Thirteen
W e had gotten up, rinsed off in the shower, changed the bedding, unlocked our bedroom door, and then I made him roll over and tucked him into the curve of my body. He was out in seconds, and I was right behind him. I couldn’t remember ever sleeping better.
In the morning, I smelled coffee and got up—or tried to, but it took a minute, as I was stiffer and far more sore than anticipated.
After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I turned off the alarm and limped out to the kitchen in jeans, a T-shirt, and a heavy cable-knit button-up sweater that had seen better days.
I borrowed Luke’s fuzzy house slippers because my feet hurt. I was a mess.
Viola put a cup of coffee in front of me and asked me what I took in it.
“Just cream,” I mumbled. “And thank you.”
“It always hurts more the second day,” she assured me as Tatum walked into the room in her bunny robe with the hood with the ears and matching bunny slippers and mittens.
“What’s with the mittens?” I asked her.
“My hands are cold,” she said, draping herself over my back, wrapping her arms around my neck, and kissing my cheek. “Where is your French press?”
“Your grandmother was kind enough to make coffee.”
“But you like your French roast in your French press.”
“Yes, but we’re appreciating your grandmother’s efforts at the moment.”
Viola chuckled. “That’s all right, Nash. Have what you like in your own house.”
“Aww, that was nice,” I said, smiling at her. “I need drugs.”
“I have that ibuprofen in my room I gave you yesterday.”
“May I have eight?”
“No, sir.”
“Oh, wait, Griff has an 800-milligram one from when he was hit by the chief of police. It’s in Luke’s bathroom.”
“I’ll get it while Tatum makes your coffee.”
“Thank you,” I groaned, putting my head down on the table.
A few moments later, there was a knock on the front door. The doorbell had not been rung, which was quite thoughtful at eight thirty in the morning on a Sunday.
“Tatum,” I called to her. “Go look but don’t open the door.”
She ran to the window where she’d sat to watch for me the night before.
“What do you see?”
“A big man with gray hair and a gun on his hip, and another man with red hair who’s smiling and waving at me. I think I should let them in. They look nice.”
“Even the guy with the gun?”
“Yeah, and he smiled at me too.”
“Jesus,” I muttered under my breath. “I need to implant some survival instincts in you.”
“Should I open the door or not?” She asked, sounding aggrieved.
At least she had the good sense to ask me. “Yes, open the door.”
She had to undo the deadbolt and then the lock, but she did it fast and welcomed the two men to her home.
“Thank you so much,” Owen said brightly, smiling at her. “My name is Owen, and you must be Tatum, the lady of the house.”
I heard her breath catch, then saw the smile she gave him. Clearly, she was already enchanted with him. “I am the lady of the house.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, shaking her mitten-covered hand. “And I have very similar bunny slippers at home.”
If her smile got any bigger, she’d explode.
“We’re friends of Nash’s,” he went on. “This is Jared Colter, Nash’s boss and?—”
“Oh no,” she whimpered and bolted over to me.
Owen, laptop bag hanging over his right shoulder, a recyclable bag in his left hand, crossed the living room, followed by Jared, who’d stopped to lock the front door.
“Please don’t take Nash back,” she pleaded with Jared, draped over me again, her arms back around my neck, trying to shield me from my boss. “My dad loves him, I love him, my brothers love him. Wink too, even though Nash will have to take him to the vet for more shots.”
Jared Colter was a fearsome man. He was scary, no two ways about it. But he also possessed a kind, gentle heart, and so he took a seat on the bench close to us and smiled at the little girl.
“Sweetheart, I have no intention of taking Nash away. I’m just here to offer him a different job and give him his new phone.”
She perked up. “Really?”
“Cross my heart,” he promised.
Her sigh was long.
“And Owen brought doughnuts.”
“You did?” She was very excited.
“We flew into Seattle, so we stopped on the way.”
Owen put his laptop bag down on the table and took the other one, the important one, the one with deep-fried goodness, to the kitchen.
Viola was stunned to find visitors as she returned with Griff’s ibuprofen for me.
As most people, she was charmed by Owen but in awe of Jared.
It was the height and the muscles, how solid his stare was, the laugh lines, and the deep rumble of his voice.
No one was impervious to the lure of Jared Colter.
Even John, emerging minutes later, seemed more than a bit overwhelmed in my boss’s presence.
I was given a fancy new cell with all the bells and whistles, in a case I was certain was drop-proof, shockproof, and waterproof.
My previous phone had a case I’d picked out, so apparently, that was no longer my choice.
