Page 4 of Casey's Hero
“Seriously,” Hawk said with a worried frown. “Even though that was back in San Diego a while back, I wouldn’t put it past her level of crazy. She was like a leech. I dated her twice, which was my mistake. She thought that made our relationship permanent.”
“If you see her, point her out. I’ll have Ray escort her off the premises,” Jacob said. The grizzled old, retired Navy bartender was good at keeping the peace at the Big Wave Dive Bar.
“I’m counting on you,” Hawk said. “She’s trouble. She might even be connected to a drug cartel. I didn’t stick around long enough to verify.”
“We’ve got your six,” Jacob assured him. With Casey’s warning in mind, he kept an eye out for the female stalker and started counting the number of beers Hawk drank. He’d be damned if Casey came back to him with anI told you so. And Kalea looked like she could take him down if anything happened to her groom.
The night appeared to be more of a chore than he’d expected.
Casey walkedwith Kalea and Sylvia Rodriguez to where they’d parked their cars, speaking in Spanish to Ms. Rodriguez about the options she offered for planning a wedding. She switched to English to include Kalea. “I knew they were on a tight schedule, so I planned the bachelor party for them, knowing this was their favorite hangout. I worked with Ray, the bartender, to make sure it would be okay to bring in a stripper to pop out of a cake. It’s just cheesy enough to make the boys happy.” She held up a hand to stop Kalea’s protest. “I’ve spoken with the stripper and made her promise not to lap dance with Hawk. She can collect all the tips she wants from the rest of the men.”
“Good,” Kalea said. “I don’t want sloppy seconds on my honeymoon,” she said with a wink.
“I did not realize you also planned the bachelor party,” Sylvia said with a heavy Spanish accent. “Is this necessary?”
“If you want to ensure your man stays out of trouble, I suggest you let me do this. I hire the venue and the support personnel and give them strict instructions. If you leave it up to the men, they might end up in a sleazy dive bar, in a fight, mugged or…murdered.”
Sylvia’s eyes widened. “I do not want that. My fiancé is a very important man. He could easily be targeted.”
Casey shrugged. “That’s why you let me handle it. I can hire security for the event as well.”
Sylvia nodded. “I like this.”
Kalea frowned. “Should we have hired security for the Big Wave?”
Casey smiled. “I did. There will be a couple of off-duty police officers standing guard at the front and rear entrances. They’re looking out for trouble, although I don’t anticipate any. Mostpeople don’t mess with former Navy SEALs, Delta Force or Marines. They’re lethal weapons in and of themselves.”
Kalea nodded. “True. But drunk, they might not be as effective at taking care of themselves.”
“A point I’m aware of,” Casey said, checking off a box on her clipboard. “The off-duty policemen will also drive the guys to their hotel if they’re too drunk to call for a cab.”
Kalea crossed her arms over her chest. “You thought of everything, didn’t you?”
“I do my best,” Casey said.
“You’d do well to hire my friend,” Kalea told Sylvia. “She’s got this wedding planning down to a science. I didn’t have to do anything but get fitted for the dress. Casey handled the flowers, photographer, music, venue and everything else.”
Sylvia nodded. “Muy bien.”
“But don’t make up your mind until after the wedding,” Casey said. “By then, you’ll have the whole picture of what I do.”
Again, Sylvia nodded toward Kalea. “Thank you for allowing me to attend.”
“The more the merrier, just not all of the people on the Big Island,” Kalea said with a smile. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I could stand a glass of wine and to kick up my feet.”
“I have some loose ends to attend to here and at the wedding venue,” Casey said. “I’ll see you in the morning, bright and early.”
Kalea hugged Casey. “You get some rest. You’ve been working hard to make this happen.”
Casey hugged her back. “I can rest after the wedding. Now, go. You have to get some beauty sleep. Tomorrow’s spa day and rehearsal. Saturday’s the big day. I have everything set up. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“Thank you, Casey,” Kalea said. “I couldn’t have done this without you. We would’ve gone before a JP and called it done.”
Casey shook her head. “Oh, sweetie, this is supposed to be the happiest day of your life. It should be magical—a day you’ll never forget.”
“All in a good way, I hope,” Kalea said with a grin.
“Only the best,” Casey assured her.
