Plain Truth

by Jodi Picoult

As soon as we reached the lobby, a camera flash exploded in my face. ‘Is it true,’ the accompanying reporter said, her face only inches from mine, ‘that—’ ‘Can I just say something here?’ Coop interrupted pleasantly. ‘Do you know how tall I am?’ The reporter frowned. ‘Six-two, six-three?’ ‘Just about. Do you know what I weigh?’ ‘One ninety.’ ‘Excellent guess. Do you know that I’m thinking really hard about taking that camera and throwing it on the ground?’ The reporter smirked. ‘Guess you’re a bodyguard in every sense of the word.’ I squeezed Coop’s arm and pulled him off into a hallway, where I found an empty conference room. Coop stared at the closed door, as if contemplating going back after the reporter. ‘It’s not worth the publicity,’ I said. ‘But think about the psychological satisfaction.’