Chapter 298

Our usual private jet awaited, and I greeted Christy, our longtime flight attendant, with a hug. Jess did, too, and kissed her on the cheeks. Five minutes later, we were wheels up to Los Angeles.

“I’m not going to lie, baby,” Jess said when we were airborne. “It’s kind of nice to get away.”

“Life suddenly became a pressure-cooker, didn’t it?” I said with a smile.

“In a good way,” Jess said. “At least I think so.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” I said, nodding my head.

“It’s nice that they gave us a hall pass to party,” she added, eyes shimmering.

Jess and I had minimized our consumption of alcohol and out of solidarity with our pregnant girlfriends. But Kat and Rita had given us the thumbs-up to enjoy LA to its fullest.

“I’m not opposed to a little indulgence,” I said with a chuckle.

“Good,” Jess said, still smiling. “Because I’m ready to get a little wild.”

She rolled a vial of cocaine across the table to me. My eyes went wide.