Page 83 of Resting Grump Face
Sienna laughs. “Don’t worry about her. If anyone can take care of themselves, it’s Robyn. If she wanted to, she could walk out with the most attractive man in this restaurant within five minutes. She’s not a wheel on a tricycle, she’s what will one day replace the wheel altogether.”
“So she’s a jetpack. I know what you mean, but I have to disagree. There’s only one person I’m leaving with tonight.”
Sienna erupts in laughter. “Oh, you cocky son of a— you know, you might have to leave alone tonight.”
“I don’t think so,” I say with a smile as we finish our last course.
We’re right on schedule for the next part of our date, so I get up, walk around the table and extend my hand. “Come on, we gotta go.”
“Ugh, can’t we get a little more drunk before getting back into that death trap? Can’t you at least already start taking some of your clothes off?” Sienna pouts as I pull her from her seat.
“There’s champagne in the helicopter. Though you should probably take it slow, so as to not puke during the skydiving.”
30
SIENNA
Icould say that I am surprised by the fact that the most exhilarating thing during my ‘first’ date with Ryker Grayson was not the elevator ride, the most delicious meal I’ve ever had, or even the skydive, but I’m not. By now, I am well aware of the effect he has on me, so it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that the most exhilarating thing is simply him kissing me. By now, I am not even afraid to admit that, given the chance, I wouldn’t even try to murder him anymore. Quite the opposite, actually. In hindsight, I now realize how very wrong I was about the kind of person Ryker F. Grayson really is.
So, on Monday, I am back to diligently sitting at my desk, trying to do my job, trying to figure out why I can’t shake the feeling that there is something odd about this Ryker Rumors thing, but my mind is still somewhere over the clouds and in that helicopter. Flying over the bustling city at night, while the guy you have a thing for feels you up, is quite something.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, I start aggregating all my work, including a counter-strategy, in a PowerPoint presentation that I plan on showing Ryker by the end of the week.
Our lawyers are still busy trying to get a judge to overrule the eviction notice, which appears to be difficult even for some of the best legal representation in the country. We had our own assessment of the state of the building done that proves that we are in no danger staying at Haven, but so far it seems to have been in vain. Our lead lawyer says it’s not entirely unthinkable that our judge might be in the pocket of Harmony as well.
When the clock hits 3 PM on Thursday, my phone starts ringing and pulls me from my daydream about Ryker and his immaculate everything.
“Yeah?” I answer it a little reluctantly.
“We’re on…” Guy says on the other side.
“…the phone, yes, I know. You called me.”
“No,” he whispers with urgency, “we’re on as in: we’re about to observe our target.”
“Target? We’re going from mark to target? Seems needlessly dramatizing.”
He sighs. “Are you in or not?”
“Of course I’m in. Someone’s gotta watch out that you guys don’t get yoursel?—”
“Stop talking nonsense and get your hindquarters down here,” Guy still whispers hastily.
“You’re already here?”
“Unmarked van outside. Hurry.”
I throw my jacket on, grab my bag, and head for the door to the stairwell when the elevator suddenly opens. For a second I get excited to see Ryker before I have to leave, but instead Barb steps out. She seems a little annoyed at the fact that she can’t find Ryker. I explain that a minor emergency came up and ask whether she could let him know once she does find him. Then I rush to the O-Team who are waiting in a (not quite unmarked) van in front of the office building.
Earnest throws the door open for me to get in.
“So we’re staking out the owner of Haven Life Community in a van with the logo of Haven Life Community on its side?”
Everyone is quiet for a moment before Paige starts rummaging through her oversized bag, produces a black marker, and hands it to Robyn. I watch as Robyn adds the letters U, N, S and a question mark.
Both of us inspect her work. It now says ‘UNSHAVEN?’ in big, bold letters on the side of the van. With a few quick strokes, she also turns the generic-looking illustration of Haven into a big beard and then does the same to the other side of the van.
Upon completion, I am pushed inside the car and we head off. Earnest has done his thing and got us access to Dicky’s calendar, which allows us to track him down easily. Once we do, we follow him from a popular café downtown where he has a banana split for late lunch, to an expensive winery, to a random ice cream shop where he has a giant cone topped with an unhealthy amount of whipped cream. Apparently, the dick head really enjoys his gelato.
