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Chapter Text

Lucy and Nolan pulled up to the house they'd been called to in response to a burglary report. It was an old-style Hollywood mansion and Lucy felt a little thrill as they walked through the large wooden double front doors.

The owners had been out of town and returned to find themselves burgled, cash and jewelry gone along with multiple items of movie memorabilia. CSI would come shortly to dust for prints in the rooms that had been ransacked, but in the meantime, Lucy spun around slowly in one of the apparently untouched rooms that had the look of a staging area.

"This is memorabilia that we were getting ready to donate," said the owner. "Feel free to look through it and take anything you like."

"Oh, I don't think I can do that," said Lucy.

"Honestly it has zero value beyond curiosity value," he insisted. "At least take a look for fun."

Lucy thanked him and opened one of the boxes at random to be polite. She pulled out an accordion folder labeled "Shameless Adventure" and undid the string holding it closed. Inside was a script and some other papers, as well as still shots from what looked like a film shoot. It looked like some kind of mash up of pirates and gladiators with actors in a lot of thongs.

Lucy chuckled as she pulled out a still of the man who appeared to be the lead actor. He was shirtless and bound to some kind of rack, being questioned by someone Lucy presumed was a bad guy. There were other shots of the actor, generally shirtless or in a torn shirt or a highly unbuttoned shirt as he struck various action poses. He had abs for days, she had to give him credit. There he was, sword fighting, wrestling a very fake looking monster, looking deeply into the eyes of a woman he was literally sweeping off her feet.

Lucy was struck by the last photo. The passion in his hooded eyes seemed genuine. His lips were parted just slightly as he contemplated the beauty in his arms.

Lucy flashed back to the recent undercover op she and Tim had successfully completed. During a lull in the action, she and Tim had stood apart from Hajek's crew, using their cover as a couple to avoid unnecessary engagement that could risk outing them as undercover cops.

Tim had looked at her that way, his lips slightly parted before he'd pulled her close and kissed her. The kiss was soft at first, but then he'd pressed her against the door of the getaway car she'd be responsible for driving and he'd deepened the kiss. He'd devoured her mouth as one of his hands had gripped her hip and the other caressed the back of her neck.

One of Hajek's men had called out it was time, and Tim had pulled back, seemingly reluctantly. His pupils had been blown, his lips flushed, his breathing uneven. Lucy had been confident she'd looked the same. He'd run his thumb over her lower lip and murmured, "You've got this."

And she had. The deal had been completed and the team had swept in to arrest the entire crew, Tim's and Lucy's cover personae included.

Lucy had broken up with Chris quietly in a hallway just before they left to meet Hajek. There hadn't been time to tell Tim. Angela had told her later that Tim had broken up with Ashley before they'd gone under. He hadn't told Lucy while they'd continued to work on their back story, but after Angela had told her she'd wondered if that's what he'd just wanted to say in the parking lot that morning.

Lucy shook her head to clear it and started to repack the photos and papers into the file. It didn't matter. They hadn't talked about the kiss afterwards. While it stung, Lucy assumed Tim had just been playing Jake and nothing more.

"Find something you'd like to keep?" asked the owner, walking back into the room.

"Yes, please," Lucy replied softly.

***

Back at the station, Lucy stepped away from paperwork to stretch her legs and grab a coffee in the break room. She brought her newly acquired file with her to keep her entertained while she sipped the suboptimal brew, shuddering slightly as it went down.

She left the picture of the hero and his love interest on top of the small pile of photos, and flipped through the script. It was pretty awful and Lucy could only imagine the pain of having to sit through an actual screening. Curious, she glanced through the other papers. One was a call sheet for one of the film days. As she scanned the names, her eyes went wide.

The hero was "Quigley Smitty."

"No way," Lucy breathed as she grabbed the top photo off to the pile.

She couldn't see it. She couldn't let herself see it in the man she had to admit she'd found attractive, who'd reminded her of...

Not going there, thought Lucy.

"Whatcha got there, Chen?" asked Smitty, breezing into the break room and heading right for the lousy coffee.

"Um...," said Lucy.

He dropped into the seat next to her and pulled over the pile of photos.

"Wow," he said, a huge grin lighting up his face. "Where did you get these?"

"Call today," she said. "Memorabilia they were giving away."

"Shameless Adventure," he said, flipping through the photos. "This takes me back."

"That's you?" squeaked Lucy.

