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They were out of coffee. Caroline had been tempted to serve tea—she didn’t like coffee anyway, but she knew Josh hated tea and couldn’t do it to him. She nabbed her wallet from her bag, let herself out the back door and walked the short distance through the lane to the high street shops. It would only take her ten minutes to fetch what she needed.
She was studying the chocolate biscuit selection when she felt a presence behind her.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
Caroline jumped, placing a hand on her heart. Danny grinned at her. As usual, he was dressed in a black suit.
“You gave me a fright. And don’t call me sweetheart.” What was it with Americans and pet names?
“Whatever you say, darling.” He winked at her.
Caroline stifled a smile. There was something about Danny that was delightfully adorable.
“Not long till the big day.” Danny picked a pack of cookies off the shelf and handed them to her. “These are my favourites. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting nervous.”
It took Caroline a minute to realise he was talking about the wedding. “Why are you nervous? I’m the one getting married.”
“Caroline, Caroline, Caroline.” He brushed his knuckles down her cheek in a way that was far too familiar. “It isn’t only you. We’re getting married. It takes two, remember?”
Caroline took a step away from him and frowned. “We’re not getting married, Danny. I’m marrying Josh.”
For a second he seemed confused. “That’s what I mean. You and Josh.” He didn’t sound convinced.
Caroline opened her mouth to ask him if he was okay, but his gaze snapped to the window behind her. Lights flashed. People shouted.
“The press are here.” Danny grabbed her arm and swung her away from the front of the store. The coffee pack she’d been holding fell to the floor.
“Out the back,” shouted Agnes Stewart from behind the counter. “I’ll delay them.”
“Thanks, Agnes.” Danny yanked on Caroline’s arm and pulled her towards the back of the shop.
“What are you doing?” His grip was too tight to break. “Let me go.”
“I can’t do that, sweetheart.” Danny led her through the stock room and out of the back door. “We can’t let the jackals get you.”
Caroline tripped over the doorstep and out into the alley. “You don’t have to help. I’m fine.”
“Look, do you want to stay here and answer questions, or do you want to get some privacy?”
Caroline heard the shouts of the press behind her. The thought of being stuck in that mob, with people thrusting cameras in her face, made her feel ill.
“I want out of here.”
“Well hold on, sweetheart. I’ll take care of you.”
They ran down the alley towards the cemetery. Danny helped her to climb the fence into the park. Once inside, he took her hand again and rushed her towards Macgregor’s folly.
He yanked open the door to the small cylindrical building. “We should be fine in here for a while. We’ll head back home to the castle when the press have gone.”
Caroline separated herself from the man and peeked out of the door. She could hear voices shouting her name, but no one had come in to the cemetery. She closed the door again and slid down the stone wall to sit on the floor. Her life was insane. She couldn’t make sense of it anymore.
“Hey.” Danny crouched in front of her. “Don’t panic. Everything is going to be fine.”
Caroline looked up at him sceptically. He grinned as though he was enjoying himself.
“I’ve been thinking.” Danny seemed almost abashed. “This is all getting a bit much. How about we skip town and get married in Vegas? Just the two of us. What do you say?”
Caroline stared at him. He was perfectly serious.
“Danny”—Caroline deliberately used his name—“we’re not getting married. I’m marrying Josh.”
He frowned as though concentrating hard. “Yeah, yeah.” He nodded to himself. “That’s what I mean. Why don’t you and Josh elope? Put an end to this circus.”
Caroline looked up at the circular window in the peak of the dome. Why indeed? “I always dreamed about getting married here.”
Danny held her hand, and she let him, taking comfort from the wrong man. “And is it how you thought it would be?”
She couldn’t help herself. She started to giggle.
Danny grinned as he gave her hand a squeeze. “Vegas is looking good now, huh?”
He wasn’t wrong.
There was a lot of noise from outside the building. Danny peeked out of the door. Flashes went off. “We’re surrounded, sweetheart.”
Caroline groaned. “I need to call for help, but I left my phone in the kitchen.” Josh was going to kill her. How many times had he stressed taking the phone with her? Yep. She was a dead woman.
Danny pulled his cell phone from his pocket and handed it to her. “I’d call Josh, but I’m not allowed. Although that might just be an American rule.”
Caroline rolled her eyes as she took the phone. She couldn’t call Josh anyway—she couldn’t remember his number.
“Come out, Caroline,” the voices outside called. “We only want a photo.”
“Josh, Caroline, what are you doing in there?” someone else called.
“What is this place?” a guy’s voice said. “It looks like a giant penis.”
“It’s a folly,” Danny shouted through the door. “It’s supposed to look like a penis.”
“Josh? Is that you?” a guy’s eager voice shouted. “Why won’t you come out and do an interview?”
Danny adjusted his tie as though he was about to step outside.
“Don’t you dare,” Caroline warned. “Josh told you no more standing in for him.”
He was so crestfallen she almost felt sorry for him.
“If we can get them out, we can take a picture of them in front of this giant dick. That will sell,” someone said.
“Give me a boost up to that window and I’ll see what I can do,” another voice said.
Caroline was out of time, and there was only one number, apart from her own, that she knew by heart. She opened the phone and dialled the community centre. It was time to call in the domino boys.