Free A Match Made in Mystery by JB Lynn

making her voice hoarse. “…former owner.  The nephew of the former owner.”
    “Surely he’d understand.”
    “You owe Willen a debt. I owe Bea,” she told him firmly.
    “Okay. Busy Bea’s it is.”
    They made the rest of the thirty-minute ride in silence. She assumed he concentrated on driving while she pondered whether going to the lawyer’s office had been a mistake.
    Entering the lot, he pulled up so that she could exit under the front awning.
    “Thank you.” She reached for the door handle. “For everything.”
    “It’s genuinely been my pleasure.”
    She avoided meeting his gaze as his tone sent shivers of awareness shooting through her.
    She hopped out and ran inside with a quick wave over her shoulder, wondering if she’d ever see him again, or if, after he talked to Phyllis, he’d have Lara call and give her the brush off.

 
     

Chapter Twelve
     
    After watching Amy disappear into Busy Bea ’ s, which once again wasn ’ t busy, Brady pulled into the nearest parking spot and fumbled for his phone.
    The first person he called was Tom. He tapped on the steering wheel impatiently waiting for him to answer.
    “Hey.” Tom’s voice finally greeted him with teasing laughter. “You do know I’m married now, right? So I might have other things to do than answer your multiple calls.”
    “Sorry. But I need a favor.”
    “Another?”
    “I need to hire a bodyguard. A woman.”
    “Is that what Armani told you?” Tom asked suspiciously. “And where the hell are you calling from? I can barely hear you over the background noise.”
    “My car and it’s pouring. And no, this doesn’t have anything to do with Armani. I need to hire a female bodyguard.”
    Tom grew serious. “Are you in trouble, buddy?”
    The image of Amy’s face the moment before he’d almost kissed her in his office flashed before his eyes. Oh, he was in trouble all right, but not the kind Tom meant.
    “Brady?”
    “Not me. The wife of one of the partners I work for. She’s had a couple of incidents and today she was mugged. Do you know anyone who might be interested in protecting a slightly cantankerous old lady?”
    “It has to be a woman?”
    “She won’t go for a man.”
    “Hang on a sec.”
    Brady could hear Tom talking to someone else, but couldn’t make out what he was saying. He knew Mildred wasn’t going to be pleased with the idea of a bodyguard, but he was fairly certain he could get her to accept help from a female protector if he played his cards right.
    “Brady?” Tom came back on the line.
    “Yeah?”
    “Jane’s on her phone reaching out to Alyssa Montgomery to see if she’d be interested.”
    “Alyssa?”
    “The blond bridesmaid.”
    Brady remembered the woman who’d been escorted down the aisle by two of Tom’s brothers.  She’d looked like the one person who hadn’t been happy that day. Like him, she’d “spied” on Tom and Jane during their first date. “The Ice Princess? She’s a bodyguard?”
    “She was a cop. Hang on a sec, Jane wants to talk to you.”
    While Brady waited for Tom to pass the phone to his wife, he tried to imagine Alyssa and Mildred interacting. Frankly, the idea scared him.
    “Hi, Brady.”  Jane’s cheery voice rang out like a beacon of hope on this otherwise dark night.
    Brady smiled. “Hi, Jane. Sorry to bother you guys with this.”
    “It’s no bother. Alyssa said she’ll talk to you about this bodyguard thing.”
    Brady wondered if the Ice Princess was paranoid.
    “Okay, and Brady?” Jane sounded worried.
    “Yeah.”
    “Make sure you don’t ask why she’s no longer a police officer.”
    “Okay.” He could do that. He wasn’t sure Mildred would be so accommodating.
    “It’s me again,” Tom said. “Jane’s sending you Alyssa’s number now.”
    “Thanks.”
    “Anything else?”
    “Nope. Listen, I’m really sorry I kept bothering you on the day you got back from your honeymoon.”
    Tom chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. At least you