Page 55 of Bad Girls Don't Marry Marines (Rock Canyon, Idaho 3)

The girl stood up faster than you could say “dollar bills,” and Val gave Ned a smug smile. “See, that wasn’t so hard.”

Ned glared at her as she sat down, and she suddenly wondered why he was so bent out of shape. Why would he care so much?

And then an idea struck her, and she went with her gut.

“I don’t know how much my father is paying you, but the spying ends now or I fucking promise you, I will break every bone in your hand,” she said. When Ned scoffed, she added, “And then I’ll tell Dorothy how easily one of her guides can be bought. A lot of celebrities come to this place, right? It would be a shame to lose their tips if word got out that discretion wasn’t your highest priority.”

Ned’s cheeks burned red and he spun away from her.

She sat down heavily in her chair, fury burning inside her. Her father had spied on her—which shouldn’t have been surprising—but it was that he had blatantly tried to push her toward a man she hated that made her nauseous. Edward Willis was a bastard, a selfish, cold bastard, and she wanted him to pay.

Her gaze caught Justin’s around the centerpiece, and his concerned expression tore her up more. He really was a good guy and she was damaged goods. She didn’t deserve a guy like him.

Grabbing the bottle of wine from the table, she poured a healthy glassful and took a gulp.

“Hey, I’m Thomas.”

Val turned to face the man next to her and said, “Valerie.”

“What do you know, that’s my mother’s name.”

“Oh, I don’t hear that very often,” Val said waspishly. As far as pickup lines went, it was right up there with “Nice Shoes, want to fuck?” She glanced toward Justin again and saw he was busy talking to the sweet-looking blonde next to him. Val swallowed another mouthful of wine.

“Yeah, I love that name. So, are you here for real, or are you just looking to hook up?”

Val turned back to Thomas and blinked. “Excuse me?”

“I’ve been to lots of these, and you’ve got some who are here for the real deal, but most are either looking for dates to a specific function, like a reunion or a wedding, or are just hoping to hook up with a bunch of people. Just wanted to let you know, if you’re one of those, I am completely available.” Thomas reached out and trailed his hand over her sleeve, and she considered the whole fork-stabbing thing again but decided on a less violent approach.

“Actually, my doctor mentioned I should probably avoid sex, at least until the rash goes away.”

The guy jerked back his hand as if she were contagious and got up from the table. “Excuse me, I’m going to . . . ’bye.”

She laughed as the man weaved his way through the crowd, and she caught Justin looking at her. She held up her glass to him before polishing off the rest of the red liquid.

Justin kept glancing her way, and she was tempted to ask his dinner partner to switch, but with the mood she was in, she probably wouldn’t be good company anyway. She might as well head back to her room and pack up for home. Her sister didn’t want her help and her father certainly didn’t deserve anything. Why the hell was she still here?

The free wine?

She poured another glass, ignoring Justin’s frown. Whether he was concerned by her mood or her drinking, she didn’t need anyone else telling her what she was doing wrong.

“What did you do to poor chuckles?”

Val looked up to find Trent suddenly standing beside her chair.

“Who?”

“Thomas, your former dinner partner,” he said, sitting down in the empty chair.

She shrugged. “He asked if I was interested in hooking up and I told him a little white lie.”

“Involving some kind of disease, huh?” he asked.

“It might have come up,” she said, hiding her smile behind her wineglass.

“I like your hair. It suits you.”

Reaching up to touch the short strands, she had to admit it felt better. Like a weight had been lifted.

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