Suz looked at her as if she’d gone insane. “The fucker cheated on you.”
“With more than one person, it seems.” Lynn did an internal check, but there was nothing there. No regret, no upset. No…nothing. “I was going to call things off with him today anyway. I had my suspicions.”
“And you didn’t tell me?” Suz folded her arms. “That’s not following the rules in the BFF handbook.”
“It was a recent decision,” she confessed. “Like since this morning. Honest. I was going to tell you tonight over tequila shooters.”
Her friend stood down, tension draining away. “You’re sure you’re not upset? Because I don’t mind hurting him a little.”
Lynn laughed. “I’m sure. I’m not upset, just floored, and some of the head rush is from a lack of food. I skipped breakfast and lunch, and granola bars don’t sit right after the third one.”
Suz caught her by the shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. “Then tonight we celebrate losing the loser. We’ll grab some burgers, then hit the Frog and Crown for shooters. My treat, all expenses paid.”
“Sounds good.” Lynn unlocked the door and gestured into the hallway. “But if I drink too much, you have to promise to hold my hair back while I worship at the great white throne. Deal?”
Suz grinned. “Deal.”
Parker stared at his best friend. “Really. You didn’t do anything?”
Jack Hunter shrugged rock-solid shoulders, easing back in his chair and resting his feet on the desk. “What can I say? This gorgeous brunette noticed my T-shirt with the business logo, and the next thing I know there’s a group of women gathered around grilling me about DreamMakers. One thing led to another, and when I got the perfect opportunity to suggest our services as a designated driver, I took it.” He popped the lid off his takeout coffee cup and peered at the steaming liquid. “Just doing my part to keep the roads safe.”
“Let me get this straight,” Dean interrupted. “You lost the toss, had to go spring for our coffees, and ended up with a job driving a dozen women home after a bachelorette party tonight?”
“They’re doing a home spa night, with shooters,” Jack shared, his grin brightening his already cheerful face. “I understand there’s a lingerie party involved as well.”
“If they have Adam and Eve door prizes, this could get a little crazy,” Parker cracked.
Dean leapt to his feet. “Jack, I’m so ashamed of myself. I just remembered you said you missed dealing with the trickier recons. I volunteer to take the driving off your hands so you can help Parker with the other job tonight.”
“Yeah. I’m so upset.” Jack sneered at Dean. “Nice try, but the ladies were so enamored of my charm, it’s got to be me or no one. I’d trade, really I would, but I don’t want to jeopardize the mission.”
“You’re an ass.”
Jack raised his cup in the air. “A bold knight escorting fair maidens to the safety of their fortresses—that was the phrase one of them coined, by the way. I propose we add it to the company logo.”
Dean settled on the desktop and pushed Jack’s feet to the floor. “Scantily clad maidens. Jerk. You got all the luck lately.”
“Don’t sleep with any of them,” Parker warned.
Jack made a rude noise. “I know the rules.”
“Yeah, tonight he’ll get all their phone numbers. He’ll sleep with them starting tomorrow.” Dean crossed his arms, inspiration twisting his expression into sheer mischief. “I should ride shotgun. I’m sure there’s something in the codebook stating the ratio of knight to damsel can’t go over eight to one.”
“Give it up,” Parker muttered. “We accepted the asshole job, and we need to finish it. I need you with me tonight.”
No matter how exasperating the idea of helping Shotelle win over Lynn had become, nothing had officially changed. He needed to focus in spite of his reservations, because the alternative—failure—was unacceptable.
Dean made a face. “Phil strikes me as the type who might sue our asses if he doesn’t get what he wants.”
“I wait in anticipation for the day some idiot tries to take us to court,” Jack said. “The media coverage alone would be worth the scandal.”
“No scandals. No media. Just get the damn job done.” Parker dragged a hand through his hair. “Enough chatter, both of you. Didi has a list of some prescheduled requests you can work on.”
Jack and Dean exchanged glances but wisely didn’t say anything about the stick up his ass.
Or at least not until hours later, when he and Dean pulled up outside the bar they’d tracked Lynn to. The two women had stopped for burgers and fries at a grill on 16th, and now they were hitting the Frog and Crown, a small pub Parker had never heard of. But the second he went to open his door, Dean clicked the power lock down.
“What the fuck?” Parker glared at the other man.