Page 51 of On the Power Play

Delia snorted. “So he’s doing them the favour?”

“God’s gift to women, right?”

Delia was about to launch into another diatribe, but her phone buzzed and she hunted for it underneath the blanket. She grazed Jack’s hand and jumped. “Sorry.”

Jack didn’t say anything, but her fingertips burned as she finally located her phone between the seat cushions. It was Mary. Delia checked the time. Had it already been two hours? Yeesh. Almost three. She answered. "Hey, are you all done with tea?"

"Yes, it was perfect. The egg salad sandwiches were the winners. Thank you again so much for being willing to put your day on hold so I could do this."

Delia looked up to see double-oh-seven double-oh-doing it on the counter of his washroom. She rolled her eyes extra dramatically so Jack wouldn't miss it. He laughed, and she couldn’t keep from grinning. "It was totally fine. Jack and I are watching old movies."

Mary was silent for a beat. "What kind of old movies?"

"We watched the last half of ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ and now we're onto one of the Bond movies with that British guy."

Mary laughed. "They're all British guys, Dels."

"Yeah, but you know the one."

"Pierce Brosnan?"

Delia laughed. "Yes, see? Perfect description."

"She got Brosnan off of 'that British guy?'" Jack shook his head and reached for a can of Coke.

"Is that Jack?" Mary asked.

Delia pulled off the blanket and stood, then walked past Jack to the washroom so she could brush her teeth. Again. "Are you here? Should I get my coat and come down?" She turned the phone on speaker and used some of Jack's toothpaste. It was straight peppermint. Different than her typical, but she liked it.

"Is that water running? Are you on the toilet?"

Delia shoved the toothbrush into her mouth and scrubbed. "No, just brushing my teeth."

"You're using Jack's toothbrush? What the hell, Delia?"

Delia laughed and sprayed a bit of toothpaste on the mirror. "No! He had an extra!"

"I don’t even know who you are right now."

Delia finished and rinsed her mouth and the toothbrush, then used a square of toilet paper to clean off the mirror. "He had an extra toothbrush from the front desk." Another silence. "Mary, are you still?—"

"Yeah, I'm here. Like, on the phone but also at the hotel. I'm just at the roundabout where I dropped you off."

"Okay, I'll be down in a sec." Delia ended the call and slipped her phone into her back pocket, then walked back into the living room.

Jack craned his neck. "You missed it. She's already dead."

Delia laughed. "Damn it, I was hoping for one more non-committal lay."

"Title of your sex tape." Jack looked up with an almost repentant look, but couldn't quite get the corners of his mouth to lay flat. Delia almost succeeded in convincing him she was offended, but couldn't keep the laugh from bursting out of her. She reached for her coat but hesitated with it in her hands.

"Mary's here?" Jack asked.

Delia nodded. "Thanks for letting me crash."

Jack sat straighter on the couch. "What are fake boyfriends for?"

Delia twisted the coat around so she could find the arm holes. "Your flight leaves early?"

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