"It sure is," said Smitty. "I was an actor before I went to the academy. I actually only went to the academy to prep for another role but the funding for the film fell through. I didn't have any other gigs lined up so I just finished the academy and here I am today. Can I keep these?"

"Of course," replied Lucy faintly. "There's a script and call sheets, too."

"You can keep those," said Smitty. "I don't need 'em. I lived it!"

He stood up and strode off, whistling as he presumably headed to change out. Lucy stared at the door as it closed after him. After a moment, she realized she still had one photo in her hand. She gathered up the script and papers, and put them back in the file with the photo. She'd stash the file in her locker and offer the photo to Smitty tomorrow.

Maybe she'd even ask who the actress was.

Chapter Text

The next day before roll call, Lucy spotted Smitty and doubled back to her locker to get the photo. By the time she returned he was gone, but she noticed that Patrice and Wesley had come by and were at Angela's desk with little Jackson. Lucy went right over to say hello.

"Lucy!" cried out Patrice, opening her arms. "You look lovely. You're able to make that uniform look so good, but then you make everything look good."

Lucy got the warm feeling in her chest that she got whenever Patrice was around. She felt safe and cared for and loved. She gave the older woman a shy smile and almost flew into the hug.

"I heard you broke up with that ADA," Patrice murmured in her ear. "You doing alright?"

"Yes," Lucy replied. "I should have done it sooner."

"Well it's done now," said Patrice, giving her a squeeze before she pulled back just slightly to look Lucy in the eye. "I also heard that Tim broke up with his girlfriend. Is he is still being clueless?"

"I'm not sure what you mean," mumbled Lucy, blushing slightly and looking over making sure Wesley and Angela were occupied with Jack.

"I see," said Patrice, releasing her. "You're both being clueless. What's that, dear?"

Lucy jumped on the change of topic.

"It's a photo from a film shoot," she said. "I found a bunch of them on a call. I was about to give it to Smitty. The film was called --"

"Shameless Adventure," Patrice sighed happily, taking the photo from Lucy's hand.

Angela's head whipped around.

"You've heard of Smitty's movie?" she asked.

"Darling, I was in it," replied Patrice with a grin. "That's me in the photo."

All eyes dropped to the photo.

"Mom," said Wesley slowly. "That's you? With Smitty?"

"Oh yes," said Patrice. "Your father and I had such a fight when I got a small part in the film. He said no but I wanted to do it, so we split up briefly and I did. I knew we'd get back together afterwards, though."

"Dad must have been so pissed," said Wesley with a chuckle. "Good for you, mom."

"Little did I know that the lead actor was into older women," continued Patrice, smiling fondly at the photo. "So I decided to have one last fling before the wedding."

Wesley made a choking sound. Angela's jaw dropped. Lucy just stared.

"You had a fling," Angela managed to say. "With Smitty?!"

"Quigley was a very attractive man," said Patrice breezily. "He was kind and attentive. He made me feel confident and beautiful. But I made up with your father and got married and had you right away, Wesley. So it all worked out."

Wesley made another small sound that Lucy had trouble categorizing. Angela rubbed his back and made eye contact with Lucy, who shrugged, bemused.

"I'll hang on to this," said Patrice, plucking the photo from Lucy's hand. "Quigley won't mind. Lucy it's always wonderful to see you. Angela, Wesley, I'll see you tonight, my dears."

As Patrice rolled Jack's stroller away, Lucy risked a look at Wesley's face. He seemed... numb.

"You OK, babe?" asked Angela softly.

"I just did the math," said Wesley, barely above a whisper. "Babe,... what if Smitty is my father?"

Angela sucked in a breath. Lucy glanced over towards the door where the day shift was filing in for roll call. With an apologetic look at Angela, she joined the line.

***

Patrol with Tim was still the slightly awkward affair it had been since their UC op. Overall it was a busy day, for which Lucy was grateful. She felt like Tim was constantly on the verge of saying something to her during the lulls but kept changing his mind.

It was driving her insane. She wanted him to just rip off the bandage. If she was going to be hurt, she preferred to get it over with quickly. Not that it was going to hurt any less. She was just going to have to confront things head on if he wasn't willing to, she thought.

When they returned the shop to the station parking lot, there was another pause. She waited, only to have Tim mumble something about getting started on their paperwork as he left the shop. Lucy sighed and grabbed their equipment to return it.

