“It’s intense when they’re in an active situation,” Yasmine said. “Matt graduated with a degree in criminology. He’s always been fascinated by crime, but he’s so big, he landed a job as a bouncer his freshman year in college. He was so well-liked at that bar, some guy who does private security hired him his senior year to accompany Matt Damon around every time he came to Boston, which is where he’s from, so he visited a lot.”
“You met Matt Damon?” Poppy’s mouth could not have tumbled open any farther. She could have fit a whole burger in there.
“Only once,” Yasmine admitted. “He was super nice. Just how you’d imagine he’d be. He was gracious and charming. I didn’t make it a habit to accompany my Matt on his jobs, though, so it was only the one time.”
“That’s incredibly cool,” I said.
“Because the money was so good,” Yasmine continued, “Matt debated switching career paths and becoming a bodyguard full-time. It was one of the things we argued about. He wanted to move to California because he’d been offered a position at this high-brow security firm right out of college. But I wanted him to stay and pursue his love of criminology and all that that entailed. Plus, I really wanted to live on the East Coast. It’s where my family was before they moved back to Morocco. It’s where all my friends are. But here I am, living on the West Coast. Just not with him. The world is funny sometimes.”
“You said this was your last chance to deliver your note and knife because Matt is changing jobs. What’s he doing next?” Poppy asked.
“I have no idea,” Yasmine said. “Only that he’ll no longer be with his current security firm. That’s all the information my friend could give me. I’m really hoping he found a job in his field. That would make me so happy.”
Our waitress came and cleared our plates, leaving our tab.
“It’s probably time to get back on the road,” I said. “If we keep up the good time, we should arrive around midnight. We can decide what our plan should be once we get there.”
Annabel set some money on the table. “I’ve got this one. This is a cash-only joint.” Yasmine tried to add to the pile, and Annabel shook her head. “You’ve paid for all of the gas thus far. This is on me.” She glanced at her sister. “You can pay me back later.”
“Rude,” Poppy grumbled as we scooted from the booth. “I’m the one who’s doing all the driving, and I bought the snacks.”
“The only reason you’re driving,” Annabel quipped, “is because you won’t let anybody else take the wheel. And as a bonus, you can pay me back in umbrellas. I’m sadly short, and you have fifty thousand.”
“How in the world did you think it was okay to move to Seattle without bringing an umbrella?” Poppy playfully scolded. “You can have the light blue one with the ducks on it as a burger deduction. One of the tines, or whatever they’re called, is broken, but it still works.” Once outside, she began to skip toward the car. “Hurry up! The duke and duchess await.”