2. Being A Target
2
BEING A TARGET
I f the smirk on Angel’s face was throwing him off, it had nothing on the struggle he had to get past the heat in his hand as they shook.
He didn’t remember feeling that before with Angel.
Not Spencer’s baby sister!
But he hadn’t seen her in years and didn’t remember her looking like this either.
She was still a tiny little thing. He never knew if it was because of her heart issues or not, but she was barely five foot whereas Spencer was six foot. An inch shorter than Coy, and Coy loved to bust his best friend about that.
He had to lord it over someone because both his brothers were taller than him.
Which they rode his ass about too.
So yeah, he did know what it was like to be babied and was stunned Angel remembered him saying that to her so many years ago.
Angel still had light brown hair, but there were streaks of blonde in it now. It was past her shoulders and had some soft waves flowing around. Not like she styled it, but as if it was a natural thing that so many paid hundreds to achieve.
There wasn’t much makeup on her face that he could see or that he ever remembered before. Or it could be he wasn’t looking past the light blue eyes that seemed to be magnified and trying to see into his soul.
Holy fuck. Where the hell did that statement come from?
He let go of her hand fast. Maybe it was the connection causing all those crazy thoughts to pop into his brain.
“I’ve been swamped for years,” he said, trying to get back to their tour. “It’s not easy to find a dentist to come to the island. There are other offices here so I’m not alone.”
“But you don’t want people going to your competitors?” she said, feigning shock. It made him laugh. “And with your last name being Bond, I bet people are more inclined to come to you.”
He smirked. “My family alone are a lot of patients.”
“I didn’t think of that,” she said. “Is it fun having Bode and Drew in the chair? I’d love to have Spencer in my chair but doubt that will ever happen.”
He loved nothing more than to have his older brothers in the chair and at his mercy. Bode never flinched; Drew, he was easier to poke at and make him squirm.
He moved past her room and back toward the rooms where cleanings were done.
“I’ve got a system here that works well. I’ll have the manager explain it to you on Tuesday. It’s color-coded.”
“I’m sure I’ll pick it up quickly,” she said. “I can’t wait to start. I know I keep saying the same thing and I’ll stop. I should be home setting up my apartment, but my parents are doing that. It keeps them occupied. I know they are nervous about this move.”
“I think that is natural,” he said. “But your brother is only an hour away by air. You know we can get him here by helicopter if need be.”
She frowned. “I don’t plan on any emergencies. Don’t tell me you’re going to watch me like a hawk too. I don’t need that.”
“No,” he said. “You’re an adult. Spencer has said you have had no problems in years, right?”
“Nope,” she said smiling brightly. “Healthy as a horse.”
“A miniature horse,” he said, laughing.
“Good point,” she said, nudging his arm with hers. Nothing she hadn’t done before, but it felt different this time.
“I’ll show you our office,” he said. “It sounds funny to say that. I’ve never had to share anything with anyone other than my freshman year of college having a room with Spencer.”
“How much of a slob was he?” she asked. “His room was bad the few times I visited.”
“When it was just the two of us in one room he wasn’t too bad. He kept most of it to his side. Once we moved into the quad, I didn’t care,” he said, laughing. “I never went in there.”
No reason to say the only times he went in was to make sure his buddy wasn’t puking in his bed from a party the night before. They’d had each other’s back from day one.
There was a rule between them: neither of them got shitfaced on the same night so they could watch the other.
God only knows what other drunk college kids did or could be accused of.
It was something his parents had drilled into his head as a Bond and being a target.
If he wanted to let loose, he needed a wingman, and Spencer had been the most loyal friend he could have had in his life.
“I don’t blame you,” she said. “I tried to stay out of his room too. My mother made him keep the door shut because of the smell. I hope he’s not like that now.”
“He’s not,” he said, laughing. “Trust me.”
Hard to bring a woman home if you were.
“Glad to know he changed,” she said. “I’ve never been to his place. Just haven’t had the opportunity to go to New York City between school and working over the summer.”
“You’ll have more opportunity now if you want,” he said.
“I’m not thinking of time off and things to do.”
“There is a lot here on the island,” he said. “It’s a great place to grow up even though not many like to live here. I’ve never had a problem with it.”
But he always knew Boston was a hop, skip and jump away for him by helicopter. He’d spent enough of his life there going back and forth.