Walking back into the station, Lucy noticed a crowd around Smitty. People were handing around the still shots from Shameless Adventure and Smitty was regaling everyone with tales from his acting days.

"I did all of my own stunts," he said. "Which was a little tricky in those costumes. Let's just say we had more than a few wardrobe malfunctions."

Nyla walked up to Lucy and cocked her head.

"What's Smitty up to?" she asked.

Someone handed her a photo. Her eyes went wide.

"Who's the snack?" she asked Lucy under her breath.

"Like what you see, Harper?" asked Smitty.

Nyla squinted.

"This is you," she said, her voice level as she gave Smitty a hard stare.

He nodded, smiling.

"It's hot, right?"

"Oh, hell no," she said, shoving the photo at Aaron as he walked up.

"What's this?" asked Aaron, watching Nyla stalk away and then looking down. He chuckled.

"Respect, Smitty," he said with a grin, handing the photo to him.

"Thank you, Thorsen," Smitty replied with a nod.

The crowd started breaking up. Lucy approached Smitty.

"There was one more photo," she said. "But, um... Patrice took it."

"That's fine," said Smitty, smiling fondly. "I can't tell you how great it was to see her again after all these years. She's still a dish."

Lucy's eyebrows went up. She noticed Tim glance over at them from at his desk, where he sat, supposedly making his way through paperwork.

"So, Chen," said Smitty. "I do consulting for young actors here at the food trucks after work. In fact, I'm meeting an actor tonight who works on a police procedural. You'll like him, you should come by."

"It's been a long day," said Lucy. "I've got paperwork."

"Chen," said Smitty gently. "You've been down in the dumps lately. You're smiling a lot less. I know it's not from breaking up with that dumb ADA. About time, by the way."

Lucy shuffled on her feet uncomfortably, aware that Tim was now watching her closely.

"How do you know about that?" she asked quietly.

"You dumped him in the hallway before that UC op," said Smitty, shrugging. "I happened to be headed to the break room and I overheard."

"Oh," said Lucy softly.

"I don't know what's got you so bummed out but sometimes a change of scenery is what helps shake you out of the doldrums," said Smitty.

"I go to the food trucks all the time," Lucy said, smiling. "I'm not sure how that's a change of scenery."

"This guy is a change of scenery," said Smitty, giving her a wide smile. "Trust me. You're stuck looking at Bradford's grumpy face all day. Give my guy a shot. Worst case, you'll get a beer on me. Best case, you'll have a fun evening and meet someone you want to spend more time with."

"OK fine," she said. "I'll come meet your friend."

"Mentee," said Smitty.

"Your mentee," Lucy repeated back. "I need 30-45 minutes for paperwork then I'll come and find you."

"Sounds good" said Smitty with a wink. "I'm heading over. Don't want to keep my mentee waiting!"

Lucy made her way to the desk across from Tim's and dropped into her seat. She pulled a small stack of papers toward her and started working. After a few minutes' silence, Lucy heard Tim clear his throat gently. She glanced up.

"So you're hanging out with Smitty now?" he asked.

She shrugged and returned her gaze to the papers. She could feel Tim's eyes boring holes into her.

"And you're letting Smitty set you up with some actor?" he asked.

Lucy closed her eyes. She took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She opened her eyes and looked at Tim.

"I'm going to do my paperwork in the break room," she said calmly. "I'll leave it in your inbox for review and approval. See you tomorrow, sir."

She wasn't proud of the flash of hurt she saw in Tim's eyes when she said "sir," but she didn't have the energy to decipher his mood. She stood and gathered her papers, and walked away toward the break room. She wasn't certain if she heard a quiet "Lucy" from behind her or if it was just wishful thinking, so she ignored it.

She'd do her paperwork and hope Tim was gone by the time she was ready to drop it off, she thought. She had to decide tonight how she was going to tell Tim tomorrow that she was quitting, and that he'd need to get a new aide. She'd let this go on too long, just like she had with Chris. So she'd just have to put a stop to this, too, and move on.

By the time she was finished, Tim was (to her relief and partial disappointment) gone. She dropped off her paperwork and went to change out. Then she'd go meet Smitty's mentee briefly before she headed home for a good cry.

With another sigh, Lucy headed to the food trucks and prepared to access her UC toolkit to force a smile on her face.

