A few days after the latest incident in the rec room, Lee catches up with Brenna on the mess deck. She sits by herself, picking at a salad while reading on her tablet. Lee drops his lunch tray onto the table in front of hers, then hooks his long legs around the attached stool before sliding onto the seat. Without looking up from her tablet, Brenna says, “Whatever you want from me, the answer is no.”
Lee tries to look surprised and hurt at the same time, and fails miserably. “Can’t a guy have lunch with a friend without having an ulterior motive?”
“A guy can, sure,” Brenna admits. “But I know you. And the answer is still no.”
“You haven’t even heard me out yet.”
Now she glances at him, a knowing smirk on her face. “Hm-mmm. No ulterior motive, my ass.”
“Look,” Lee reasons, “all I want i
