“Where do you want this, ma’am?”
“Ugh again with the ma’am. Do I look old to you?”
Cage’s chuckle was deep and throaty. “No ma’am, just habit.”
With a sigh, Lily opened the trunk. “If you say so. But that’s twice in two days, and I’m feeling old quick.” Once they were out of eye and earshot of Alex, Cage leaned close to her ear.
“How is he? I mean really?”
Startled, she wasn’t sure how to answer his question. She didn’t know him, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t a friend of Alex’s. She didn’t usually discuss their personal business with anyone—except Chloe and Logan. But they were more like family.
He must have sensed her hesitation. “It’s okay. I saw how irritable he was yesterday and even though he was a bit better today, there is something going on with him. I can see it, and Hunter is picking up on it.”
“Well, yeah I guess. He’s not happy. Really, not happy. But I’m hoping once he gets rid of that chair things will be better.”
Cage nodded and started to back away, then stopped and handed her a card. “That’s my personal number. If either of you need anything, with Hunter or anything else, you can call that number anytime. Okay?”
“Yeah. Thanks. I’m sure we’ll be fine.” She smiled and took the card. He was more than a little intense, but his heart seemed to be in the right place.
“Well, you have it just in case.” He walked around the side of the car and shook Alex’s hand. “See you tomorrow. You be good.”
“Hunter’s been great,” Alex said defensively.
“I meant you, bro.” Cage laughed and waved as he walked away.
“What an ass.”
“Really? Maybe you should see about getting a new trainer then?”
“Nah. He’s not that much of an ass. I like him. He’s had it hard.”
“You know him?”
“Not really. I know of him, though. He’s a SEAL or I guess ex-SEAL now.”
“And he went from being a SEAL to a dog trainer?”
“Yeah. At least for now I guess. He’s got a way with the animals.”
Lily nodded. “How did the training go?”
“Great. Hunter’s doing great, me not so much. I kept fucking up. Lucky for me Hunter won’t hold it against me. Right, boy?”
The fluffy canine leaned over the back of Alex’s seat and licked the side of his face.
“How did the presentation go? Did you get the job?”
“It went well. Everyone seemed to like it. Well almost everyone. But the main thing is that Walcott liked it, and apparently, that’s all that matters there. Definitely not a democracy.”
“What do you mean? I thought you said there was a team in charge of the fitness complex.”
“I did, and there is, but I don’t think anything gets done in that company without Walcott’s fingers in the pie.”
“Not a very efficient way to run a company, is it?”
“You wouldn’t think so. But if his building is any indication, he’s doing well, or at least the company is. I couldn’t really get a feel for the whole thing. It was strange. He has an assistant who runs the office, but he has to have his hands in everything.”
“You’d think he’d be all about delegation.”
“Exactly. It’s what would make the most sense. Anyway. It’s his business. He did hire me to do the work. But if he’s always like he was today, he’s going to make me crazy with his micro-managing.”
“Want me to have a word with him?”
“No! I mean, I can handle it. I’ve been working with people like him for a long time, remember? It’s what I do while you’re off saving the world.”
“I know that. But I’m home now and can help. Besides, I need to do something.” Her eyes were focused on the road, but her eyebrow arched in surprise. He hadn’t shown much interest in anything at all. But Cage was right, he needed to get his head out of ass. There were thousands of other soldiers who’d come home injured, like Tag. Alex sighed. The military had been his life, and he’d loved it, but maybe it was time to see if there was something he could do to make him feel useful again. Be a man again, the man his wife needed.
“You are, you’re doing PT almost every day and now training with Hunter too.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“The doctors said you weren’t supposed to do much until they could get that other piece of shrapnel out.”
“I know. But what if that never happens? What am I supposed to do? Sit on my ass and be waited on for the rest of my life?”
“No. Now you're just being ornery.”
“I don’t want to fight with you. I’m trying, I am.”
“So am I. I know it’s hard, baby, but you can’t give up on you or us.” He was still tempted to do exactly that. It would be so much easier. Thankfully, they pulled into the driveway before he could think about it much longer.
“I’m sorry it’s so hard.”
“Stop. It’s not hard, it’s love and marriage.” Her eyes said she believed what she was saying. He just wished he could, and because of that, he didn’t know how to answer her either. But she saved him from having to when she got out of the car to get his wheelchair. He leaned over the seat and opened the back door so Hunter could get out. He probably had to pee.
“Go on, boy. Just stay by the driveway.” Hunter jumped down and did exactly that. After taking care of business, he came over and sat down and waited for Alex to get out of the car.
“I want to get out of these clothes, then I’ll make some lunch. You have PT at three.”
“Got it. Are you sure you can take me? What kind of deadline are you on for Walcott?”
“You know, that was the one thing he didn’t say. I guess I’ll have to call Enid and check.”
“Enid?”
“Yeah, his perfect assistant.”
“I can’t remember the last time I heard of someone named Enid. Is she really old?” He asked as he followed her into the house.
“Not sure really. She had gray hair, but that doesn’t mean anything. I’ve been pulling them out of my hair.”
“Ohh my ol’ lady is getting to be an old lady.”
“Funny. Just remember, you’re six months older than me,” she said and stuck her tongue out as she headed upstairs to change.
