Page 107 of Courting Gossip (Courting)
‘Brody,’ she called. The tips of his ears were red. He knew, dang it. ‘Pretty please? With sugar?’
‘Never,’ he said from the living room. He went out into the garden and handed beers to Erin’s boyfriend Colton and the detective.
She let out a huff as she followed with the bowl of ice for the soft drinks.
‘Does anyone here need anything?’ she asked as she passed through the living room. Casey, Jasmine and Lilah were having a lively discussion. They shook their heads. ‘OK, the food is almost ready.’
She started to join the rest outside, but did a three-sixty when the doorbell rang again. When she opened the door, she found one of her best friends on the door step.
‘Dane!’ She gave him a quick hug. ‘And Noelle.’
She squeezed the brunette’s hand and tugged her inside. ‘Come, I want you to meet someone.’
She led them through the house to the back yard. The escorts in the living room called out greetings as they passed. Genieve put the ice on the table and walked up to her favourite handsome man’s side. ‘Brody, this is my friend Dane and his girlfriend Noelle. Everyone, this is my boyfriend, Brody.’
She blushed a little. He’d reached boyfriend status and beyond.
Dane stuck out his hand, and Brody shook it firmly. His brow creased. ‘Have we met?’
‘I don’t think so, but you look familiar.’
‘Dane is a staffer for Congresswoman Hill,’ Genieve offered.
Brody’s eyes widened a millimetre. He was surprised. ‘I think we’ve passed in the hallways.’
‘Brody is a…fixerfor your kind,’ she said.
‘Oh.’ Dane let out a laugh. ‘Well, nice to meet you, but I hope I never need your services.’
Genieve’s jaw dropped when Brody laughed, too. ‘If you run with this crowd, you’d better take my card.’
Noelle giggled, and soon everyone was laughing. They began sharing funny stories about the predicaments some people got into on Capitol Hill, and one story just upped the next.
‘It sounds like that Kevin Murphy could use your help right about now,’ Dane said as he dug into the chips.
Brody didn’t miss a beat. ‘Not even I would touch that situation with a ten-foot pole.’
‘He’s getting what he deserves,’ Darien said, jumping in to the discussion. ‘Those Marines deserved better.’
‘The whole unit did,’ Dane agreed.
Genieve shared a proud look with Brody. It might have been underhand, but what they’d done was on the side of right. Kevin Murphy had tried to expose her as an escort. She wasn’t an innocent in the Emissary story, but those Marines and the hostage had deserved better.
She wandered over to squeeze Darien’s shoulders. He was sitting at the table, but Rielle waved her over to her side.
‘What?’ Genieve asked.
‘Look at Nina’s left hand,’ her friend whispered. ‘Is that what I think it is?’
They bobbed their heads until they could see. Nina was sitting on the retaining wall next to Josh and the grill. It wasn’t easy to see her in the shade, but when she lifted her hard cider for a sip, something glinted.
Rielle was quiet, but Genieve wasn’t shy. She marched right over, with Luxxor’s office manager hot on her heels. ‘Nina Lockwood, is that a ring on your finger?’
The blonde woman pulled back in shock.
‘Damn straight it is. It’smyring,’ Josh said from his master position behind the grill.
Genieve looked from one to the other so fast, her hair smacked Rielle’s shoulder. ‘Are you two engaged?’
