Page 37 of Zorro

He smiled. Wickedly.

“I’ve got every one of their numbers,” he said casually. “Yeah, I herd a bunch of cats for a living.”

Everly swallowed hard. Yeah, she thought. Big predatory jungle cats. “You should get hazard pay for that,” she blurted before she could stop herself. Everly exhaled, half-laugh, half-resignation. “You might as well call me Everly. I don’t have a foot to stand on here.”

Joker’s brow rose, amused. “Thank you. You can call me…” He winked. “Terminator.” She rolled her eyes, but the tension bled from her shoulders. “You held your own. You always do, Everly,” he added, voice dry. “He’s worth it.”

The words struck deeper than she expected. Simple. Unvarnished. Coming from the man who led Zorro, fought beside him, trusted him with lives.

She didn’t know what to say to that. Didn’t know how to admit that part of her already knew it was true. So she just nodded. For the first time all morning, she didn’t feel like running.

“I’ve got to jump in the shower,” Joker said, brushing a kiss against his wife’s temple. “I’m meeting Captain Leite downstairs in thirty minutes to go over today’s training plan.”

He disappeared into the room without fanfare, propping the door. Pippa grinned at his thoughtfulness.

“You fell in love with Joker?” Everly said slowly, staring at the propped door. “While on deployment? In that godawful country?”

Pippa smiled. “He changed my life. Literally. Saw something in me I didn’t even know was there.” She nudged Everly gently. “I resigned my commission, left the Navy, and married him. Now I’m a fashion designer for the House of Toscano. His mom is Giorgia Toscano Jackman, and I manage several of her boutiques in San Diego.”

Everly’s jaw dropped. “Oh my God. I love her designs. That butterfly dress in Vogue. I’m still not over it.”

“I’m actually in town for a House of Toscano runway show. We’re debuting part of my line alongside Gio’s latest pieces. I could even get you tickets if you’re interested.”

Everly blinked. “You’re showing your own designs?”

“Mm-hmm. I’ve got a few business-casual pieces in my Alabaster Shimmer Collection, something elevated but wearable. One of them might be perfect for your Welcome talk.”

“I don’t know…”

Pippa paused at the suite door, glancing back with a knowing smile. “Come on, Doc. You’ve worked so hard for other people. It’s time for a little pampering and you time. You’re not just delivering a tribute. You’re representing experience, survival…and maybe a little style.”

Everly felt the resistance start to crack. Maybe it wasn’t about proving anything to Zorro or his team. Maybe it was just about showing up as someone who didn’t disappear behind scrubs and grief.

Inside the suite, it was like stepping into another world. Soft fabrics in alabaster, cream, and glints of metallic shimmer hung on elegant rolling racks. Chic heels lined the window bench like weapons ready for deployment. Jewelry, delicate, sculptural, and gleaming, was arranged with the precision of surgical tools, each piece daring you to underestimate it.

Pippa hummed to herself as she flipped through hangers, then paused, drawing out an ensemble with a flourish that made Everly’s breath catch.

A pure white blouse, sleeveless, crisp but soft to the touch. A cape in pale napped fabric, just textured enough to catch light, adorned at the collar and hem with tiny, deliberate silver baubles that shimmered like dew on marble, and a matching skirt, tailored but not tight, with the same silver detailing at the hem.

It was powerful.

Quietly so.

It didn’t scream for attention. It commanded it.

Pippa held it out, smiling like she knew exactly what she was doing. “This is from my Alabaster Shimmer capsule. I built it for women who do impossible things and still get told to smile more.”

Everly stared at it, heart thudding.

“I can’t.”

“You can,” Pippa said gently. “I think you want to.”

Everly clutched the hanger, heart thudding.

Maybe she did.

Without really meaning to, Everly said, quietly, almost to herself, “My husband never noticed me. Not in scrubs. Not in heels. Not when I wore a red dress for our anniversary.”

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