Page 6 of Tempest

“If you don’t have plans, we’d like to invite you over for dinner tonight. It will give you two a chance to catch up.”

“Thanks. I’d love to come. I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in a long time.”

Slipping her arm around Grady, she grinned. “We have a pool, so bring your trunks if you feel like a swim.”

“Sounds great.”

Ryan felt his eyes tugged over Sara’s shoulder as he stared at Ivy. What were the chances that the first woman who’d caught his attention in ages was someone he was going to have to work with? Something had gone on between the two of them, and he was going to see what that something was. The first thing he wanted to figure out was whether she tasted as good as she looked.

It didn’t seem to matter that the two of them were not a good idea. Studying her in her business dress, perfect makeup and hair told him that she probably never lost control. Maybe he could show her the way. As far as he was concerned, that was the point of spending time with a woman. Losing control. The only thing that hinted at a wild streak was her shoes. Today she was wearing a pair of sandals that were adorned with green fur balls. There had never been a more ridiculous pair of shoes, and damn if that didn’t give him a small slice of hope. A woman who wore shoes like that probably knew something about fun.

Shaking his head, he focused on Grady and watched a knowing smile cross his face. He decided to ignore it and talk about the reason he’d driven down here. A job. And, God willing, a way to transition into civilian life. So far, life outside of the Teams sucked.

***

TT looked at both women and announced, “Let’s go to lunch together. Kyle can take us and show us around the neighborhood. “I’ll go see what time works for him.”

“I would love to go,” Sara replied. “Maybe we can plan a shopping date.” Turning to Ivy, she beamed. “I love the shoes you have on, and I need you to help me find a pair just like them.”

Ivy laughed and linked arms with Sara. “I would love to go shopping with you all. My mama taught me that shoes and religion are almost the same thing. She brought me up at the altar of the Neiman Marcus shoe department, and I’m more than happy to share my spiritual journey with you.”

All three women laughed loudly and started talking a mile a minute. Grady glanced over at Ryan and shrugged. “I guess it’s not something that I need to understand.”

“I find that’s true about a lot of things women do,” Ryan replied. Hearing Ivy laugh was like a long stroke of her hand against his body. Before things became embarrassing, he cleared his throat and focused on his friend and why he was here. “Can’t wait to hear what you guys have going on here.”

“I’ll take you back to my office and we can talk about the opportunities that we have. Ideally, my speech is going to be so impressive that you’ll want to join us.”

Ryan rubbed the back of his neck and nodded at his friend. “I’m open to hearing what you have to say. I met with the CIA after I retired and updated my security clearances. I have a standing offer to become a private contractor with the government if I decide to go down that road.”

“Is that something that you’re considering?” Grady asked.

“Not really. I’m just keeping all my options open.”

“Always a good move,” Grady said, as his girlfriend approached them. “Are you ladies going to lunch?”

“Yes. I’ll meet you back here later on,” Sara replied. Leaning up, she kissed him. “See you later, gator.”

Before she walked off, Grady stopped her. Grabbing his wallet, he pulled out a credit card. “Here, honey. Take this in case you find a pair of shoes you like.”

Pushing his hand back, she laughed. “We’re not going today and I’ve got plenty of money.” She twirled around and joined the women as they walked down the hall.

Grady watched her walk away and shrugged. “What the hell?”

Ryan slapped him on the shoulder. “It’s not a bad thing. The shoes Ivy has on probably cost over five hundred dollars. Your girlfriend just saved you a ton of money.”

“I don’t want to save a ton of money.” Turning, he glared at his friend. “Really…five hundred dollars?”

“Yeah.”

Grady started walking down the hall. “Let’s go and talk in my office. Joel will join us later, and we can go out to lunch.”

“Sounds good,” Ryan remarked.

When they were settled, Grady studied him, and he was fairly confident that he was going to ask about Ivy.

“Are you going to tell me what happened between you and Ivy?”

Bingo. “I met her last night at the hotel, and we had a drink together. I was just surprised to see her in the office.”

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