Chapter 30
Magma
The elevator opens onto the bullpen floor, and thirty people shout “Surprise!” directly at my face.
I take a step back, and the doors start to close. I put my hand out and stop them, smiling.
All of my admin staff and some of my management team are out there.
There are streamers hanging from the overhead lighting rigs, and a banner strung between two support columns that reads “WELCOME BACK!!!” in big gold letters.
There’s a table along the far wall with a big-ass cake on it, as well as snacks and cans of soda with paper cups.
Silver helium balloons are tied to chairs in big bunches. They really went to town.
I step out of the elevator, and my staff standing in the front row throw confetti all over me.
They start clapping.
I grin. I can’t help it. It’s nice to know I was missed.
“Good to have you back, sir,” Snare yells.
“Welcome home!” Gunner shouts from the other side of the room.
Susan from Filing raises a can of soda in my direction. Jess gives a little wave from the drinks table, where she is pouring herself a soda.
I look at Flint, who is smiling and clapping.
“Whose idea was this?” I ask.
“All of us.” He says it like it’s obvious.
“There is confetti on everything.”
“There is.” He laughs.
“That’s going to take an hour to clean up. Did you clear this with the cleaners first?” I ask.
“Sure did.” Josh holds up his broom and dustpan. “I don’t mind at all. I’m going to have some cake first, though. You should go and cut it, sir.” He puts down the cleaning supplies.
“What did I tell you?” Flint says. “We wanted to welcome you back and then just to say that we missed you. Jess was beside herself with worry. We all were. What you did went above and beyond. You are a true hero in every sense of the word. I’m proud to have you as my leader.”
“Thank you. It’s easy being a good leader with such a good team at my side. You guys are the best. I couldn’t do it without you.”
Everyone claps.
I’m beaming at this point. It feels good to be needed.
I let the room calm into the low hum of conversation and the sound of drinks being opened, and I make my way to the cake table.
I don’t know what kind of cake it is, but it’s three layers, and someone has put a dragon figurine on the top, next to the icing that spells out “Welcome Back, Magma” in blue.
I look at Jess. “Did you organize the dragon?”
She grins at me. “I sure did. Don’t you think he looks like you when you’re in your dragon form? I thought it was a nice touch.”
I look at the little figurine for another second. “I like it.” I laugh quietly. “Thank you.”
“Allow me,” Jess says.
She cuts me a giant slice. It is chocolate, which happens to be my favorite. I take a forkful, and it’s damned good.
“This is delicious,” I say, already going back for a second bite. “I’m tasting real chocolate.”
“Thank you. I baked it myself,” Jess says.
“I appreciate it.” I look around the room at all of them. “All of it. I’m sure you had a big hand in all of this.”
She shrugs, which means that she did.
Someone puts music on, low and in the background. A few of my staff drift back to their desks, and the workday begins to reassert itself around the edges of the party. It won’t be long before everyone is back at work.
I pick up my plate and carry my cake across the bullpen toward my office. Jess follows me.
I take a forkful of cake in the doorway to my office and turn back to her.
“When you get a chance, can you pull the current duty roster for me and the overnight incident logs from the last week? Leave them on the desk when they’re ready.
Oh, and the Council briefing notes from the last three sessions.
I need to catch up on everything I missed. ”
She already has her notepad out. “Done. Anything else?”
“The security review from the Mistveil detail.” I pause. “Actually, pull everything from Mistveil. Briefings, updates, the works.”
She nods once and goes back to her desk. I watch her start typing.
I go into my office. I close the door and put my plate on the desk. The streamers from the bullpen are still visible through the glass. Out there, the noise is still going.
It feels good to be back, almost normal.
Flint comes in without knocking and sits in the chair across from me. He has a slice of cake on a plate too, balanced on one knee, and he has a look on his face that almost resembles a smirk.
“What?” I ask.
“Did you ask Brook out?”
I put my cake fork down. “There’s a question I didn’t expect first thing back at the desk.”
“Well?”
“She was interested, as it turns out,” I say.
His eyes brighten, and he goes into full smirk mode.
“What did I tell you? Please tell me you asked her out or fucked her…or something.”
“I was in a hospital bed, asshole!”
“Fine,” he growls. “Are you going to see her again?”
“I took her number.”
He leans back. “But you haven’t made plans?”
“Calm down,” I tell him. “I’ve been out of hospital for one day. What’s the rush?”
He puts his plate on the arm of the chair. “Females are in short supply on Mistveil. The ratio is pretty extreme. From what I understand, Brook will have no shortage of interested males the moment she’s back on that island.”
“Then she gets snapped up.” I shrug.
Flint gives me a look.
“What?” I ask.
“Come on! She’s hot and seems really nice. You should message her right now.”
“I’ll message her when I’m good and ready. We need to talk business.” I look at him. “I hear that our Council has a meeting at Mistveil this afternoon and that you’re going as part of the security detail?”
He nods. “That is correct. We leave at one and will be back this evening.”
I glance at my watch. “That’s a short turnaround. Is everything organized? The briefing pack, the risk assessment—”
“Everything is on track,” he cuts me off, but without heat in it. “Don’t worry. It’s covered.” He narrows his eyes. “Do you want me to take Brook some flowers?”
I look at him.
“I could take them across for you,” he says. “Since I’m going anyway.”
“You’re not serious.”
“I am. You told me to give Carla flowers. You like flowers.”
“You have a history with Carla. I have seen this female twice.” I stare at him across the desk. “I think it’s a little over the top to be giving her flowers.”
“Nonsense. I disagree.”
“I’m not desperate, Flint. Leave it alone.” I pick a pen up. “I’m a grown male. I know how to make a phone call. You’re getting annoying about this. Leave it alone.”
He points at me as he stands. “Call her.” He takes his plate off the arm of the chair and heads for the door. He stops just before it. “And welcome back.” He smiles at me. “I missed you.”
“Thank you,” I say. “Now get back to work.”
“Yes, boss!”
The door closes.
I know he means well, but holy shit.
I am perfectly fine on my own.
I have been fine on my own for a long time. I don’t need someone in my life.
I immediately see a face in my mind. A pretty one. She has blonde hair and big blue eyes that could take a man out at the knees.
I pull my attention back in the next breath and grab the first file from the stack on the corner of my desk.
There is work to do. I’m not wasting time on bullshit.