Reese, Hunter, and Francine showed up at Rachel’s apartment at the crack of dawn. They’d had to enter through the backyard to avoid being seen by any pap who might be hiding outside the house. As they came in, Derek introduced them to the bodyguards before Ed left and jogged down to Derek’s house to retrieve valuable items that he couldn’t leave town without.“Thanks for agreeing to do this, Aunt Reese,” said Rachel. “I don’t know what we would have done if we didn’t have anyone nearby to help us out at a time like this.”“Oh, stop it,” said Reese, graciously. “What’s family for? Besides, this whole thing seems so exciting, I can’t wait to live like a celebrity for once and enjoy my five minutes of fame.”“We’re not going outside to pose for pictures, Mom,” said Hunter. “We’re supposed to be leaving in disguise.”“Still, I shall enjoy having a bunch of photographers chase me around to take my photos,” said Reese stubbornly. “Are you all packed?”“Yes. We’re waiting for Ed to come back
When they arrived at Jonah’s ranch home in Montana, Zoe was fully awake and full of questions.“What is this?” She asked as they got out of their rental vehicle.“Do you mean where is this?” Rachel asked her with an understanding smile.“Mm-hmm,” replied Zoe with a nod.“This is where my friend and his family live,” Derek answered. “Let’s go inside and say hello to them, shall we?”“Ok,” said Zoe.Derek scooped her up into his arms and they approached the front door. The bodyguards were to remain in the cars until proper arrangements can be made for their accommodation.The front door swung open and a tall, dark-haired man with an Asian woman came out of the country home that was built on a large expanse of land that seemed to go on forever. There was a ranch on the left side of the land, and Rachel could see some horses grazing in the field. On the right side, there was a huge vegetable farm and an orchard on the far end of it. The place was absolutely blissful!“Welcome!” Jason gree
“She’s a knock-out!” Said Jonah, when they reached the stable. “She looks way more beautiful in person than she does in her YouTube videos.”“Stop gushing over my woman, Jonah. You’re a married man, remember?” Derek laughed. “Any yes, you are right, she is beautiful.”“Jeez, I never thought that the day would come when you will refer to any woman as your woman. My dear friend, I think you are smitten!”Derek smiled. “Maybe I am,” he said. “To be honest, I have never felt this possessive with any woman before. Rachel is simply different.”“I can tell,” said Jonah with a grin. “And I can also tell that she’s in love with you.”Derek sighed. “Yeah, I know. She told me two days ago.”Jonah gasped dramatically. “And what did you say?”“That it was the most beautiful thing ever,” said Derek, embarrassed. “I know that’s a lame response, but I didn’t want to lie to her.”“What do you mean? It wouldn’t have been a lie if you’d told her that you loved her too, man. Look at you, you’re beaming l
One week after their arrival in Montana, Zoe’s passport was finally ready and it was time to book their flights to Bermuda. The last few days seemed to have zoomed by as Rachel and Vanessa bonded on filming fresh content for their YouTube channels. Thanks to Rachel’s insight, Vanessa has now realized that the farm and ranch and even their home were enough to create multiple contents for her channel.Derek and Jonah fostered their lifelong bromance over their shared passion for horseback riding on the ranch. They’d pretend to be cowboys and chase the cows around, while hee-hawing theatrically. In the evenings, they played chess on the patio in the back while the children played at their feet and the women sat by the pond chit-chatting.The girls have also formed a sisterly bond with Zoe who follows them around like a curious puppy. She had started taking riding lessons on Fifi who happened to be the most docile pony in the world, and she has developed a fondness for Michelle’s playful
When they landed in Bermuda nearly six hours later, Zoe was awake and in a chirpy mood. At the airport, two vehicles were waiting to take them to the villa that Derek has rented for their one-week stay. The place was so beautiful that Rachel was immediately blown away by the sights as soon as they landed. “This place is amazing!” She said as they entered the waiting car. “Wait until you get into the heart of the city, you’d think you are in paradise,” said Derek. “The place I rented for us is a bit on the outskirts of the city. It’s more serene and private.” “Sounds cozy,” she laughed. “It is, and I’ve got plans for you in there,” he said suggestively. “Not in front of the child!” Rachel said with mock surprise. “What did I say?” Derek asked with a laugh. “I want a burger!” Zoe announced. “Uh-oh, someone is hungry,” said Rachel. “You’ll have one when we get home.” True to Derek’s prediction, Rachel was in awe as they drove through the picturesque city of Hamilton. “Oh, this p
“Is the weather always perfect in Bermuda?” Rachel wondered aloud while lounging in the pool with Derek and Zoe, who was splashing around with a ducky floater. It was their second day in the beautiful country and the sun was shining from a clear sky.“Not always, but we came here at the right time,” said Derek. He took a sip of his chilled drink and sighed with satisfaction. “This is the life. I don’t know why I never liked the idea of taking vacations before. It just seemed like a waste of time to me because every minute that passed was a lost opportunity to make another kill in the business world.”“You’re the wealthiest workaholic I know,” said Rachel. “Why do you like working so much? It can’t be for the money because you’ve always had that.”“Yeah, it was never about the money for me,” he admitted. “I guess work helped me to suppress all my emotional baggage. It drowns out all the noise and keeps my mind constantly busy.”Rachel was surprised by this unexpected display of vulnera
The masseuse arrived an hour after they got home and by then, Zoe was taking a nap while the bodyguards had returned to their quarters in the other compound. The lady was biracial with her afro curls piled up in a big bun on her head. Her caramel skin glowed like polished brass and her pretty face reminded Rachel of a porcelain doll. She was dressed in a grey-colored uniform showing the name of the company she worked for above the breast pocket.“Hi, my name is Kira from Fantasy Spa. I’m here for your massage appointment,” she said.“Welcome, I’m Rachel. Please, come in. Follow me, I’ll take you to the indoor spa.”When they got to the massage room, Derek was already there with a white towel tied loosely around his waist. “Ah, there she is!” He said excitedly. “Who goes first?”“You’re already dressed for the occasion, so you might as well go first,” said Rachel. “I’ll go check on Zoe and come back to join you guys.”She knew Zoe would still be knocked out from that hyperactive beach
Two days later, Elaine Martin, joined them in Bermuda from the U.S. She was the middle-aged, highly-recommended nanny that Vanessa had chosen for Zoe. Both Derek and Rachel had interviewed Elaine over Skype the day before and they were relieved when she’d said she was ready to travel immediately to resume work.When the woman arrived, Rachel was instantly taken with the nanny’s warm nature and friendliness. It was even more satisfying to see that Zoe liked her too.She and Derek spent the first few hours of Elaine’s arrival bringing her up to speed with Zoe’s routines and their expectations going forward. Once all of that was sorted out, the nanny was shown to her room in the villa to settle in and join the family for dinner later on.Derek had hired a team of caterers led by a renowned chef in town to prepare their meal for the evening. He was in the mood for some fine dining but he didn’t feel like going out, so he decided to bring the experience to the villa instead.“I think I sho