Chapter Text

Tim wanted to kick himself as he watched Lucy walk away. He tried quietly calling her back to the desk, but she either didn't hear him or ignored him.

He cursed quietly under his breath. Why had he snarked about Smitty? He'd finally gotten himself to the point where he was going to ask if she wanted to get dinner and watch TV. Spend some time together outside of work. And then he could observe and see if he could spot any sign that their "practice" kisses in her apartment and the kiss they'd shared during the op had affected her the way they'd affected him. But he'd blown it.

He'd made her angry. The "sir" spoke volumes.

After that second kiss in Lucy's apartment, he'd known that he needed to end things with Ashley. There was no future for them. He'd liked Ashley but they didn't want the same things. Marriage, kids. He felt ashamed but part of him whispered that even if she had, once he'd kissed Lucy, tasted Lucy, felt Lucy's hands stroke his face, his neck, rest against his chest... that was it. He'd stood in the hallway outside of her apartment and took stock of his head, his body and his heart and all any of them wanted was Lucy.

He'd shown up at Ashley and Jerry's place unannounced, grateful that Jerry had turned in early. He and Ashley had talked, acknowledged they were both fixed in their vision of their respective futures, and agreed that it was better to end things before they went any further. Ashley had retrieved a sweatshirt she'd borrowed and had wished him luck. He'd wished her the same. Then he'd gone home and forced himself to get a few hours of sleep. Hajek would be calling about the job, he had to be ready.

Tim had waited in the parking lot for Lucy, his heart pounding. He'd jumped out of his truck, prepared to tell her everything. That it was over with Ashley. That he'd realized he needed Lucy, wanted Lucy, wanted to be everything for Lucy.

He'd stopped himself when he'd remembered that she was still with Chris. His heart had dropped and he'd covered, awkwardly, by saying they needed to do more work on their cover story. Then they'd gone on the mission and he'd poured everything he'd been feeling into another kiss, pressing her against the getaway car....

After the mission, he kept freezing up. As soon as things got quiet - when he was alone, when they were in the shop between calls - all he could think about it how it felt to kiss her and hold her in his arms. He'd become tongue tied, terrified of what would come out of his mouth if he wasn't careful. He'd seen the hurt in her eyes when he gave her curt answers and didn't engage in their usual banter.

If he'd known she'd broken up with Chris, he'd have been over at her place right after the mission. But he hadn't known and she hadn't told him. But now he knew and he was fairly certain Angela had told Lucy that things were over with Ashley. Had he waited too long to say something? He wasn't worried about Smitty's actor friend, but he needed to say something soon or it would be too late.

He stood and started to follow Lucy, only to run into a wall of Angela.

"I need to talk to you about Wes," she said. "Drinks at the food trucks now."

***

Tim changed out and followed Angela to the food trucks. He noticed Smitty talking to some guy whose face was blocked by others standing around the table, chatting. Lucy wasn't out yet, presumably either still doing paperwork in the break room or not yet finished changing out. He sighed and returned his attention to Angela.

"So what's wrong with Wes?" he asked. "The DA's office not willing to take him on."

"Are you kidding?" asked Angela. "Delmonte is thrilled. This is what's wrong."

She pulled up a photo on her phone - an image of a printed photo. Tim zoomed in to look at it more closely.

"Is this a still from that movie Smitty was in?" he asked slowly. "Who's the actress?"

Smitty's fitness level was... disturbing. Tim knew how hard he had to work to stay in shape. The Smitty in the photo was younger than Tim and looked amazing.

"Yes," said Angela. "It's Shameless Adventure. And that's Patrice."

"Wait... what?"

"That's Patrice," Angela repeated. "She temporarily broke up with Evers senior to be in the movie and had an affair with Smitty."

"What?!"

"Now Wes is freaking out that Smitty is his bio dad."

"OK, there is no way," said Tim. "There's just no way. And isn't Patrice at least a decade older than Smitty?"

"That's sexist," said Angela. "And anyway it turns out Smitty likes older women."

"What are you going to do?" asked Tim.

"I don't know," said Angela with a sigh. "Right now I just need a beer so I can be prepared to go home and brace for impact. Whoa. Holy shit!"

"What now?" asked Tim.

"That guy with Smitty," she said. "That's Chase Marker. The super hottie from that cop show The Sergeants."

Tim looked over at Smitty's table. The people who had been standing and chatting had moved on, so he now had a clear view of Smitty's mentee's face. Tim remembered seeing an ad for the show during a football game. He remembered seeing a scene set in the station locker room with the guy peeling off his shirt.