It was also loaded with everything my old one had, plus whatever improvements Owen had seen fit to install.
“What job?” I asked Jared.
“Chief Higheagle called for a reference on you,” he said, picking up the ibuprofen and moving it out of my reach.
The man was not big on drugs. There was always some natural remedy he preferred.
“She has a job proposal. She thinks you’re strong, steady, a problem solver, and that you have a very calming effect on people. ”
I scoffed.
“Knock it off. You know it’s true. After Darius, you’re the steadiest person I know.”
I held his gaze.
“I don’t want to lose you, so I’ll make you the same offer I made Croy.
I want you to remain on my payroll, and if I need you away from Eena, you’ll go, like he does, at the most overnight.
In the meantime, while he excels at finding lost people and unraveling mysteries, you’re better at the interpersonal piece.
So arbitration here in Eena, and on call when I need you for backup. ”
I turned on the bench to face him. “Why?”
“You’ve been with me the longest. I count on you. You’re my sounding board, same as Dante and Darius. You have to hold on to your friends, and so I am. I’m not letting you go.”
“You’ve let many fixers go.”
“You’re not just a fixer, and you know that.”
“We’ll still be friends even if I’m not with Torus.”
“Yes, but this way you can’t say no when I need your particular skill set.”
I shook my head.
“It’s done. She’s making you the offer on Monday. Don’t annoy her or me.”
“Heaven forbid.”
“Get up,” he muttered.
“I’m broken, and you took my drugs.”
“All you need is fuel.”
He meant food. “I’m too old to fight younger men in the street in the rain.”
“You can have one, but that’s it, and you still have to eat first.”
I grunted. “You don’t want me taking drugs because you don’t want to be reminded that you’re old when you have a hot young husband.”
“You will soon have a younger husband as well. Maybe you need to stretch more.”
“Go to hell.”
He laughed as I got up and swung my leg over the bench.
When I turned to him, he grabbed me. Tight, hard clench, and I could feel the shudder run through him. “Shaw is there,” I said, “so is Cooper, you’ve got great new people, and best of all, my buddy Rais. You’re good.”
He held on.
“And, you know, there’s that Owen guy too.”
“I’m simply happy for you, so don’t be a dick.” I chuckled, and he eased back. “I’ll miss you. You’ve been the anchor.”
“Change is good, Jared,” I promised him, then kissed his cheek. “And you’ll always be my friend. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
“Nothing’s ever easy with you,” he murmured, giving me a last pat before letting me go.
When I glanced toward the kitchen, Owen was standing there with swimming eyes.
“Look what you did,” I grumbled at Jared, quickly wiping under both eyes.
“Stop that,” Jared ordered Owen, who just smiled at him.
He groaned like he was dying.
“Mr. Colter?” Luke came into the room, hand out. “Thank you so much for sending Nash to me—I mean, us, sir. I can’t thank you enough,” he said as Jared took his hand.
“Well, the thanks goes to your brother-in-law. Perhaps you might reach out to him. It seems to me your kids have an uncle worth knowing.”
Luke nodded. “I certainly will.”
Owen walked over then, having met Luke’s parents, and took a seat at the table, powering up his scary laptop, not at all something normal-looking, more like a box that should contain deadly serums or some kind of new-age tactical weapon.
“That’s yours?” Tatum asked, putting my French press down in front of me.
She had the half-and-half in her robe pocket with one mug, and another mug in the other pocket.
She always put things in her pockets because she was not a fan of making multiple trips.
Plus, she needed both hands to carry my coffee.
“Thank you,” I told her as she removed things from her pockets like a magician.
“That robe is handy,” Jared commented.
She smiled at him, but her attention was on Owen’s laptop.
“This is mine, yes,” Owen confirmed. “I built it myself.”
She squinted at him. “Are you a hacker?”
“I am,” he said. “But only for good.”
“White-hat hacker, gotcha.”
He smiled at her, then turned to me. “You have questions, I have answers.”
We all said that, having picked it up from Jared.
I leaned forward as Jared swung his legs over the bench to sit on my left and Luke sat down on my right. “Do we need the kids here?”
“Yes.”
“Tatum, love, go upstairs and nicely wake up your brothers.”
She got up and dashed around the corner. “I like how you added nicely so I wouldn’t get my Nerf gun like the last time,” she bellowed from the stairs.
“I know you,” I yelled back.
“You really do,” Luke said, leaning against me before kissing my jaw.
Viola and John sat down at the table, Viola bringing a cup of coffee for her son. I poured from the press for Jared first and then me. Jared picked it up to drink.