Page 29 of Hot SEAL, Under Pressure

“So much of Hell Week is about working as a team. Like the log carry,” Jonas pointed out. “We need things that can be done by a single person.”

“True. It’s always a bunch of them doing it together.” Lucy nodded.

“There are a couple of individual things. Like drown-proofing,” Jonas said.

“What’s that?” Shelly asked, afraid she didn’t want to know.

“They, uh, pretty much drown you. At least they come as close as they can without actually doing it.”

Jonas seemed to know a hell of a lot about SEALs. At the moment, Shelly wished he didn’t.

“And the point of that is?” she asked.

“To conquer any fear of water.”

“That would not only give me fear. It’d give me nightmares.” Lucy looked as horrified as Shelly felt at the idea.

“Well, it’s also so you’ll keep calm if and when you actually are in danger of drowning.” Jonas shrugged.

Shelly shook her head. “I’m not letting them drown me. What else have you got?”

“Sugar cookies,” he suggested.

That didn’t sound so bad. She knew better than to assume so she asked, “What is it exactly?”

“You lay in the surf, which makes you get all covered with sand that sticks to you because you’re wet. Like a sugar cookie.”

She hated being wet—and sandy—but it was better than being drowned. “Okay. That’s a possibility. Although it doesn’t sound all that exciting.”

Jonas nodded. “Mm. True. We could do a combined sugar cookies, sit-up and push-up competition. Who can complete the reps fastest maybe? Or endurance—who can do the most before giving up.”

Shelly scowled. “This is sounding all much more athletic than I anticipated.”

“That’s what makes it fun.” Lucy grinned.

“For you, maybe.” Shelly frowned.

“Okay, we’ll pencil in sugar cookies,” Lucy said, moving to write on the board while Shelly mentally kicked herself for even suggesting this show in the first place.

ChapterTwelve

It wasn’t quite an all nighter. They broke about one-thirty in the morning. Everyone went home to grab a few hours’ sleep and a shower before the presentation the next morning.

Shelly walked through the door of the office just before eight-thirty the next morning, extra-large coffee in hand.

Since Joanne wouldn’t care how late they’d worked, and since there was more work to do than time to do it, they had the meeting scheduled for nine.

They couldn’t waste any time. They had to get the first episode tightened up and complete and to the network. Then they had to get filming the next nine.

It would take a miracle.

And speaking of miracles—Lucy had pulled off some magic and had the presentation in PowerPoint and already projected up on the screen by the time Shelly arrived in the conference room.

She stopped just inside the doorway and stared at theUnder Pressuregraphic on the wall. “Oh my God. Lucy, this looks great.”

Leaning over the laptop running the presentation, Lucy accepted the compliment with a cautious smile. “Thanks. Let’s hope everybody else thinks so.”

She was no doubt talking about Joanne. And not just Joanne, but the network as well. So many people depending on them. Judging them.

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