Page 86 of Her Selfless Warrior (Omega Sky)
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“So how arewe going to get this done?” Amy asked.
“Before Kostya here decided to horn his way into the action, I figured I’d just ask one of the waitresses to point Dawn out,” Lark shrugged.
“And I’m asking you for the twelfth time, why does my presence stop you from doing that?”
“And I’ll tell you for the thirteenth time, it’s going to look odd for two couples asking. It would have been just fine for two female friends to ask about Dawn. That would have seemed natural.”
“You’re overthinking this,” Ryker chimed in.
Amy cleared her throat as she licked some of the sugar off the rim of her non-alcoholic lemon drop martini. “I say we use pretty boy and have him spin some kind of sob story to our waitress. Of course, he can’t say he was romantically involved with Dawn, because that will dash Andrea’s hopes of carrying Ryker’s love child. But if he bats his eyelashes, I’m sure she’ll tell him anything.”
Lark thanked all the pixies and fairies of the forest that she hadn’t been sipping her scotch when Amy had started talking, otherwise it would have come out her nose.
“Pretty boy? Eyelashes?” Ryker’s voice was two decibels lower than normal.
“What? You have pretty eyelashes. I noticed, so did Andrea. Sue us.” Amy took a dainty sip of her drink, her pinky poking outwards like she was sipping tea with the queen.
Kostya muffled a laugh and Ryker glared at him.
Lark watched Amy eye Ryker over the lip of her martini glass. What do you know, she was interested in a man.Hallelujah! Lark hadn’t seen Amy interested in a man in years. Of course, she could have had better taste—Ryker McQueen was a player with a capital ‘P’. But Amy’s hormones were waking up!
My little girl is growing up.
Kostya leaned in to the center of the table. “Here’s your chance. Andrea’s at your six.”
Ryker leaned back in his chair, and his entire demeanor changed. “My dad’s really worried, and I don’t know what to do if I can’t find her,” he said loudly.
“Can I get you another round?” Andrea asked as she eyed their drinks.
“Can I get a glass of ice water?” Lark asked.
“Me too,” Amy chimed in.
“And you?” Andrea smiled down at Ryker.
He shook his head sadly. “Just keep refilling my beer. Or you might be able to find me a miracle. Do you know all of the employees here at the MGM?” His chuckle was so pathetic sounding, he really should have been working in the movies, not in the Navy.
Andrea melted. “What’s wrong? Is there anything I can do to help?”
Amy winked at Lark, but since Lark was on the booth side of the table facing Andrea she couldn’t wink back, so responded the only way she could. She kicked her friend under the table.
“Darlin’ I wish you could, but it’s a crapshoot and a half. I’ve done about everything I can. I think I’m going to have to hire one of them private investigators.”
God, the man sounded pitiful.
“Seriously, I know a lot of the people who work here. This place only opened six years ago, and I was hired five years ago, so really, I’m considered an old-timer.”
“Honey, nobody could ever call you old.”
“Ryker,” Kostya said with a tight smile. “We don’t want to keep this lady all night.”
“No, it’s okay.” Then Andrea looked over her shoulder to the bartender. “Well maybe you’re right,” she bit her lip. She looked back down at Ryker. “I get off in two hours, maybe I can meet you? Or are you two together?” She made a circle between Ryker and Amy.
“Oh no, he’s free as a bird. Nobody’s managed to saddle this bronc,” Amy cooed. “I could use another lemon drop martini to go with that ice water when you come back.”
“Still with no alcohol, right?” Andrea asked kind of snottily.