When he left for college, he thought he’d love experiencing life off the island.
Sure, it was fun. It was great at times.
He missed home.
It just reiterated the island was in his blood, like so many of his other cousins. Those that didn’t even grow up on the island.
Did many live in Boston and go back and forth? Yep, they did. But Coy? He was where he wanted to be.
And now he wouldn’t have to do a mad dash from room to room or lose patients because the wait time was too long.
“I don’t know how anyone would have a problem with it,” she said.
“People say that now, but you’ll learn it’s harder to get things here. Or slower. You can go to Boston and get it right away. You can have things delivered to Boston and pick them up or pay a courier too. Just so you know, it’s a perk I offer here. I need things for the office and pay for a courier service to go over two to three times a week to pick up packages and supplies. So if you ever want to order something and have it delivered to my address on the docks, feel free. Even if it’s not the day a courier is there, I bet you still get it faster.”
His father was the one who suggested he do that. A perk when it was hard to get employees.
He was shocked at how thrilled his staff was when he said he was doing it.
“That’s great,” she said. “And thank you again for helping me find a place. I know if it wasn’t for your family, this might not have happened.”
“It benefited me too,” he said.
Did his father and brothers let him know the first apartment that opened up before anyone else? Yep, they had. He bumped people on the waiting list and didn’t feel the least bit of guilt over it.
He had to get someone here and housing made that difficult too.
Finding and affording it.
He was offering what he thought was a very generous salary and then put a housing stipend on top of it.
For two years he’d been looking and couldn’t get anyone to bite. Who the hell would have thought it’d be this hard?
The best he’d been able to do was have a backup dentist in Plymouth willing to cover for him to take some time off.
Now things were finally looking up.
“This is our office?” she asked when he moved them into the last room at the end of the hall past the rest of his staff’s offices.
“It is,” he said. “Is there a problem with it?”
He was looking at the two desks facing each other. He tried to figure out the best way to set it up and having their backs to each other felt rude in his mind.
It’s not as if they were going to be in there together often. Not even taking the same lunch.
“No,” she said. “I didn’t think it’d be this big.”
“Being the boss, I get the biggest office,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
She smiled at him. There were some freaking tingles in his belly.
What the hell was going on with him?
“Very true,” she said. “The building is deceiving from the outside.”
“It’s long,” he said. “So yeah, you don’t realize the space.”
“Do you think you’d expand now that I’m here?”
“Not yet,” he said. “I like the space and I could if I need to. We could build off the back. My father owns the building, but for now, we are good. I always knew I’d have two dentists here. I don’t have hygienists in every room every day. Some are only working part time.”
“It looks like this is a well-oiled machine,” she said.
“I like to think so. And this is pretty much everything,” he said.
“Thanks for taking the time out to show me,” she said. “I know you’ve got things to do.”
“It’s fine,” he said. “I’ve got a few errands anyway and then I get to hang out with my best friend for a few days.”
“He said he’s coming in tonight,” she said. “My parents wanted to see him and this worked out since we are all here.”
“Yeah, it will be nice to have some time with him, but I know he’ll be hanging with you guys.”
“My parents are leaving Monday morning,” she said. “Spencer not until later that day or so. I think.”
“Four,” he said.
Spencer was staying with him rather than getting a hotel. Coy knew Angel’s apartment had two bedrooms so her parents were staying there. He offered to pick Spencer up today, but his buddy rented a car at Logan and was going to bring it over himself.
“You’ll see him soon anyway,” he said. “Probably before me.”
“He didn’t say,” she said.
“You know Spencer. He just flies by the seat of his pants in everything not career related. He’s got the code to get into my place if I’m not around.”
“I’ve never had a friendship like you two,” she said. “I hope to get it someday.”
“It’s the best,” he said. “Nothing better than knowing there is someone you can count on for anything in life. I’ve got that with my family, but having it with a friend or significant other is a great thing.”
“You’re dating someone?” she rushed out to ask.
He frowned over the urgency in her voice. “No,” he said. “Why do you ask that?”
“Oh, it’s just what you said. I thought that maybe you were.”
“Hard to have a relationship with all the time I spend working,” he said, laughing. “Maybe now that you’re here I can actually have a social life.”
He didn’t know why her smile dropped. “Glad I could help,” she said and looked away.