"Oh my God, how is he even more gorgeous in real life?" asked Angela in a murmur. "He's got abs for days."

Tim scoffed, then instinctively looked toward the entrance area where Lucy was walking in, wearing dark wash skinny jeans and a dark green blouse that looked like it had one too many buttons undone in Tim's opinion. Smitty spotted her and waved her over.

"Uh oh," said Angela as Lucy walked right by them without a glance, focused on Smitty and his guest.

Tim squeezed his beer bottle, feeling anxious.

Marker stood to greet Lucy. Said Smitty spoke highly of her. Asked if she would please join them for drinks, and what could he get her? He pulled out and held her chair for her as she sat down.

"Manners," breathed Angela. "Nice."

Tim let go of the bottle, afraid he might shatter it. He held doors for Lucy all of the time. He had manners.

"I'd love to get your take on policing," Marker was saying, looking intently into Lucy's eyes. "I realize that a lot of stuff we do is dramatized for the show but I'm hoping to make sure the portrayal is respectful."

"I'm sure Smitty has given you lots of input," said Lucy. "But I'm happy to share my perspective."

"Why don't I go get us a round," said Smitty, smiling at the pair and walking off, leaving them alone.

Tim and Angela eavesdropped as Lucy and Marker talked, him about the show, her about high level patrol details, nothing sensitive.

Tim ground his teeth. Lucy still hadn't noticed he was there.

He watched them. There were constant small touches as they talked. There wasn't nearly enough personal space. Tim was frustrated and anxious and... he realized he felt hurt. Normally all of those touches, that nearness was reserved for him.

"I'd love to ask him about what it's like working with an intimacy coordinator for the sexy scenes," murmured Angela.

Tim had to hold back a snarl.

The next thing he knew, Marker was talking to Lucy about doing a scene class with him.

"From what Smitty's told me, it's like undercover work but with way lower stakes," said Marker.

Tim and Angela both scoffed.

"Honestly, I'd need to check my schedule," said Lucy. "But maybe. I'll have to let you know."

Tim watched her grin. He could tell she was interested. At least in the idea of the class. Hopefully not the actor.

He got a weird feeling in his gut.

He watched as Lucy and Marker exchanged numbers.

The feeling got worse.

Lucy announced she had to go just as Smitty came back with drinks. Marker stood as Lucy stood, thanked her again for her time and wished her a great night. She walked away and never once noticed that Tim was there.

Lucy always noticed Tim. They always found each other in a room, at a scene. Always.

Now Tim felt anxious and frustrated and pissed off. As he watched her vanish around the corner, Tim recognized the weird feeling in his gut.

He was jealous.

"You OK, Tim?" asked Angela.

"No," he ground out.

"Well at least you don't have to stress that Smitty is the grandfather of your child," she said, downing the rest of her beer.

***

Tim was still sitting with his realization the next day. His skin buzzed as he thought about seeing Lucy, being close to her, hearing her voice. Then she was in roll call, and then he was next to her in the shop. They went through their day and he stayed close, the way he usually did. He touched her shoulder, her lower back, held doors for her - all things he usually did. But by the end of the day he realized that she wasn't touching him back.

As he drove, he realized that he had to talk to Lucy now. He took in a breath, eyes scanning for a parking space that he could pull the shop into, when she spoke.

"Why are you so angry with me?" she asked softly.

"I'm not," he replied, startled.

"Could have fooled me," she said "You barely talk to me any more since the operation."

Her voice sounded fragile, like she was on the verge of tears. His heart ached.

"We talk," he started carefully.

"No we don't, not like we used to," she said, her voice thin. "The operation changed things and I think... I think maybe we shouldn't ride...."

A call from dispatch over the radio cut her off and interrupted Tim's panic attack. The rest of the day was busy. When they finally got back to the station, Lucy launched herself out of the shop, ignoring his "Chen" and his follow up "Lucy." She grabbed their gear and bolted for the equipment window almost before he could get out of the shop.

When he went inside, he saw her at her desk getting started on their paperwork. He sat across from her quietly. He could tell from the tension in her shoulders that she knew he was there, but she refused to look up.

"Lucy," he said softly.

She kept writing, blinking hard as she did so.

