"I knew Christine was smart the way she played hard to get with Mitchell," asserted Hailey. "She made him work to be her boyfriend. I thought she was nuts for turning him down at the time. I really thought that she should've jumped into bed with him at the mattress place at the mall that day. She'd never been on a date, this amazingly gorgeous hunk asks her out to dance, and she declines. The results prove that she's way smarter than me." Hailey called. "I wasn't smart or playing hard to get. I was petrified. Why would a guy like Mitchell ask a girl like me to dance? I thought it might be a bet or a joke. I still can't believe that he focused in on me like he did and put up with so much to stay with me. I can't really explain it, but I'm sure not going to argue with it. He's my guy now," declared Christine as she clutched Mitchell's arm to her chest. "I was too dumb to realize that Christine was way out of my league. I was new to the area and thought I'd take a chance. I was just sta
"I do have a pretty good command of Russian, and I know some Spanish," admitted Mitchell reluctantly. "I was just trying to surprise you. I thought you'd be proud of me for being able to speak to them in French. I didn't realize that I'd upset you. I apologize." "Russian? When was I going to find that out? You keep hiding things from me and it's embarrassing. You never said that you could sing, play the piano, or the guitar. Tell me now; are there any more instruments that you play?" demanded Christine. "I do alright on the drums, but I haven't played them in over a year. I don't like to sound like I'm a pompous ass by telling you the things I can do. I thought I was being modest," Mitchell smirked. "I'm pissed at you, Mitchell. I won't let it ruin the evening, but your habit of keeping things from me is going to be a very real problem if you don't stop doing it right now. Either you trust me, or you don't. Secrets are not good for a relationship," stated Christine with emotion befo
Mitchell found himself dancing the first dance with Camille D'Anjou. She was a very pretty dark-haired girl of seventeen. She danced gracefully and Mitchell enjoyed the dance tremendously. They spoke in French as they danced around the room, oblivious to cameras and reporters. It was the first of several dances Mitchell would enjoy with the young French beauty. "My daughter is very fond of you," smiled Colette D'Anjou as he led her to the dance floor. "She's been following your exploits, Mitchell. You were all she could talk about for the past week. After she danced with you, she told me that she could die happy. She told me that she thinks you're a very strong, handsome American. I have to agree. "Thank you for coming tonight, and for singing. You've made her a very happy girl, which makes me a very happy mother. Your girlfriend was surprised when you spoke French to us at the reception. I could tell. Were you able to placate her ire? Leonard doesn’t surprise your lover with unknown
"I trust you with my daughter. I don't have to tell you that our girls mean everything to us. To allow Christine to sleep with you is a huge compliment to you both. We never had a son, but you're everything we'd want him to be. We couldn't be prouder of you, even if you were our own son. I think you know how I feel about you. It's part motherly and part ... well, not very motherly. I'm so happy for Christine, for you, and for us. Maddie's modeling opportunity would never have happened if not for you. She knows that and she loves you dearly. You already know how she feels about you. Thanks for being so honorable and kind to my daughters, and to me. I'm just so happy for my family and for having you as part of it." Camille D’Aniou said. A few dances later, Mitchell found himself being directed to the floor by Camille D'Anjou for another dance. She beamed as he took her in his arms. "Would it be possible for you and Christine to come to Paris sometime soon? We have many events we could i
"Are you alright, Ma'am? Are these men bothering you?" was as far as he got before the larger man swung his weapon toward Mitchell. Luckily Mitchell's friends were on the man's left. Mitchell quickly acted to prevent the weapon from being brought to bear. He stiff-armed the man's wrist just before the gun fired, sending a bullet into the second man. Mitchell immediately kayoed the wrist of the gunman a second time and Makarov was sent sliding across the floor. Then the man struck Mitchell in the eye with his other hand. Mitchell staggered back slightly and shook his head to clear it. The man advanced and Mitchell slammed a fist into the man's chest. The other man backed off a little and eyed Mitchell before swinging a leg at him. Mitchell stepped close, rendering the kick fairly harmless. As he stepped in, Mitchell brought a hard right up into the man's chin. That blow would have ended most fights, but it only served to enrage his opponent. Mitchell took two quick lefts to his head,
Christine had been cleaning the blood from Mitchell's face as she waited for the facts to be sorted out by the police. She didn't understand what Mitchell told the couple, but she understood Mitchell's name when the girl recognized him. Then the girl turned to Christine. "It's an honor to meet 'The Lady in Red,' Ms. Leonard," stated the young woman in flawless English. "It appears that you two have somehow saved my mother's life. The two men trying to abduct my mother were probably Chechen rebels." A police officer approached Mitchell with an FBI agent behind him. "I apologize, Mr. Kays, for the misunderstanding. We had a situation here and our men felt it was better to err on the side of caution. I'll un-cuff you right now." "The side of caution? That maniac wasn't restrained when he jumped up and tried to attack this lady for the second time. With his hands cuffed behind his back, Mitchell was still the only man here with the guts, reflexes, and the ability to keep the creep from
"Well, we were thinking about going to Paris in the spring, if you must know, Mother," laughed Christine. "We were invited by the first family of France to visit and attend any of a number of events that constantly happen in government. It would be a very romantic trip." "Oh, yeah," blurted Hailey. "Romantic. Like a trial honeymoon romantic? I guess there's no sense asking if I can go, too. Those French guys seem to like me pretty well. At least they did last night at that dinner." "We'll have plenty of Time to discuss that when we get home," suggested Melissa. "You two probably haven't read the papers or watched any TV this morning. I have a couple papers here with me. Look at the headlines." Christine picked up the first paper her mother handed to her. “Kays Time.” was in bold print over a picture of Mitchell with blood on his face. The second paper had 'Nailed by Kays.' in large letters over a picture of the unconscious man with whom Mitchell fought. "This story made the network
"She said her news director heard the rumor that Hardy clashed with us this morning and was escorted from the hotel. The local station was disappointed that it didn't have more coverage of Saturday night. They told Nell that she'd be traveling with us when we went to any significant events from now on. Her interview tomorrow will be replayed, at least in part, on the network's morning show. She's going to meet us at school a little early. She thought it would be a good backdrop while she asked us questions,” Christine stated."She wants Hailey, Jordan, and us to be available for the interview. She's going to ask about that encounter you had with that Chechen, so be ready for that. I'll probably tell her about our invitation to Paris, unless you have an objection, Mitchell.""I'm going to be on TV. What should I wear? What will she ask me? What if I sound stupid? Mom, you have to record it for me," insisted Hailey."Go ahead and tell her about Paris. She'll be excited about that tri