Wrench stripped out of his suit with distaste. He always felt ridiculous dressed up. There was no point putting a diamond collar on a junkyard dog.

Someone had snuck into his room, much as they had Lydia’s, and tidied the place. The champagne was in a vessel of meltwater, and the condom rosette made Wrench scowl. Rose petals bruised underneath his feet, making the room smell too sweet.

The Shifting Sands staff uniform felt considerably more comfortable, and Wrench stomped down to the kitchen to find breakfast and advice.

Jenny and Travis were kissing in front of the fridge, which did not improve Wrench’s mood.

They broke apart when he cleared his throat, and laughingly gave him passage to the food.

Tex was pouring himself coffee, and Bastian and Saina were sitting together on the couch. Saina was reading a wedding magazine and Bastian was sorting his first aid kit on the coffee table.

Wrench took a plate of fancy egg pie and a thick slice of bacon, and went to the little island, altogether too aware of the amused and curious looks he was receiving.

“Does he look satisfied?” Jenny asked Travis in a stage aside. “I can’t tell.”

“Who could? He doesn’t do anything but glower.”

“Lydia never signaled us to come dump him in the pool, so presumably he didn’t blow it,” Tex added, leaning against the counter.

“I’m right here,” Wrench growled. “And I have ears.”

“No expressions, though,” Jenny teased.

“I asked her to marry me,” Wrench confessed.

From the couch, Saina actually applauded, and the rest of the staff gave a chorus of congratulations until Travis thought to ask, “What did she say?”

“She… didn’t seem real happy about it.”

There was a moment of silence, then Bastian demanded, “What did you do?”

“I told her, we had to, I guess, and she… wasn’t really pleased.”

The men in the room all groaned.

“Did you say that?” Jenny asked in disbelief. “‘I guess,’ and ‘We have to?’”

“Sweet daisies,” Tex said, shaking his head.

“I think that’s worse than my proposal,” Bastian said in a stage whisper to Saina.

“You didn’t propose,” Saina whispered back. “Your mommy and daddy made you promise to marry me. And this is even worse than that.”

Wrench stabbed a fork into a fancy egg. “Look, I know I screwed up,” he said. “I ain’t no poetry man or whatever Lydia was looking for. You can all be assholes, or you can actually fucking help me.”

There was a moment of silence, then Tex cleared his throat. “What kind of help are you hoping for?”

“I’m not writing poetry for you,” Travis said swiftly. “Ask Jenny, I’m terrible.”

“It was sweet,” Jenny protested.

“I wanna know how to do my own sissy stuff,” Wrench said. “I’m not gonna ask someone else to do it.”

“It doesn’t matter what you do,” Saina said, putting aside her magazine. “It will just matter that you try.”

“It’s just showing that you care,” Jenny agreed.

Wrench might not have expressions of his own, but he was good at reading them on the faces of others; the men in the room did not agree.

“Flowers,” Tex suggested neutrally. “There’s a reason they’re a classic.”

“Just don’t pick your own without asking Graham,” Travis reminded him firmly.

“He could take her on a walk out to the waterfall,” Bastian mused.

“Oh, that’s a gorgeous walk,” Jenny agreed. “Take a blanket.”

“Just don’t fall down a cliff and collapse a lung,” Travis added.

Jenny sighed. “You could just bring Travis, he’s a wet blanket.”

Saina rose to her feet and walked into the kitchen. “You guys are amateurs. You have to figure out what it is she’d specifically enjoy,” she said. “The more personal the gesture, the more it’s going to mean. When Bastian was courting me, he went and got me the one thing I needed more than anything else in the world.”

“You called me an idiot,” Bastian protested.

“You were,” Saina told him with a dazzling smile. “But it was very sweet of you. What does Lydia like?”

The things Wrench first thought of were wildly inappropriate. He struggled to remember what she’d had in her room. “Yoga? Piles of rocks?”

Tex smothered a laugh. “That’s not much to work with.”

“She likes music,” Jenny said. “Can you play an instrument?”

Wrench gave her a skeptical look.

“Okay, maybe not.”

“She likes pretty things,” Bastian offered.  

Everyone carefully didn’t look at Wrench.

“I could figure out her favorite dishes and you could cook her a romantic dinner here at The Den,” Saina suggested.

Wrench snorted.

“Maybe we should narrow this to things Wrench can do?” Travis suggested. “What are your skills?”

“My skills ain’t applicable,” Wrench said dryly. “Unless she needs a drain unclogged or someone persuaded.”

“She likes dancing,” Tex said thoughtfully. “Breck still says he can teach anyone to salsa.”

“Nope.” Wrench stuffed another fancy egg bite in his mouth. “Not happening.”

Jenny looked at her watch. “I’m going to have to get going. The charter is coming in about an hour. Who’s driving the van?”

Travis offered his elbow. “I’ll be conducting your chariot, lady.”

Jenny took his arm. “Thank you kindly, sir.”

“Will you need assistance with your luggage?”

“You may carry my bag, James,” Jenny said with laughter.

“Is this the kind of crap Lydia wants?” Wrench asked Tex desperately.

“Afraid so,” Tex said with a laugh.

Wrench groaned. “I’m so fucked.”