shot,” Felicia pointed out.
“Details, details. As far as everyone is concerned, I survived a mad assassin loose in the city. Reporters have been here all day. They asked me all sorts of questions about you.”
Felicia groaned. “More nails in my coffin. At this rate, the only acting jobs I’ll be able to book are traveling freak shows.”
“I know you don’t want to hear this but try to look on the bright side.
This thing will blow over eventually.”
-56-
Pacific Breeze Hotel
“I’ll try.” Felicia’s voice brightened. “And you try to get some rest if you can tear yourself away from your adoring public.”
“Hey, I may never get this much free publicity again. I intend to take advantage of it.”
“Say goodnight Lila,” Felicia said.
“Goodnight Lila.”
Felicia began to have second thoughts about her date with Vance.
The day’s events had taken their toll, and her eyelids drooped with exhaustion. She longed for nothing more exciting than a good night’s sleep. But she’d promised to go out with Vance and didn’t want to disappoint him.
Vance arrived promptly at ten o’clock. Felicia was surprised to see how fit and muscular his body had become since the last time they’d seen each other. Vance had gained at least twenty pounds, all of it muscle. He’d lost the last of his baby fat and his weak chin was nowhere to be found.
“Are you training for a bodybuilding competition or something?”
Felicia hadn’t expected him to resemble the beefy, bulked-up men who frequented Muscle Beach.
“I started lifting weights.” The fabric of Vance’s jacket strained taut across his broad chest.
“May I ask why?”
“The girls seem to like it.” He winked at her and then tickled her waist as he’d done since they were kids.
Felicia giggled and slapped his hands away. “I’m sure they do.”
“But you don’t care for the muscular type?”
Felicia had always been honest with him and wasn’t about to start lying. “Don’t go by me. I’m sure girls will be lining up around the block to catch your eye.” She paused. “Unless there’s already some special girl.”
-57-
Josie A. Okuly
Vance blew out a sigh “There’s no one. Hasn’t been anyone since you.”
“I thought when you said you had something to tell me...”
“It wasn’t that.” Vance’s full lips pulled downward and a shadow crossed his face. For a second, he resembled a stranger, not the man she’d once loved. Or thought she’d loved. When she had dated Vance, she hadn’t known what true love was.
The truth hit Felicia like a thunderbolt from a clear, untroubled sky.
She was in love with O’Rourke. Never mind that she didn’t even know his first name. She was in love with him and wanted to shout it from the roof of her apartment building.
“I heard of a great restaurant,” Vance interrupted her thoughts. “It’s called the Brown Derby. Have you been there?”
ÇÇÇ
O’Rourke slumped down in the unmarked police car, his gaze scoping out Felicia’s apartment building. Someone had taken a shot at her in broad daylight in front of dozens of witnesses. It was the last thing he had expected. O’Rourke’s fear turned to fury as he pictured Felicia’s body bleeding on the sidewalk. Had he found this exceptional woman only to lose her to a determined murderer?
Felicia was a single, perfect rose amidst a valley of thorns and he would do everything in his power to protect her from harm The shooter would try again. O’Rourke was certain of it.
After leaving the police station, O’Rourke drove to Heart of Mercy Hospital. He found Nolan at Lila’s bedside.
O’Rourke stared down at the sleeping woman. Lila’s frazzled curls spilled across the pillow. “Is she going to be okay?”
“She’ll be fine,” said Nolan. “It was just a scratch.”
-58-
Pacific Breeze Hotel
O’Rourke tilted his head. “She looks about twelve years old.”
Nolan nodded. “She wore herself out. She talked my
“Details, details. As far as everyone is concerned, I survived a mad assassin loose in the city. Reporters have been here all day. They asked me all sorts of questions about you.”
Felicia groaned. “More nails in my coffin. At this rate, the only acting jobs I’ll be able to book are traveling freak shows.”
“I know you don’t want to hear this but try to look on the bright side.
This thing will blow over eventually.”
-56-
Pacific Breeze Hotel
“I’ll try.” Felicia’s voice brightened. “And you try to get some rest if you can tear yourself away from your adoring public.”
“Hey, I may never get this much free publicity again. I intend to take advantage of it.”
“Say goodnight Lila,” Felicia said.
“Goodnight Lila.”
Felicia began to have second thoughts about her date with Vance.
The day’s events had taken their toll, and her eyelids drooped with exhaustion. She longed for nothing more exciting than a good night’s sleep. But she’d promised to go out with Vance and didn’t want to disappoint him.
Vance arrived promptly at ten o’clock. Felicia was surprised to see how fit and muscular his body had become since the last time they’d seen each other. Vance had gained at least twenty pounds, all of it muscle. He’d lost the last of his baby fat and his weak chin was nowhere to be found.
“Are you training for a bodybuilding competition or something?”
Felicia hadn’t expected him to resemble the beefy, bulked-up men who frequented Muscle Beach.
“I started lifting weights.” The fabric of Vance’s jacket strained taut across his broad chest.
“May I ask why?”
“The girls seem to like it.” He winked at her and then tickled her waist as he’d done since they were kids.
Felicia giggled and slapped his hands away. “I’m sure they do.”
“But you don’t care for the muscular type?”
Felicia had always been honest with him and wasn’t about to start lying. “Don’t go by me. I’m sure girls will be lining up around the block to catch your eye.” She paused. “Unless there’s already some special girl.”
-57-
Josie A. Okuly
Vance blew out a sigh “There’s no one. Hasn’t been anyone since you.”
“I thought when you said you had something to tell me...”
“It wasn’t that.” Vance’s full lips pulled downward and a shadow crossed his face. For a second, he resembled a stranger, not the man she’d once loved. Or thought she’d loved. When she had dated Vance, she hadn’t known what true love was.
The truth hit Felicia like a thunderbolt from a clear, untroubled sky.
She was in love with O’Rourke. Never mind that she didn’t even know his first name. She was in love with him and wanted to shout it from the roof of her apartment building.
“I heard of a great restaurant,” Vance interrupted her thoughts. “It’s called the Brown Derby. Have you been there?”
ÇÇÇ
O’Rourke slumped down in the unmarked police car, his gaze scoping out Felicia’s apartment building. Someone had taken a shot at her in broad daylight in front of dozens of witnesses. It was the last thing he had expected. O’Rourke’s fear turned to fury as he pictured Felicia’s body bleeding on the sidewalk. Had he found this exceptional woman only to lose her to a determined murderer?
Felicia was a single, perfect rose amidst a valley of thorns and he would do everything in his power to protect her from harm The shooter would try again. O’Rourke was certain of it.
After leaving the police station, O’Rourke drove to Heart of Mercy Hospital. He found Nolan at Lila’s bedside.
O’Rourke stared down at the sleeping woman. Lila’s frazzled curls spilled across the pillow. “Is she going to be okay?”
“She’ll be fine,” said Nolan. “It was just a scratch.”
-58-
Pacific Breeze Hotel
O’Rourke tilted his head. “She looks about twelve years old.”
Nolan nodded. “She wore herself out. She talked my
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