“C’mon Hunter, let’s see if we can make lunch without waiting for Lily.” Trotting alongside while Alex rummaged in the kitchen he found all the ingredients to whip up two amazing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Maybe not amazing to anyone else but when he thought about it, it was probably the first meal he’d ever made for his wife. Then he even managed to refill Hunter’s food bowl without dumping the entire bag on the floor. It was going well until lifting the food sent pain shooting up his spine and took his breath away. This was what fucking sucked. The constant pain drove him crazy and when it spiked he couldn’t breathe. It was time to talk to the doc and find out if this was his new normal or if he’d ever get better.
“You made lunch for me?” It was sad she was so shocked, but it reaffirmed his decision to try to do more for her. If he wasn’t going to be able to be who he was, he had to find another way to show her he would always take care of her.
“Uh huh. Hunter helped a bit. Or at least, he tried.” Alex smiled and hoped it made up for the almost fight they had in the car. Depression was not something he’d been familiar with, but it seemed that he was now, with the PTSD and just the overall anger and frustration about life had turned him into a mean ass bastard.
“Thank you. Seriously. Thank you, baby.” Her hand grazed his cheek as her lips slid over his in a soft kiss. After yesterday’s fiasco, she was probably afraid to push him, and he couldn’t blame her.
“You’re welcome—seriously.” Hunter laid down at his feet after he got settled at the table. Ripping off a piece of the sandwich, he leaned over and offered it to his furry buddy. Without a hint of hesitation, he took it from Alex’s hand li
ke he’d been doing it his entire life. Alex wished there had been more information about Hunter’s background, but Paws for Hope could only get what the shelter had—which was that he had been well taken care of and had all of his shots.
“How did the training session go? That Cage guy seemed pretty intense.”
“You could say that,” Alex said with a chuckle. “It’s the SEAL in him. They’re worse than us Rangers.”
“Is that even possible?”
“Oh yeah, but no one is as bad as the Delta guys. But hell, if you’re not military and sometimes even if you are, you can’t tell who they are unless you’re on a mission with them.”
“I had no idea.”
“Well, it’s not something anyone talks about. Now I have to kill you.” Lily giggled and pretended to be scared.
“What’s the training like?”
“Repetition, practice understanding each other mostly, I guess. Or me understanding him. Like learning his cues when he’s trying to tell me something. Then he learns about me too.”
“Sounds cool. Maybe one of the sessions I can stay and watch.”
“I’ll check, but it might be too distracting.”
“No problem. I get it.” She looked a little disappointed and Alex decided he’d check with Cage tomorrow.
“What kind of a deadline are you on for the Walcott job? Do you want me to see if I can get someone else to drive me to PT? Logan might be able to.”
“It’s okay. I can take you. It’s only an hour. I’ll give Enid a call after I finish this delicious sandwich you made. Hopefully, she’ll know what the milestones are for the project and the final timeline. It is kind of weird he didn’t mention it. You’d think it would have been one of the first things he’d tell me. But then again the vibes in the office were so weird.”
“You said that earlier. Weird how?” A slight hesitation let him know that there was more going on than she was telling him, and he didn’t like it one bit. But for now, there wasn’t much he could do about it.
“I’m not sure how to explain it, just like some kind of undercurrent for everything. Like I saw one level of stuff, but there was all this other stuff going on that I couldn’t see. I don’t know.” She shrugged and chewed slowly as if considering how to explain it to him. He read her expressions too well. He might have spent most of their marriage away, but he knew his wife. There was something worrying her about this job, or Walcott or both. If she wasn’t going to tell him, he’d just have to do some digging on his own.
“You know, it was probably nothing. Just me overreacting. This is the biggest job I’ve gotten since I started OLB Designs. And I’ve only been doing small quick jobs while we were in Maryland.”
“Makes sense to me.” It did, but he wasn’t buying it. If he couldn’t get her to open up, it might be time to give Chase Brennan a call. He’d started a security firm after he left the SEALs. “Just remember I’m here now, and you can bounce shit off me anytime.”
“Thanks. But it’s nothing really. Anyway, you have enough to deal with, speaking of which you might want to rest before PT.”
Shit. PT wiped him out on a good day, and he was already exhausted from the training with Hunter earlier. He needed to work harder, build up his stamina, he’d spent way too much time wallowing in pity and pain. It was time to get over himself.
Lily got up and took their empty plates and put them in the dishwasher. Then grabbed a bottle of water. “I’m going to see if I can get a hold of Enid and go over my notes before we go. Do you need anything?”
“Go take care of what you need to. Hunter and I will take a walk and practice some of what we learned today.”
“Are you sure? Don’t you think you should rest? You look tired. Or I can come with you if you want?”
“Nah I’m good. We’ll just take a quick walk in the backyard, right boy? Then I’ll rest. Go to work. You’re just upstairs if I need anything. Seriously, woman. Get to work.”
After a slight hesitation, she nodded and gave him a quick kiss. It was all it took, the feel of her lips against his skin, for a wave of desire to race through him to the long-neglected Mr. Happy, who was far from happy these days. It sucked, though, since as soon as he tensed with need, it shifted to pain and took his breath away. As with earlier, Hunter was there, his head on his lap, as Alex rode the wave until it calmed into the bearable throb that was his new normal.
Chapter Six
Alone in her office, Lily pulled her laptop of out of her bag and plugged it in. She could have checked her mail from her phone and called Enid downstairs, but she hoped to get some information from her about vice president douchenozzle and his scary sidekicks.
“Terrence Walcott’s Office. Enid Mercier.”
“Hi, