Jasper sounded equally helpless. "What else am I supposed to do?" He leaned back against the sofa, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "The girl's counting on me. If I don't step in, Dawnblade's finished."
Simon flat-out refused to believe him. "Wren asked you for help?" After a pause, he added, "You sure she actually asked?"
Jasper flicked ash into the tray and answered lazily, "Not yet. She invited me to dinner Saturday to talk."
Then he added, utterly shameless, "But what if she begs me then?"
Simon was left speechless.
*****
One in the afternoon, Wren sat alone in the hotel restaurant. She'd barely taken two bites of lunch when someone pulled out the chair across from her and sat down without asking.
She looked up. The shrimp in her mouth instantly lost all flavor. Actually, it made
