Page 16 of Nothing to the Wedding

“I do as often as possible,” Roxie said in solidarity with her friend.“I don’t know how you live with him?”

“It’s a big house.I see him as little as possible.Soon as he goes limp, I am outta there.”

“You want to grill tonight?”Rourke asked without missing a beat.Roux wasn’t the only subject jumper.“We should throw on the grill.Keep things low-key.”

“Since when do you want low-key anything?”

“Since I have a week of bachelor parties coming up.Geez, pay attention, thank God you’re pretty.”

Everyone got up and moved toward the patio by the pool.

“How long is it until the big day?”Roux asked at her side.“Less than two weeks, right?”

“Ten days from tomorrow.”

“Great, that’s plenty of time to tear up the town.We should do it.Have a string of parties like them.”

“Jane won’t want to leave the baby.”

“Mommy and Daddy will have to figure out how to do it themselves eventually.Time to take off the training wheels.”

Mm, yeah, maybe she should talk to Jane about that.As much as Nanny Jane loved to help, she may not notice if Mommy and Daddy might rather be alone.

“Have your parties,” Rourke said.“You can trail around after us though, you’re not partying in our clubs the same night.”

Though Roux sucked in air, Roxie got there first.“You keep your clubs.I have a global array of them to choose from.”

“Oh my God, that’s right!”Roux gasped as both women sat at the glass patio table.“They can have America, we’ve got the whole damn world to choose from!”

“We do.”

“We should do Europe.I know a guy in London.Rourke sent him away, thinking it would slow me down.Ha, yeah, right.We should go to London.”Roux leaned sideways to stage whisper.“This guy wants in my pants and doesn’t know I’m married.”

London would be the last place Jane would want to party.Beyond that, Knox wouldn’t have it.Unless they agreed to take an army or something.

“He will by the morning.”Rourke opened the grill.“I’ll send out a companywide memo.Your pants belong to me, Babycakes.Can’t have the masses messing with the missus, I won’t be raising your little illegitimate monsters.Never forget I can tap into any camera in the world.Any camera.”

Roux shrugged.“Watch if you want, honey, maybe I’ll take Franco and Guillermo at the same time, get them drunk and take advantage.”

“I’ll fire them the next day.”

“Why would I care about their jobs?”Roux asked.“I’m only looking to get laid.I have your green for everything else.”

Snatching up a spatula, Rourke shook it at Roux.“I’m taking away your credit card.”

“You do that.I don’t usemycredit card, I useyourcredit card.”

“What’s his is yours.”

“Exactly,” Roux said.

The women’s glasses touched in a silent toast to sisterhood.

FIVE

“DO I SPEAK before I think?”Roxie asked, phone on the pillow next to her face.

“I don’t know, I’ll have to think about that.”