Goody Two Shoes (Invertary 2)

Josh folded his arms and scanned the rapt crowd. “Anybody get a picture of what happened?” There was silence. “Anybody witness what happened?”

“Guy fell over,” someone shouted. “Broke his camera. Banged his nose.”

“Saw the whole thing,” someone else called. “This store needs to maintain its floors better.”

Josh glared at the paparazzo. “Looks like you need to find another payday.”

“You’ll pay for this,” Pyro said. “You don’t mess with the paparazzi. We have the power, man.”

“This is Harrods.” Josh calmly wrapped his arm around Caroline’s shoulders. “They don’t like the paps in here. You know that, Pyro. You lot killed the owner’s son. Remember Diana, asshole? There’s a reason this is a paparazzi-free zone, and you just blew it.”

Two burly security guards followed by a man in a perfectly cut suit screeched to a halt beside Josh.

“Trespassing,” the man in the suit said. His face was grim. He motioned to the guards.

The security team grabbed the photographer and yanked him towards the back of the shop.

“You’ll regret this. You and that ugly bitch you’re marrying,” the guy shouted.

Caroline jerked straight. His words were a slap.

“I’m sorry about that, Mr. McInnes,” the man in the suit said.

Josh tightened his hold on Caroline. “So am I.”

As Caroline tried her best to become invisible, the man turned to the crowd.

“Please forgive this unseemly disturbance. If you would all like to make your way to the bakery, you’ll find complimentary snacks and drinks for everyone.”

The crowd moved with excitement, abuzz with chatter. Caroline felt herself being turned in Josh’s arms. She was wedged against his side and, without thinking she wrapped her arms around his waist.

“We’ve lost our appetite,” Josh told the guy in the suit.

“Of course,” he said. “I’ll deal with this mess. You and your fiancée enjoy the rest of your day.”

Caroline watched him go as a few people lingered to stare at them.

“What do you want to do, honey?” Josh stroked her hair.

“I want to go home.”

He kissed her head, grabbed her hand and marched them towards the exit.

CHAPTER FIFTEEEN

Caroline got back from London to find her old-style answer machine was at capacity. It was the type where the light blinked to show a message had been recorded. The more messages, the faster the blink. It was going so fast Caroline couldn’t keep track. Usually she dealt with her calls as soon as she came through the door. This time she didn’t. She headed for the kitchen, flicked on the kettle and sank into a chair at the table.

The ride home from London had been tense. They’d been in the limo on their way to the airport when Josh’s cell phone rang. He looked at the screen and frowned before answering.

“Who are you and how did you get this number?”

There was silence before Josh cocked an eyebrow in Caroline’s direction. He handed the phone over to her. She hesitantly took it. He folded his arms and shook his head at her, as though she’d done something wrong.

“Why am I hearing about your wedding on the TV?” her sister screamed in her ear.

“Elaine,” Caroline said on a sigh.

“Yes, Elaine. Your sister. Your only family. The one person you should have called with the news. Instead I find out the whole town knows before me. Not only that but BBC entertainment news, E! News and CNN.” She let out an angry growl. “I’m feeling the love here. If I wasn’t the size of a beached whale I’d get on a plane and sort you out in person.”