The Navy Seal's Rescue

Jade nodded.

“I’ll spit on whatever you want,” Harlow said. “Please.”

“Good. I’ll send you all kits. You can be guinea pigs for my questionnaires.”

Cricket held up her almost empty glass. “To new adventures and tremendous success. Jade, you’ll kill it. You’ll absolutely kill it.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Jade said, clicking her glass with the others, “because I’m totally going to ask you for help drawing up the legal stuff.”

“Of course.”

“You’ll be paid, don’t worry about that.”

“I’d do it anyway. You know that.”

They drank, and then Jade leaned in, her eyes shining with mischief. “Did you guys see Winnie this morning? What the hell has she done with her hair?”

“Oh, yeah.” Harlow shuddered. “She looks like Billy Idol. I mean, with her coloring, those platinum spikes? Honestly, what in the world?”

“God, she was such a bitch,” Jade said. “Thought she was all that, so I made a point of looking at her current bio. She’s divorced, two kids, ex-husband’s in insurance. She lives in Nebraska. Remember how she was going to take New York by storm?”

“She used to call me a grotesque giraffe,” Harlow said. “When she couldn’t even make the cheerleading squad.”

“Better than telling me every single day that I stunk like fish,” Jade said. “I mean, every day? Waving her hand in front of her face when I’d walk by. God, I hate her.”

“Now this is like old times,” Ginny said. “Remember Tommy Zico? That pervert? Is he here? I didn’t see his name...”

“I bet he’s in jail.” Harlow shook her head. “At least he should be.”

“Well, how about that?” Ginny said. “Cricket. Check out who’s at the activity board.”

Jade followed Harlow’s gaze and said, “I’ll take him to go, please.”

Cricket turned around. It was Wyatt. Looking even scruffier than he had last night. Wearing a sweat-stained T-shirt over running shorts, his stubble darker, his hair a mess, and she felt her insides melt.

“Wait a minute,” Jade said. “Cricket? He’s so not your type.”

“You don’t even know what my type is.”

“Uh, corporate. Silk neckties. Penthouse apartment. Drives a Porsche.”

“Stop it.” Cricket flushed, although not about Jade’s comment, even though she’d almost described Grant to a T. “I’m versatile.”

“You sure?” Harlow said. “Maybe we could Rochambeau for him? I’ll be paper, you can be rock.”

Cricket polished off her drink and dropped her napkin on the table. “Don’t get into too much trouble while I’m gone.”

“Why, you hogging him all for yourself?”

“Very possibly.” She tugged her dress down, then headed over to him.

* * *

WYATT THOUGHT ABOUT what kind of special he could offer, but gave up the idea when he saw there would be dancing after the dinner. That gave him only an hour window before the law made him lock up. Besides, it was a dumb idea. These people didn’t care about specials.