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Everything is spiraling out of control, and I haven’t even had the chance to talk to Aiden about his proclamation. I’m about to tell Martha that I’ll explain later when Swank walks over and lifts my left hand, “I’m sure the rock on Anna’s finger is the answer to your question, Martha. Congratulations on securing Savannah’s most eligible bachelor, Anna.”
Martha sputters, “When? How? Wha…You know what? It doesn’t matter. Welcome to the family!” She wraps me up in a hug that’s so tight I end up grunting. When Reggie embraces me, he whispers in my ear, “Squeeze me once if it’s real and twice if there’s more to the story.” I squeeze twice.
“Look, they’re taking away that woman, and Dad looks upset!” Penny announces.
Swank picks her up and tickles her rib cage, “I bet a hug from you will make him feel a whole lot better. Your hugs are the greatest in all the land because they have special powers!”
“What kind of powers, Uncle Stanky?”
“They have the power to turn frowns upside down!” he tells her before tickling her more and making her giggle.
I’m not sure what to make of Swank. On the one hand, he’s an egotistical and self-centered person. On the other hand, he’s sweet and kind to Penny and truly cares about the Shaw family. If he ever found the right woman, I think he’d make a great father.
Aiden stomps up the stairs and asks to speak to his parents and me in private. Jessie follows close behind and goes to stand next to Swank and Penny, allowing me to leave with the confidence that she has everything under control. I notice guests are arriving, so we need to make this quick.
“How about we talk in the guest cottage? Your friends are arriving and will undoubtedly be meandering in and out of the house,” I suggest.
Aiden agrees, and the four of us end up standing and staring at one another in the small but quaint living room.
Aiden breaks the silence, “Dad, does the name Amy Potslawski ring any bells?”
Reggie takes a few seconds but ultimately says, “No. Should it?”
Pointing in the direction that Roger and Jerry had taken Amy, Aiden says, “Amy worked for Pa’ Shaw Marketing until last year when she was fired. Because of that, she lost her medical benefits and could no longer afford the medication she needed to control her disorder. As a result, her alternate persona ‘Amy Smith’ has fixated on me. She apparently wrote numerous letters that I did not respond to. I’m wondering now if she wasn’t behind the threats.”
“Son, the company has more than 400 employees in Savannah alone. That doesn’t include the branches in Los Angeles or New York City. I have managers, supervisors, and a human resources department that handles employee hiring and firing. You know this. I stepped back and reduced the time I spent in the office ever since Penny was born, so I’m not hands-on with the day-to-day operations anymore.”
Aiden begins to pace the room. “What about the letters? Do you know anything about those?”
Reggie shakes his head, “No, but Marcus or Gwen would. They handle most of the fan mail for our clients, including you and Swank. I’ll ask them about it first thing in the morning. Until then, can you explain to your mom and me why you and Anna are faking an engagement?”
“Faking an engagement?” Martha asks, almost saddened by the news.
Aiden palms his face, something he does when he’s exasperated. “Yeah. When I went upstairs to let Anna know that the party-planning guys would be arriving, I saw Jerry down on one knee and thought he was proposing to Anna.”
“Are you engaged to Jerry?” Martha asks me.
“Goodness, no! Jerry is like a brother to me. He was playing around showing me a new protype taser designed to look like a ring.” I show her the emerald ring while Aiden displays his Stanley Cup ring. “With a simple clockwise turn of these rings, they can deliver a shock that can render a person unconscious if they get too close and pose a threat. Each subsequent 90-degree turn ups the voltage. After four uses, it needs to be recharged.”
Martha reaches to touch my ring while Reggie looks closer at Aiden’s. As soon as Martha’s finger lightly grazes the stone, I shake my body like I’m being electrocuted and make a “Zzzz” sound, scaring the daylights out of her. I double over, my body now shaking from laughter instead.
“That was not funny, young lady!” Martha exclaims, clutching her chest.
“It really was,” Aiden and Reggie say in unison, smiles on their faces.
Martha feigns being upset, but the impish glint in her eye gives her away. “Maybe someone should use the rings on both of you and shock you into having some common sense. Aiden, you thought Jerry was proposing. How did that transpire into an engagement between you and Anna?”
Aiden clears his throat and avoids looking at me. “When I returned downstairs to find that you had taken Penny outside, Patricia began making unwanted advances. She was speaking ill of Anna, and I wouldn’t allow that to happen in my home. I said the first thing that came to me, and with Jerry’s fake proposal still in my head, I told her that Anna was my fiancée.”
I fill in the next part of the story. “I was coming downstairs when my team and I heard it, and I was going to give Aiden a piece of my mind, but Roger made a valid point. If I can be undercover as a nanny, I can be undercover as a fiancée, too. I placed the ring on my left hand and played along to help Aiden sell his story. I had no idea that it would leave that room.”
Reggie’s disappointment with his son is as clear as a sunny day in Georgia. “I’ve taught you better than that, Aiden. Nothing good comes from lying.”
“I would agree, except maybe this time we can take his mistake and turn it into a positive,” Martha interjects. “Anna’s right. We should consider it undercover work, and then maybe Patricia will back off.”
“Um, Mom. I don’t know if that’ll be the case. Patricia threatened to come after me with lawyers because I wouldn’t force Penny to see her in the future. Maybe I should explain to Swank and Penny that it was all a misunderstanding. If I don’t, people will think I’ve lost my mind and that Anna is nothing more than a gold-digging puck bunny.”
“No. I think you’re on to something. If we all shower Anna with love and support, it will help sell the ruse. Maybe Patricia will realize that she doesn’t stand a chance, your stalker might give up, and your fans will support rather than condemn you for retiring. Everyone’s a sucker for a good love story.”
