we’re almost at the gate, hopefully with no more—”
April cut off abruptly when the luggage handle was ripped forcibly from her grasp. Spinning around, she realized that someone’s garment bag had snagged the wheel of her roll-on, sending it thumping along the floor and nearly tripping an inattentive passenger, who hop-skipped over it at the last possible second.
But not before he kicked the smaller case—which security obviously hadn’t reattached properly—and knocked it away. The latch burst open as soon as it hit the floor. There was a loud crack and the items spilled out.
Here we go again. April winced as the plastic casing on the vibrator shattered. The box holding the Pleasure Pearls exploded in a burst of clear plastic shards. The balls shot away in different directions.
“Another impromptu consumer study?” Rex asked.
April didn’t dignify that question with an answer, but leaped into motion, deciding damage control was the better part of valor. Diving for the case, she missed the ball she’d been reaching for when an errant foot kicked it away.
Suddenly Rex appeared at her side, shielding her from the crowd with his big body.
“Hey, lady, you lost your dildo.” Some jokester handed her the vibrator with the cracked casing.
April issued a weak, “Thanks.”
Rex plucked the vibrator from her hand and said, “Grab the rest of these things. I’ll get your bags back together.”
He sounded positively jolly and she glanced around to find him reattaching the case to her roll-on with a wicked grin.
April didn’t need to be asked twice. Lunging forward, she grabbed the leather restraints, which were still bundled inconspicuously in their packaging, handed the bundle to Rex and took off for a Pleasure Pearl Ben Wa ball that had landed under a newspaper dispenser.
It was while on her knees reaching for the ball that she noticed the sneakers. A pair of spiffy clean child’s sneakers attached to two sturdy legs. Lifting her gaze, April took in the fists jammed into the shorts pockets, the bright print Hawaiian shirt covering the solid body of a towheaded boy who couldn’t have been more than four years old.
People were whizzing past them at rush hour speed but he didn’t appear to have a parent nearby. Sure enough, one look at those round blue eyes revealed the little guy was positively terror-stricken.
Wedged in the shadows between two newspaper dispensers, he looked as though he’d been overwhelmed by the crowd and had sought the nearest hiding place. At the moment, April could completely relate with the need to hide.
“Hello.”
No reply. The child was clearly too scared to even cry and the sight of him toughing it out in the shadows tugged at her heartstrings. She could relate to losing parents. She’d lost two sets in her lifetime, though never at this little guy’s age.
Sitting back on her haunches, she met his gaze at eye level. “Did you lose your mom and dad?”
Still no reply, but she caught the flicker in those big blue eyes and knew she’d hit the bull’s-eye.
“I lost my mom and dad once, too. We were at Disney World. I wasn’t holding my mom’s hand because I was eating an ice-cream cone. All of a sudden I was alone.”
She smiled reassuringly. “I was really scared, but I knew my mom would come to get me. So I tried to remember exactly what she’d told me to do if I ever got lost. She’d said to find a policeman or someone with a name tag that worked close by. And she told me not to talk to strangers. Did your mom tell you something like that, too?”
He blinked, which April interpreted as a yes.
“Great. Well, since I’m a stranger, you don’t have to talk to me, but how about if I ask one of the airport people with the name tags to call your mom and tell her where you are so she can come get you. I’ll bet she’s looking for you right now.”
He managed a small nod.
April kept smiling and stood, hoping to flag down a passing airport employee. She had no intention of leaving this little guy alone and wouldn’t traumatize him any further by forcing him to leave his hiding place to go in search of help. She turned to find Rex right behind her.
“Oh, Rex. I’m glad you’re here. Would you mind—”
“I’ll take care of it,” he said, indicating that he’d overheard the exchange. He parked her roll-on beside her and headed back into the crowd.
“That’s Mr. Rex,” she explained to her new charge. “He’s a friend of mine so he’ll go get someone who can find your mom.”
The little guy kept his hands jammed tightly in his pockets but April noticed the Star Wars light saber attached to his belt. John’s grandson had one like it, so she struck up a one-sided conversation about how she and little Joel liked to play Jedi knights.
She hadn’t yet heard a page over the intercom system before a woman burst through the crowd. “Jake!”
One glimpse at the petite blonde and the little guy dissolved into tears. So did the panic-stricken mom.
Rex appeared a second later with an airport security officer and a man who was obviously the dad, judging by the two other towheaded children hanging on to him.
It turned out that Jake’s family was on their way to a vacation in Hawaii—a fact corroborated by their matching Hawaiian shirts. While Jake was still too traumatized to smile, his mom and dad offered profuse thanks.
“Glad we could help,” April said, grabbing her roll-on bag, afraid to look at her watch because the chances of making their flight after this delay were slim. “You all have a nice time on your trip.”
She wasn’t quite sure what she could say to Rex that might make up for causing so many delays, so she just held up the Pleasure Pearl and said lamely, “Got it.”
Turned out no explanation was necessary. Rex led her to the gate, explained the situation to the agent, grinned that killer grin and managed to make arrangements for the standby list on the next flight to Atlanta.
“We’ve got an hour to burn,” he said. “Let’s get coffee.”
He didn’t come out and say he needed a cup, but April got the distinct impression he did, especially when he stood at the counter and ordered five additional shots of espresso.
She had the most amazing effect on people. It was a gift.
After receiving her own decaf cappuccino—heaven knew she didn’t need any caffeine—she sat across from him at a table, used a stirrer to swirl the foam and contemplated what she wanted to say. This morning had not gone according to plan. She’d needed to slip smoothly into this man’s life, not convince him he’d been saddled with a total idiot for an assistant.
April knew she’d be okay if she could just get a grip on her nerves. Unfortunately, Rex Holt was exactly the kind of self-assured man who made her a nervous wreck. He was just too personable, too charming…. She should have stood up for herself and insisted that John send Sherry on this case.
“You
