Chapter 12
Four months later
Bert stood in the LSI Montana operations center, staring at the property listing on his phone while trying to convince himself he wasn’t completely losing his mind.
The house across the street from Mary’s had just hit the market.
Two bedrooms, one bathroom, needed some work but had solid bones.
And it was directly across from her front porch.
He’d driven past it every time he’d visited Mary over the past months, which had been often.
Helping her hang pictures, fixing a sticky door, setting up her home office, and mowing her grass.
Any excuse to spend time with her. And every time he’d passed that lonesome, empty house across the street with its crooked shutters, something in his chest had tightened with possibility.
Now the possibility was real, and Bert needed to talk it through before doing anything impulsive. He wasn’t impulsive by nature. He was careful, methodical, especially where his heart was concerned. And his heart was definitely involved when it came to Mary Smithwick.
The operations center was quieter than usual, with three of their team members deployed.
Devlin, Todd, and Cole were in Africa working security at a refugee camp, a mission that would keep them gone for at least another ten days.
Several others were off headquarters at the site of a security system design.
The remaining Keepers moved through their routines with practiced efficiency.
Bert found Logan in his office, and through the window, he could see Sisco and Landon in the nearby break room. Perfect. He needed all three of them for this conversation.
He knocked on Logan’s doorframe. “Got a minute, boss? And can we grab Sisco and Landon? I need to run something by all of you.”
Logan looked up from the contract he’d been reviewing, and something in Bert’s expression must have given him away because his eyebrows rose. “This sounds serious. Give me two minutes.”
Five minutes later, the four of them were gathered in Logan’s office with the door closed.
Logan sat behind his desk, where a framed photo of his fiancée, Vivian, smiled out from beside his computer monitor.
Logan met her months ago when they were both assigned to a mission in Alaska.
Now, she had moved to Montana and taken up residence in Logan’s house and heart.
Landon leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, looking relaxed but attentive. Sisco had claimed one of the chairs across from Logan’s desk, and Bert took the other.
“Okay,” Logan said, his tone curious. “What’s this about?”
Bert took a breath and decided to just say it. “The house across from Mary’s is on the market. I’m thinking about buying it.”
For a moment, there was silence as the other men exchanged glances. “I’m serious,” Bert said, his jaw tightening, wondering what the darting gazes meant.
“Okay,” Logan said slowly, settling back in his chair with the kind of careful neutrality he used when assessing a complicated tactical situation. “Walk us through your thinking here.”
Bert had known this question was coming, had been trying to organize his thoughts for days. But now that the moment was here, finding the right words felt impossible. “I’d like to purchase a place, get out of the bunkhouse, and not just throw my money away on rent.”
Landon narrowed his eyes. “Makes sense. But why specifically across the street from Mary?”
Sisco’s head swung around toward Landon. “Why the fuck not across the street from Mary?”
Landon opened his mouth, but Bert jumped in. “I care about her,” he said, the words coming out rough. “A lot. More than I probably should. More than I’ve admitted to myself until recently.”
“We know,” Landon said quietly, and when Bert looked at him in surprise, he added, “It’s pretty obvious to anyone who’s paying attention. The way you look at her, the things you do for her, how you light up whenever she’s around.”
“Is it that obvious?” Bert asked, slightly horrified.
“To us? Yeah,” Sisco said. “But I don’t think Mary’s noticed. Or if she has, she hasn’t said anything.”
Logan leaned forward, his elbows on his desk. “So, you have feelings for her. That’s clear. But help me understand the house purchase. That’s a big investment.”
This was the hard part, trying to put into words what he felt without sounding either desperate or crazy. Bert ran a hand through his hair and tried again.
“Mary is extraordinary.” The words came slowly at first, then gained momentum as he let himself really talk about Mary for the first time.
“She’s brilliant with the way she’s organized our entire operation and made it run smoothly.
But it’s more than that. She’s got this strength that goes bone-deep.
She faces challenges head-on, doesn’t complain, and doesn’t make excuses.
