A Very Merry Superhero Wedding (Adventures of Lewis and Clarke) by Kitty Bucholtz Page B

soothingly. “We can’t be everywhere, neither can the police. One starfish at a time, buddy.” Darian slapped Mickey’s shoulder. “Who’s covering for us tonight?”
    “Sector Eight,” Mickey grumbled.
    Joe and Bull grinned at Mickey’s fresh scowl. The man was a perfectionist in the worst way, and a tough team leader as Tick Tock. But the three of them and Hayley Addison worked well together keeping Sector Seven safe from the worst of Double Bay’s crooks and criminals.
    Darian slapped Mickey’s back and gave him a reassuring smile. He was a glass-mostly-full kind of guy and loved to compare their superhero work with the story about a guy saving starfish on a beach — we can’t save them all, but we can help as many as we can. Joe liked his attitude. Too bad he served with Sector Four. It would be fun to work together more often than just the high-crime Christmas season.
    The tailor, finished with Carl, brought over three garment bags, handing them to each man without asking for names. Joe didn’t know how he could remember so many people’s names and faces. Must be a gift.
    The man stared up at Darian. “I know your face, but the name isn’t right. You are related to Cesar Johnson, yes? Michigan Wolverines basketball?”
    Darian grinned. “He’s my little brother.”
    The tailor actually smiled. “Excellent player. How is his knee?”
    “He’s walking again. Beat the odds. Got hired a few months ago by a high school south of Ann Arbor to teach English and coach basketball.”
    The tailor beamed at Darian and clasped his arm briefly. “That is wonderful news. Blessings on your family.” Then the stern expression returned. “Now dress, all of you.” He swished his hand toward the curtained area.
    In between the trying on, the final adjustments, and the tailor letting out a button on Carl’s tuxedo jacket—“No more cookies unti l afte r the wedding,” scolded the tailor—Joe told the guys about the morning’s terrifying events.
    “There I was, staring Tori’s dad, Danny Lewis, in the eye — as Superhero X !” Joe wiped his hand across his eyes. “What if he recognized me?”
    “Did he?” asked Carl.
    Joe shrugged. “I don’t know. But if he says something to Tori…”
    “I was there, man,” said Darian, “and the guy had the same shell-shocked expression everybody does when they’re being robbed. He didn’t recognize you.”
    “I can’t let any of her family know until she knows,” Joe said. “I’m just saying, we’ve got to be careful.”
    “So tell her, already,” said Mickey.
    “I’m going to,” Joe heard his voice rising with a defensive ring. “As soon as I’m sure she…that she…” He rubbed his chest, unsure how to put it in words.
    “You want to be sure she loves you for you , Jo e , before she has to decide what she thinks about X,” Carl stated, as if it were obvious.
    Joe glanced at him in surprise.
    “I get it, brother,” Carl said. “You want to make sure the glue has hardened before you have to test it.”
    Joe nodded. “But Dad’s not…”
    “He may be a superhero, but he’s also a pastor with a whole other agenda of things he thinks are important. And he’s our dad. You know he’s gotta be feeling protective.”
    Joe raised his eyebrows. “No, actually, I hadn’t thought of that. I thought he was acting tough as the head of the Paladin’s Guild.”
    “That, too,” Mickey said with a firm nod.
    Carl clapped Joe on the back. “When you have kids, you’ll understand. I’m beginning to get it now after thirteen years of being someone’s dad. I think parents are always a little messed up in the head. There’s more second-guessing going on up here,” Carl tapped his temple, “than a squirrel trying to cross a four-lane road.”
    Carl was the only married one of the group. Even though he didn’t have powers, Joe’s oldest brother had always been a fount of wisdom in just about everything Joe had ever needed to learn. If Carl