Chapter 8
A tall blond-haired man entered the restaurant and looked around the noisy, crowded room.
Tiffany's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. "Is that him?"
All heads swiveled toward the front. "Yeah, that's Kensi's new guy," confirmed Lauren.
"I totally approve," said Tiffani.
Joanna waved her hand and yelled, "Over here, Marty."
Deeks smiled and worked his way back to their table. He nodded at the two women he hadn't met. "You're the Tiffanies."
"Guilty as charged," giggled Tiffani.
"Are you here to arrest us?" asked Tiffany. She was on the verge of hyperventilation and quickly took a slurp of her margarita.
Deeks eyed them speculatively. "That depends. Have you done anything illegal?"
Tiffany and Tiffani looked at each other. "Well . . . we jaywalked coming to the restaurant," said Tiffani.
Deeks shook his head. "Oooh, that's bad. Did you at least look both ways before committing the offense of jaywalking?"
"Yeah, we did that," said Tiffany.
Deeks pretended to think about it for a minute. "I suppose I can let you off with a warning this time."
"Oh, thank you so much, Detective," giggled Tiffani.
As much as Deeks enjoyed this banter, dare he say flirtation, with Kensi's friends, he sensed they would keep him here all evening if he didn't take control of the situation.
Looking around he asked, "Uh, where's Kensi?"
"You mean Kensalina?" asked Lauren, barely able to suppress a giggle.
Deeks chuckled. "Yeah, Kensalina."
Joanna jerked a thumb toward the rear of the restaurant. "Bathroom."
Kensi dried her hands and inserted her ear wig. She stood at the sink and listened in amazement as her friends started peppering Deeks with questions:
Do you miss being a lawyer? Do you work out a lot? Are you really a surfer? Can you teach me to surf? What's the scariest part of your job?
"The scariest part of my job? Believe it or not, some days it's riding with Kensi."
Loud guffaws of laughter erupted from the table. Nearby diners craned their necks to see what was so funny.
"I can believe it," said Lauren. "Kensi's a bit of a lead foot."
"That's putting it mildly," agreed Deeks. "Last Thursday we were going to lunch and . . ."
Suddenly, Kensi was in his left ear. "If you can stop schmoozing with my friends, we need to get to the hospital."
Deeks' head jerked and he touched his ear.
"You okay, Marty?" asked Tiffany.
"Yeah, good. I think a gnat flew in my ear."
"A gnat?" hissed Kensi. "Don't make me request a new partner."
Deeks continued as if he had not heard her. "Or maybe a mosquito. You know, something really buzzy and annoying."
"You have no idea how annoying I can be," warned Kensi.
A minute later, Kensi exited the bathroom and stopped. Peals of high-pitched laughter floated around the corner to her.
Are you kidding me? They act like they've never seen a cute guy before. Hold up. Do I think Deeks is cute? She mentally slapped herself. Work, Kensi! Get your head in the game. She hiked up her purse on her shoulder and marched toward their table with a scowl.
"There you are, partner. Ready to go?" asked Deeks as he stood up.
"Let's roll. I already paid my check."
"I hate that you have to leave so early, but since you'll be with Marty, it's okay," said Joanna with a wink. The girls got up and exchanged brief hugs with Kensi.
Deeks looked on in amusement. "Do I get a hug?" He tried to sound like a little lost boy.
Kensi grabbed his arm. "We don't have time for that. We're on the clock."
"Another time then, ladies," called Deeks over his shoulder as Kensi urged him toward the door.
"Did you see that?" asked Tiffani.
"What? How Kensi took possession of him?" said Joanna wistfully.
"How his face lit up when he saw Kensi. Oh yeah, it's happening!" said Tiffani.
The girls high-fived each other and signaled the waiter for another round of drinks.
"Your friends seem nice," said Deeks when they were in the car.
"They are, but they may have been tainted somewhat now that they've met you."
Deeks laughed. "Touché. However, I prefer to think their lives have been tremendously enriched by even this fleeting encounter with 'never say no to a party' Marty."
Kensi snorted. "Just keep on living in fantasy land. If I hadn't rescued you, they would have dragged you out to the beach for a surfing lesson tonight."
"I don't see any downside to that. Beautiful women, warm breezes, squishy sand between your toes."
"The only thing that's going to be squishy is your head when I pummel it if you don't start paying attention. You missed the exit for the hospital."
"Don't fret, Kensalina. The next exit up here will dump us behind the ambulance bay of the ER. As federal agents on an active case, we won't be hassled about parking. Not to mention, I know some of the ER nurses."
Kensi shook her head. "I'll bet you do."