This Time for Good. Carmen Green

      She still looked troubled, but pulled a little bottle from her bag and stopped the male flight attendant with a girlie flip of her fingernails. “May I have a bottle of water?”

      “In just a few minutes. Ooh. Is that little ditty bag from Neiman’s? The new misting and moisturizing solution?” he asked as she slid the tiny container from the velvet bag.

      “Yes. You need a little freshening?”

      The attendant’s eyes lit up like Christmas had come again. “Always.”

      He hurried to the front and got an eight ounce bottle of water. On his return, he carefully poured about a dropper full into Alexandria’s mister and she shook, then squeezed the atomizer at her face.

      Hunter looked closely, but didn’t see the difference.

      “Hunter, do you want some?”

      “No way.”

      Her purposeful blinks and pursed lips seemed to say that she was going to ignore him, and she passed it to the attendant. “You can have that as a present.”

      The attendant practically leaped for joy as he misted his face and neck. “Wow, thanks. You’re so adorable.” He touched Hunter’s shoulder. “Don’t you just want to eat her up?”

      The image that comment evoked was too dangerous to consider. He cleared his throat. “How long is the flight?”

      “Thirty minutes. I’d better get back to work. Thank you, doll,” he said to Alexandria, and hurried about his duties.

      Alexandria folded her hands, sat back and closed her eyes.

      “What are you doing now?” he asked.

      “Thinking important thoughts.”

      “Of course you are.” He sat back and tried to do the same, like how soon was he going to get back to Atlanta and his real life?

      Chapter 3

      Hunter signaled the limousine driver who held a placard with their names on it. He’d retrieved their luggage, except for the dog.

      “Alexandria, come with me.” Hunter escorted her to the car and watched her slide against the seat, then swing her legs inside the limousine.

      There was such class about her, but he wondered how much trouble she was capable of stirring up? He’d seen just a bit of it, but he wondered if this was the calm before or the eye of the storm.

      He shut the door then went to the trunk with the driver. “What’s your name?”

      “Frazier.” The driver shook his hand and they stored the bags in the trunk.

      “I’ve got everything except the dog. Here’s the slip.”

      “I’ll get him now.”

      Hunter nodded, baffled as to why Chris had chosen a black stretch limousine for an airport run. It was overkill.

      Climbing inside, he sat next to Alexandria who was in the middle of the backseat and hadn’t moved an inch since she’d gotten in.

      “I need to talk to Chris,” Alexandria said.

      Hunter realized he shouldn’t have gotten in. The car was dark and private, and intimate.

      “You will, very soon.”

      “Now, Hunter. I want to talk to him now.” She didn’t raise her voice as her father did, but her intention was no less direct.

      “Chris is busy and can’t talk to you until this afternoon. We only have time for you to get to the hotel, shower, change and ride to the chapel.”

      “He’s not dead. For some reason, he canceled my phone.”

      Alexandria pulled out her phone and began to dial Marc’s number again.

      Hunter covered her hands with his, eased the phone away and pocketed it. She looked down as if he’d just performed a magic trick. “Hunter?”

      “I’m going to check on Little Sweetie for you, okay?”

      “Okay.” She reached for his pocket. “I want my phone back. Now that it’s working, I need to make some calls.”

      “No more calls for now.”

      “No, I need my phone.”

      “Alexandria, we’ve traveled all this way. Have I hurt you? Have I done anything that wasn’t in your best interest?”

      “No.”

      “I’m asking you to trust me now.”

      “But—” She looked out the window, her hands empty. “How am I supposed to be assertive and take charge of my life when no one will let me?” She pouted and he braced for a tantrum, but there was no storm. The fight left as it came. And he felt as if he was the bad guy. No better than her father or brother. But he knew the day was going to get worse before it got better. He knew but she wouldn’t believe him if he told her.

      “We have guardian angels that protect us and we don’t know it.”

      She tucked her chin. “You don’t believe in guardian angels.”

      “I wouldn’t be here without them. I took a bullet once—”

      Hunter stopped, having never told anyone besides the veterans’ psychologists about how it felt to be shot and paralyzed. The fact that he could use his right arm at all was a miracle. “I’m normal because of good doctors and great angels.”

      “Where?”

      “I was in Fallujah.” He realized that the intimacy of the limousine may have contributed to the revelation of such a private confession, so he focused on the foot traffic outside the window.

      “I mean where on your body?” She touched him. “Your shoulder. Leg? Where?”

      “My shoulder and, um, arm.”

      “Didn’t you have a vest?”

      “Yeah I did, but it just slowed the bullet.”

      “Then you know how I feel. I want this to be different. I don’t want to know anything bad is going to happen.”

      “I know, Alex. Alexandria.”

      “You can call me Alex or Lexi.”

      “Here comes Frazier, our driver.” Hunter stepped out of the car and closed the door, accepting Little Sweetie’s carrying bag. “How far is the hotel?”

      “Fifteen minutes. Another ten to Flowers Memorial Chapel.”

      “Good. Let’s get there as quickly as possible.”

      Hunter pulled Little Sweetie’s bag of treats from the trunk and took a deep breath. He lifted the case so he could see the dog. The poor thing looked terrified. Who needed the psychologist now?

      “You need to distract her for fifteen minutes. Do you think you can do that?” Hunter felt silly talking to the canine.

      The animal yipped. “You need to learn how to bark like a real dog.” He yipped again. “You’re gay, aren’t you?” Little Sweetie yipped again and wagged his tail.

      Hunter smiled. “All right, little guy. Just distract her.”

      Frazier grinned at him. “You’re funny, sir. Are you ready?”

      “Let’s roll. Fast.”

      The man winked. “Got you.”

      Hunter got inside and Alexandria’s eyes brightened. “Little Sweetie!”

      She reached for the case and the dog yipped all the way to her lap.

      Hunter sat back, relieved.

      He