Page 100 of Playboy

“Congratulations to you too. You’ve got yourself one hell of an addition to your team.”

Tink grinned. “Don’t I know it.” He pulled both Clover and Gabby to his sides. “Not only do I have the best helicopter pilot, but I can now say that I have the best sniper who brings an intelligence and special forces background with her.”

“I think I’m jealous,” Derek stated, making everyone laugh.

Clover pulled Gabby into a hug. “Girl, you and I are going to make a great team.”

“Oh brother,” Joker mumbled under his breath, but loud enough for everyone to hear and they all laughed. Clover scrunched up her nose at her boyfriend and stuck her tongue out at him. “You’re just jealous too.”

Her team stepped up beside her. Tristan spoke first. “I know today was tough for you. But I want you to know that we areall so proud of you. You are definitely going to go places at Rockwell.”

“Thanks. I think I’m still in shock about him offering me this opportunity. It almost doesn’t seem real. I mean when Alley told me he wanted me gone, I thought it was all over. But then, later that evening, Tink showed up in my hospital room and offered me an opportunity that I couldn’t refuse.”

“What I don’t understand is that if you knew you were going to take the job with Tink, why did you go through with trying to prove to Alley that you could still handle the duties of the MSRT? Why put yourself through that?” James asked.

“Because I wanted him to see that he couldn’t break me. I wanted to prove to him that he was wrong and that I was stronger than he thought.”

“We’re going to miss having you around the base,” Oliver told her.

“I’ll miss you guys too. But at least we’ll still be close and can hang out.”

After thanking everyone for coming to support her, Gabby decided to take a short walk.

She stepped out of the Coast Guard building, the weight of the medical review board hearing was gone, making her feel so much lighter.

The crisp autumn air hit her face as she took a deep breath. Today marked a new chapter in her life. Playboy and the others had been right all along. Having a door close on her didn’t mean the end; it meant another door had opened. And she was ready to walk through it and face the challenges that awaited her.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Gabby and Selena sat at a table outside the little café that was just down the street from the hospital. The air had a slight chill, but with the portal heater nearby made it feel cozy as they sipped their coffees.

Gabby was laughing as Selena recounted a funny story from her past.

“So, there I was, trying to balance a tray full of drinks while the entire crowd was chanting my name,” Selena said, laughing. “I swear, I almost turned into a human fountain.”

Gabby laughed, shaking her head. “You seem to have a knack for finding yourself in the craziest situations.”

“Isn’t that truth,” Selena muttered as she took another sip of her coffee.

Gabby noticed that Selena didn’t talk about her personal life much. The family she ever talked about was her son Sam, who was five years old. Any time that Gabby mentioned the word family, Selena always found a way to dodge the topic.

“Well, this was a great lunch,” Selena said. “Thank you again for inviting me. We should definitely do it more often.”

Gabby nodded. “Definitely. It’s nice to just take a break and just relax with friends.”

“Yeah, it is.”

Gabby looked at her watch. “What time do you have to pick Sam up from the day care?”

“In about an hour.”

“Well, I guess we better get going then.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind driving me to the auto shop? I really don’t mind taking the bus there.”

Gabby waved her off. “Of course, I don’t. I have to drive right past it.”

Selena smiled. “Thank you.”

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