"Lucy, I haven't been sleeping well," he said quietly. "I've had a lot on my mind, trying to figure out how to tell someone really important to me that... that I have feelings for her."

Lucy froze.

"Can we please talk?" he asked. "Really talk?"

Lucy's phone buzzed. Tim glanced down at where it sat on the desk and saw Chase Marker's name with a text message below it.

"Please," whispered Tim.

Lucy looked up at Tim. She looked down at her phone and tapped out a reply to Marker's text.

"Let's go," she said.

She stood and headed toward the locker room. Tim scrambled to follow.

***

Next morning was the best morning Tim had had in a long time, because he woke up with his arms full of Lucy.

Last night they'd picked up food and gone back to his place. He'd admitted he wasn't sleeping because she was all he could think about. That she was all he could think about since the practice kiss. She'd quietly admitted the same.

He'd asked if he, Tim, could kiss her, Lucy.

This morning they were both exhausted for a good reason.

On the drive in, they agreed that since Grey was out they'd ride together until he got back in a few days and could decide what they should do. They'd keep it professional.

Everything felt like it was back to normal. Lucy chattered at him and Tim rolled his eyes. The small touches were back, they were close in each other's personal space. It was like nothing had changed except that after work Tim knew he'd be able to get to be even closer to Lucy.

By the end of the day, it was difficult not to give her heated looks across the desk as they did their paperwork.

After he changed out, Tim came across Angela teasing Lucy and talking about Chase.

"His abs give Smitty's back-in-the-day abs a run for their money," said Angela.

"I gave Chase all his workout tips," said Smitty, smirking. "Hey, Chen! Chase really liked you. I told him you were single and he should reach out."

"You are single," said Angela, smiling.

She stopped smiling when Tim shot her a dirty look.

What? she mouthed at him.

"He reached out," said Lucy, smiling. "I told him I was busy. He seems like a really nice guy, Smitty. He's... just not my type."

"Well, it's nice to see you smiling, Chen," said Smitty. "I have other mentees, though. I bet we can find you someone more your type."

Tim frowned.

"What's up?" asked Angela.

"Nothing," Tim groused.

"Bullshit," muttered Angela. "Anyway, I have real problems. Here comes Wes."

"Evers!" called out Smitty. "Thanks for coming over to meet me."

"My mom called and said Angela needed me," said Wesley, looking nervous.

"Of course she does, but that's not why you're here," said Smitty. "Look, Evers, I didn't bang your mom so there's no way I could be your dad."

"But she said...," started Wesley.

"I bet she said we had a fling, right?" asked Smitty. "Kid, you have to understand. Your mom is a goddess and I was not worthy. She was kind, but she just thought of me as a fun, disposable time. No way would she have risked saddling herself with a... permanent connection to some random actor."

"Oh," said Wesley. "I guess that's a relief. No offense."

"None taken," said Smitty. "If I was your dad, though, I'd be super proud of you. I'm glad you're heading to the DA's office and that you'll be on our team."

"I... thanks, Smitty," said Wesley. "That means a lot. Look, we're having dinner with my mom tomorrow night. Why don't you join us?"

"I'd love to," said Smitty. "Send me the details."

"Sounds great," said Angela, glaring at Wesley.

"I'm allergic to vegetables," said Smitty. "See you tomorrow!"

"This is on you," Angela growled at Wesley.

"It's all good," said Wesley. "He's not my dad!"

"I think the show is over," Tim whispered to Lucy as they watched Angela and Wesley start to squabble.

The two of them headed to Tim's truck. Checking first to make sure no one was around, Tim reached out and took Lucy's hand. When they reached his truck, he crowded her against the door and leaned down to kiss her passionately.

"Better than the op?" he murmured.

"So much better," said Lucy. "Take me home, Tim."

They hopped into his truck and drove off.

***

A few moments later, Smitty, stepped out from behind the pillar that had masked him as he followed the clueless couple. He raised his phone to his ear.

"Patrice, you called it," he said smugly. "That was just the push those idiots needed."

"We're splitting the pool," she replied. "And you will eat whatever vegetables get put in front of you at dinner tomorrow. I feel bad about spooking Wesley the way we did."

"It was all good fun, gorgeous," said Smitty. "Truth hurts but he'll recover. Of course I can't wait to see the look on Grey's face when he sees how close he got to winning."

"Be nice, dear," admonished Patrice. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you then."

Smitty whistled all the way to Shangra-La.