She just figures out what needs to be done and does it. ”
The three men listened intently, and Bert felt his nervousness ease slightly as he continued.
“She’s funny. Dry sense of humor that catches you off guard.
And she’s kind… really kind, not just polite.
She remembers things about people, asks about their families, and makes everyone feel valued.
” He paused, searching for the right words.
“When I’m with her, everything feels easier somehow.
Like the world makes more sense. And when I’m not with her, I’m thinking about her.
Wondering what she’s doing, if she’s okay, if she needs anything. ”
“That’s love, man,” Sisco murmured, with no trace of his usual joking tone. “That’s what it feels like.”
Landon snorted, his gaze on Sisco. “You’ve been with Lenore for a month, and now you’re the voice of experience on love?”
Sisco grinned. “Just cause I recognized it faster than you did with Noel… yeah, I’d say that makes me experienced.”
Logan rolled his eyes at the other two, then turned his attention back to Bert.
Bert thought for a moment, then said. “Maybe it is love. But I’m terrified of telling her that and ruining what we have.
Right now, we’re friends. Good friends. I see her all the time, help her with things, and we talk about things.
If I tell her how I feel and she doesn’t feel the same way, that could make things awkward.
It could ruin our friendship, and I can’t risk that. ”
“So instead, you want to buy a house across the street from her?” Landon asked, his tone carefully neutral. “How is that less risky?”
“Because it gives me a reason to be close to her without putting pressure on the friendship,” Bert explained. “I’d be nearby if she needs help, and I’d see her regularly, but I wouldn’t be making any demands or have any expectations. It’s just being a good neighbor.”
“So this is about caring, not obligation?” Logan pressed.
“Caring,” Bert said firmly. “Absolutely caring. I’m not doing this because I feel sorry for her or because I don’t think she can manage on her own. I’m doing it because I like spending time with her and I want more of that in my life.”
Sisco, who had never hidden how much in love he was with Lenore and her daughter, nodded slowly. “I get it. When you find someone who makes you feel like that, you want to be close to them. You want to be part of their daily life.”
“But what if she doesn’t reciprocate your feelings?” Landon asked, his voice gentle but the question pointed. He’d recently started dating Noel, a woman he’d met on a mission in the Caribbean. “What if she only sees you as a friend?”
The question hit Bert square in the chest, but he’d already asked himself this a million times. “Then I’ll still be near her as a friend. I’d rather have her friendship than nothing at all. I’ll take whatever she’s willing to give me.”
“And if she starts dating someone else?” Logan asked, his tone sympathetic but relentless.
Bert’s hands clenched on the arms of his chair, but he kept his voice steady even as the thought made his stomach churn.
“Then I’ll be her friend. I want her to be happy.
I’d like it to be me that makes her so, but if not, it’ll hurt like hell, but I’d never do anything to jeopardize her happiness or make her uncomfortable. ”
The office was quiet for a moment, just the hum of the ventilation system and the distant sound of activity from the operations center. Logan exchanged glances with Sisco and Landon, some unspoken communication passing between the three men who had all recently found their own relationships.
“My thoughts?” Logan said finally, his voice carrying the weight of both friendship and experience. “Tell her first. Before you buy the house. Be honest with her about why you want to live across the street.”
“That’s a risk,” Bert said, his throat tight.
“Everything worth having is a risk,” Logan replied.
“When I met Viv, I tried to keep my distance. Told myself all the reasons it wouldn’t work, why I should focus on the job and not complicate things.
But hiding how I felt didn’t protect me.
It just made me miserable. And it wasn’t fair to her, not giving her the chance to make her own choice about what she wanted. ”
“He’s right,” Sisco added. “Lenore and I almost missed our chance because I was too chicken to tell her how I felt. Don’t make the same mistake.”
“I’m not saying you have to confess your undying love,” Landon clarified. “But you should tell her you’re thinking of buying the house and ask how she feels about having you as a neighbor. Give her the chance to be part of the decision instead of just presenting it as a done deal.”
Bert absorbed that, turning it over in his mind. “You think I should tell her about the house but not necessarily about the feelings?”