Page 70 of Bad Girls Don't Marry Marines (Rock Canyon, Idaho 3)

Jenny was the youngest of the Andrews’s four children, seventeen and pretty as a new penny. “I remember you. You used to run around with my sister Thea.”

“Yep, that’s right. I also remember doing your makeup and nails a couple of times.”

“Yes!” Justin caught the obvious hero worship on Jenny’s face. It was pretty clear her memories of Val were good ones that had stuck with her.

“How is Thea? I haven’t seen her since I got back.”

Jenny grabbed some menus as she made a disgusted sound. “Ugh, stuck up and superior.”

Justin caught Val biting her lip, obviously fighting a smile. He’d only been friendly with Carl and barely knew Thea, but considering who her mother was, he could believe she was difficult.

Jenny led them to the back of the Steakhouse, its heavy wooden columns and outdoorsy décor complementing the dim lighting and atmosphere perfectly. She seated them in a booth and handed them their menus.

“Your waitress should be here in a minute. It was really good to see you, Valerie.”

“You too, Jenny.”

Jenny disappeared, and Justin shook his head. “It’s funny how different siblings can be.”

Val smiled, taking a drink of her water as she looked over the menu. “Are their huge differences between your brother and you?”

“Some. He’s a lot funnier than I am,” he said with a straight face. “What about you and your sisters?”

“Besides our obvious physical differences, Caroline is cockier than I am. She never had any fear, no matter what was standing in her way. And Ellie . . . well, she can charm her way out of anything.”

“And you? What’s your superpower?” he asked, only she didn’t get to answer before their waitress came up to the table. Justin ordered the New York steak with a beer and Val ordered the same, well done, with a glass of Merlot. When the waitress left, Justin prodded, “So, you were saying what your superpower is.”

“Oh, I’m a master of sneakiness. I got away with so much more in college than my dad even knows about.”

Justin didn’t like the implication, thinking again about the rumors of her sleeping around on her husband. “Like what?”

“Like I was a bookie for two years, and he thinks I just got caught up in one poker game.”

Is that it? “A little illegal gambling, huh? Anything else?”

She paused with her water glass halfway to her mouth and raised an eyebrow. “If there’s something you want to ask, Justin, I wish you’d just do it.”

“I’m just curious about guys you dated. What other wild stuff you got into.”

“Are you asking if I slept around?”

He watched her expression darken. “No, forget it. You brought up the sneakiness and I wondered about what you’ve been up to the last ten years.”

Her scowl didn’t lessen. Squirming in his seat, he was saved once again by their waitress, who had salads and drinks in hand. She set them down, along with a basket of warm bread, and left them in awkward silence.

They ate for several minutes, neither saying a word, until Val said bluntly, “I never cheated on my ex-husband, if that’s what you were trying to ask.”

He could hear the hurt in her voice and wanted to kick himself. If he’d actually thought she’d do something like that, why had he even pursued her?

“I’m sorry. I didn’t really think—”

“It’s all right. Everyone else assumes I did it, so why shouldn’t you?”

She set down her fork and napkin and stood up.

“Where are you going?”

“To the little girls’ room to powder my nose or something.”