“The captain has turned on the seatbelt sign,” a voice came over the speakers. “Please return to your seat and prepare for landing. Place your seats in the upright position and secure your trays.”
Josh fastened his seatbelt and saw that Ashley’s had remained in place from the onset of their journey. When he considered it, he could see how she followed rules. His heart ached for her. While she’d come through the accident and lived, she still suffered from the fallout. Hopefully, the person terrorizing Ashley had nothing to do with her past, but he’d check to make sure. His list of suspects was getting longer, and it made him feel as if he was doing something productive to keep Ashley safe.
He huffed out a burst of air when another thought occurred. Wait until he informed Dillon and Summer he was now engaged to the leader of the opposition. They’d bust a gut laughing.
They’d left Frog’s car at the airport, and after collecting their luggage, exited the terminal.
“Do you think it’s someone I know? Someone close to me?” she asked once they were inside the car.
“I’m not sure, but we’ll find out,” he promised. “Louie gave me the code for the alarm. We can change it to something easier for you to remember.”
“No, whatever he’s done is fine. My district has always been safe. I hate being forced to install an alarm.”
“What do you have in store for tomorrow?”
“The party have given me details of the meetings they’d organized for Geoffrey. I’ll fulfill the promises we made for this week while they’re revamping the plan. I’ll be in Auckland tomorrow and in Waikato the next day. The one after that it’s Northland.”
Josh nodded. “Are you driving or flying?”
“Both. I can fly up to Whangarei, but I thought I’d drive to Matamata to meet local farmers. I’m not looking forward to that one. There’s bound to be questions regarding climate change and our current farming methods. It will be a difficult line to straddle.”
“I bet you’ve done your research,” Josh said. “You know your party’s position on climate change, so tell it like it is. No matter what you say or do, you’ll never please everyone.”
“Tonight, before I go to bed, I’ll shuffle responsibilities for the senior spokesmen roles. That will be fun.” Her grimace told him she hated to ruffle politician feathers.
“Frog told me you decided to be the prime minister when you were five-years-old. You’re not going to let a few politicians scare you, are you?”
“You haven’t seen their teeth,” she retorted.
Josh grinned and guided their vehicle to the on-ramp and onto the southern motorway. The more he came to know this woman, the more he enjoyed her company. The constant kissing was getting to him too. He had to keep reminding himself this wasn’t a real engagement. Ashley didn’t belong to him or think of him as anything but a protector sent by her brother.
Josh forced his mind to more practical matters. “Anything else I should know about the upcoming days?”
“We’ll be busy. Luckily, I won’t need to do the scheduling. Robert will do that.”
“He adores you.” Josh might as well use the time to prod. It sure beat pining after something he couldn’t have. His thoughts slid to his siblings. Yep, they’d bust a gut for sure.
“I like him too.”
“No, he is in love with you. Every time he looks my way, he bristles. Reminds me of a dog defending its territory.”
“You’re misreading the signs. We’re good friends. Nothing more. Robert is gay.”
Josh frowned. How had he missed that? “How long has he worked for you? What do you know about his home situation?”
In the dim light of the car interior, Josh caught Ashley’s scowl. She didn’t see what he saw in Robert. The manwasin love with her.
“He’s in his early thirties and has worked with me for the last five years. We met at a Labor party meeting when we were both in our teens and got on well. We’re very similar. Robert was married briefly, then divorced. He told me last time I saw him, he’s met someone. I’d say he’s more concerned my sudden engagement might derail my political career.”
“Why did the marriage fail?”
“That’s kind of personal. We don’t have those kinds of conversations. We work together. I… We’re colleagues. Nothing more.”
“Did you meet his wife?”
“She was…isa nice lady. I didn’t know her well, but whenever we spoke, she was pleasant. Intelligent and stylish. The kind of woman who was perfect for Robert.”
“They’re not together anymore.”
