"Some manipulative jerk screwed me over a few months
ago. Cost me my job." Suddenly worried, she decided not to
say any more about it.
Tarzan snapped to attention. "Really? Who would mess
with you?"
"Nobody you know." Rebecca took a breath and changed
the subject. "I heard you mention Kay before. How do you
know her?"
"I barely know her at all. Just met her once or twice
through Dan. He's the one I know-we went to school
together as kids." He stepped back and stared at her some
more. " You're the bridesmaid-how do you know Kay?"
"I went to business school with her."
"A businesswoman?" He let out a brief but nervous
chuckle then got serious. "You have an MBA?"
He makes it sound like a bad thing. Was he threatened
by powerful women? Perhaps the beach bum couldn't
handle someone like her. "Is that a problem?"
"Not at all. In fact, I'm impressed. I was in business
once. But I'm happier now."
"Hey, I enjoy business. I do international relations at
Ultra Threads. What about you?"
"I don't have a job."
"Really? What do you do for money? Are you one of
those trust-fund kids?"
He wrinkled his nose and regarded her for a few
seconds. "Never had a trust fund. But I get by just fine
without working. I grew up among all these rich Westerleys
-they, uh, help me out here and there."
Help him out? Did his Westerley connections give him
enough to live on? From the stories she had heard about
that family, it was certainly possible. "So you freeload off
your Westerley friends?"
He darkened. "I am not a freeloader. Believe me, I will
never ask you for any money." He tried to smile but it faded
under its own weight. "Look, I think we've started off badly.
Why don't we back up and try again? I'm Oscar. Oscar Ezzo.
My friends all call me O.E."
The name reminded her of The Wizard of Oz. She
laughed and started to sing the chant from the Wicked
Witch of the West's guards, her voice deep. "'Oh Ee Oh. Ee
Oooooooo Uh.'"
O.E. stared at her with a growing grin. "Very impressive.
I haven't heard that in years. And yes, you've found out my
secret: I'm a Winkie guard."
"Winkie?"
"Aha! You know the movie but you haven't read the
book. The Winkies were the people who lived in western
Oz, and since the Wicked Witch was 'of the West,' she had
Winkie guards. Those soldiers chanting 'Oh Ee Oh' were
Winkies."
Rebecca pressed her lips together and nodded. "Very