12. Xander #2
She hummed at the taste of my toffee fudge ice cream, her tongue coming out to lick her lips, and I resisted the urge to groan. Boone saw my expression, and his hard gaze softened as he realized I had no designs on his girlfriend.
She flushed when she saw me looking down at her expectantly but gamely raised her spoon for me.
The tartness of the lemon, paired with the sweetness of the blueberry, had my eyes widening in appreciation.
It was such an unexpected choice in ice cream yet so Andrie.
She’d never been one to do average things, and I was pleased she still had hints of that rebel beneath the surface.
“You’re so cute together.” Kassie beamed from her place across the table.
Andrie opened her mouth to set her straight, but I was faster.
“Thank you. Have you two been dating long?” I redirected, knowing Andrie would want the attention away from her, and this way, I could get some details about how Kassie had come to be in Texas.
I’d known Lessia had gotten her away safely—I’d been told that much—but I’d never gotten the full story.
By the time Kassie was finished with what I assumed was a highly edited version of how she and Boone came together, Claire’s boyfriend Royce had joined us.
“Hey, honey,” Claire said, giving him a quick kiss as she set down what looked like a mini peach cobbler with a scoop of ice cream on top. “Long day?”
Royce smiled up at her tiredly, but he looked pleased. “I just left the hospital. I had a meeting with the administration regarding Ava. It looks like she’s being accepted as a candidate for surgery, and between insurance and the Foundation, we’ll have the entire operation covered.”
The women all gasped, and Claire hugged him in excitement.
“Ava is Gretchen’s little girl. She works at Accardi Tactical and is Matteo’s girlfriend,” Andrie explained in a low tone.
“Ava was born with some sort of hearing disability. She’s completely deaf.
They think, with this new surgery, they’ll be able to restore most, if not all, of her hearing, but since it’s still in trials, the insurance company was dragging their feet.
Ava’s only a few months old, so from what I understand, it’ll still be a little while before they do the operation, but they don’t want to wait too long because childhood development is so rapid at that age. ”
I nodded, putting the pieces together. “That was nice of the Accardi’s to help out.”
Andrie pushed the now-empty bowl away and reached for a glass of water.
“They would for any employee, but it helps that Lessia sees Ava as her adopted niece. She and Matteo have been friends for years, and I think they see each other as extended family. Plus, Royce runs the Accardi Foundation. They raise money for various charities and causes. He was only too happy to make some calls.”
Everyone knew Accardi Tactical was one of the best tactical schools in the country, if not the world.
Their reputation for teaching spy-craft, black-ops tactics, and overall advanced warfare tactics and principles fitted for Tier One operatives had anyone who was anyone signing up for anything offered.
I’d heard their waitlist for some classes were over eighteen months long while others were via invitation only.
But despite their wealth, connections, and former military background, they seemed like a normal family.
Boone and Royce teased each other, their banter about Royce’s suit versus Boone's tactical pants and shirt illustrating just how different the two men were, but their affection for one another was clear for anyone to see.
And no one blinked an eye at Andrie or I joining in with the rest of the family.
“So, Xander, was it? How do you know Dr. Demming?” Boone finally said after I’d been lulled into a sense of security.
Andrie tensed, but I put a hand on her knee under the table, and she relaxed slightly.
“My brother’s been friends of Andrie’s for years, and I’m happy to say we’re rapidly becoming good friends as well.
Why is it your girlfriend—and everyone else at the table as well—calls her Andrie, but you call her by her last name, if you don’t mind my asking? ”
Boone’s jaw clenched slightly at my vague answer, but he kept the same pleasant expression on his face, playing along with my change in subject.
“I’m afraid I was in a bit of a mood the first time Dr. Demming and I met,” he said, giving Andrie an apologetic smile.
“And I was a bit snarky with her when she introduced herself.”
Andrie gave him an amused twitch of her lips. “Snarky was one word for it.”
Kassie giggled. “I can imagine.”
