Who just shrugged. “Charlene and I aren’t sleeping together anymore. Things kinda fizzled.”
Parker nodded. That made one item on the agenda easier to deal with. “Good, because now that she hired us to plan her folks’ anniversary party, it’d be a conflict of interest if you were still seeing her.” After Parker’s own borderline blip on the unethical radar, he wanted to avoid any potential headaches when it came to their business. Charlene Halliwell’s parents were paying DreamMakers a fortune to help arrange their fiftieth anniversary gala celebration, and he didn’t want to risk losing a major influx of cash all because Jack couldn’t keep his pants zipped.
“Don’t worry, it’s over.” Jack’s tone was vague, but there was nothing disingenuous about his expression, which told Parker that his partner had indeed called it off with the busty Charlene.
Didi’s voice crackled out of the intercom on his desk just then, announcing their ten o’clock appointment had arrived. With the stack of upcoming jobs overflowing on Parker’s desk, they’d decided it was time to hire a few extra employees. They’d set aside the morning to interview candidates, and Parker was seriously hoping at least some of them would be a good fit.
“Who are we seeing first?” Dean asked. “Please tell me it’s Colby Warden. Now that you’re all googly-eyed over Lynn, I need another wingman, and Colby would be perfect for the job.”
Parker grinned as he thought about the man they’d met years ago during Hell Week, but he wasn’t hiring anyone just so Dean could have a partner for his escapades. “Naah, Colby is coming in later. First up is—” he glanced at the list in his hand, “—Gillian Reyes. Second lieutenant, sniper, served in the 11th Regiment, stationed at Fort Irwin.”
That intel finally broke through Jack’s fog. “The Blackhorse Regiment?” he said, naming the deadly unit that had been involved in multiple global conflicts. “She must be one tough mofo.”
“She is,” Parker confirmed, remembering the conversation he’d had with his old unit’s CO, who’d told Parker they’d be “total morons” not to hire her. But no matter how highly recommended she came, he wasn’t making any decisions until he met the woman for himself.
A moment later, the office door swung open and Didi appeared in the doorway. With her teased blonde hair, layers of makeup, and bright, skintight clothing, their receptionist looked like she’d walked off the set of The Real Housewives. Despite her flashy appearance, the woman had a heart of gold, and all their clients loved her.
“Miss Reyes, your ten o’clock,” Didi introduced. She gestured to the woman beside her, then disappeared.
Leaving all three men to gape at the newcomer, who turned out to be…
Well, hot.
Like seriously hot. So tall she could only be described as statuesque, with shoulder-length brown-black hair, bottomless dark eyes, and curves galore. Parker was a happily in love man, but not even he could deny that Gillian was goddamn stunning.
In his armchair, Dean blinked rapidly, as if he’d just wandered into heaven and bumped into a bona-fide angel.
“Hi. I’m Gillian.” The gorgeous woman extended a hand even as she raised a questioning brow at the trio of silent men.
Dean blinked again. Then shot to his feet and blurted out two awestricken words.
“You’re hired.”
Chapter Three
“Holy hell, Peps, I didn’t realize it was that bad!” Kendra Lewis looked horrified as she swept her gaze over Pepper’s face and bare arms. The bruises were fading at a rapid pace, but a bluish-green tinge continued to mar her skin, especially under her eye.
Pepper sucked on her milkshake straw, welcoming the cool burst of strawberry on her taste buds. Kendra and the boys had finally made it to San Francisco, and the two women were meeting at an ice cream parlor a few blocks from Jack’s apartment so Kendra could drop off the suitcases Pepper had left behind. Fortunately, she’d come alone, though apparently Adam had begged to tag along.
Pepper had no desire to see that jerk. Thanks to him, not only had her dream night gone up in flames—and not the good kind—but then she’d gotten into a fight with a hill. And the hill won.
“Trust me, it was a lot worse a week ago,” she told her friend. “I can finally breathe without shooting pains going through my ribs.”
“Fuckin’ Adam,” Kendra muttered. “I had no idea he was such a nutcase. Is he still texting you like crazy?”
“Oh yeah.” She swallowed her annoyance as she thought of all the messages she had to delete from her phone on a daily basis.