into the town hall with Tate’s strong hand clutching mine and Walkers flanking me on all sides made me feel like I was somebody else for a night.

The Town Hall had always been a drab place of law and order. Mostly I remembered the faint smell of paint and sterile white walls. But now, cut yellow flowers sat in vases in the center of each table throughout the room. Golden balloons covered almost every inch of the ceiling while soft candles provided mood lighting.

We were seated near the back of the room where we filled up on plates of filet mignon and garlic mashed potatoes. I passed on the steamed asparagus, leaving them untouched on my plate, and smiled slightly when Tate did the same.