Boone gave her a mock-pout, then continued. “Anyway, when I told her we wouldn’t be friends, she told me only friends could call her Andrie, so I’d have to stick to Dr. Demming, and while I’d like to think we’re friends now, it’s now a mini joke between us.”
“Oh, that reminds me,” Kassie said suddenly.
“Congratulations! Lessia told me about you taking a part time job at Accardi Tactical and that you’d be getting an office somewhere in the building.
It’ll be nice to be able to just pop down a few floors to see you instead of going to your office on the way to work in the morning. ”
Boone nodded, a flash of wariness I didn’t quite understand quickly replaced with a pleased smile. “And it gives me another excuse to visit the office to see you,” he said to her, getting a kiss for his words.
Claire, who’d been pulled onto Royce’s lap at some point after she’d served her customers, admonished her boyfriend. “You didn’t tell me Andrie was going to start working for A.T.”
Andrie pipped up. “As an independent contractor. I’ll have an office in the building and will see a few patients who work for y’all.
But I’ll still have my own clients, both at that office and my current one.
Mainly, I’ll be going through files for the HR department and some of the more specialized classes. ”
Claire and Kassie exchanged a confused look, but when Andrie didn’t offer up an explanation, Royce added, “Gideon wants a second set of eyes for any potential new hires. After what happened with Gia, he’s just being cautious.
We’ve always relied on the military or police departments’ assessments of their personnel, and that experience let us know that those reports aren’t infallible. ”
He gave Andrie an apologetic look, but she only nodded. “Everyone’s human,” she said softly. “Even us therapists.”
“Besides,” Boone added. “It’s a good idea to have someone outside the military review files for some of these men and women who we’re turning into the next generation of super-soldier badasses.”
Royce threw his napkin at his brother. “You need to stop listening to our sister. Your head is big enough without you boasting about what your job is.”
“Hey, someone has to turn people into all they can be,” Boone shot back.
“Just remember,” Kassie said sweetly, “those who can’t do, teach.”
The entire table cracked up into laughter, Boone included.
The sound of a cell phone ringing caused Andrie to jump, and it took a second to realize the ringtone was mine.
I frowned when I saw Vik’s name on the display.
Even if he hadn’t known where I was and who I was with, he generally didn’t call if something could wait until he saw me in person. “Yeah?” I answered.
But he didn’t even wait for me to stop talking before he grimly ordered, “I need you to grab Andrie and meet us at HQ. Now.”
I hung up on him as I rose, not bothering to ask for details that didn’t matter at this exact moment. If Vik needed us there, we were going. Andrie was a little slower to rise than I was, but she’d clued into what was necessary and made our excuses as I nodded at the table.
“It was nice to meet you,” I managed to get out, not wanting to appear rude to both friends of Andrie’s, and people that I’d actually liked. “But we have to go.”
“Need any help?” Boone asked, surprising me with the offer.
“Family drama. You know how that is,” I replied, already hustling Andrie halfway across the room. “We’ll have to do this again sometime, though,” I called out, seeing Boone’s half-smile right before we walked out the door.
“What’s wrong?” Andrie asked as she half-jogged in an attempt to keep up with my longer strides.
I slowed down slightly. “Not sure. But Vik wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t urgent, and he said we were needed at the clubhouse.
” I opened the car for her on the passenger side, the manners I’d seen in movies becoming more and more natural throughout the day, and waited for her to get settled before rushing around to get in.
Andrie never said a word about me taking over the wheel, quietly giving me directions, though I didn’t need them.
I made the drive in half the time it should have taken, noting Andrie becoming more and more tense.
The gate to the lot opened as soon as we came into view, and I flew past the gatehouse, not bothering to see who’d been manning the entrance.
Andrie took several deep breaths before plastering on her most professional and unruffled expression.
“Are you ready?” I asked, as I shut off the vehicle.
The look she shot back at me spoke volumes. “Are you?”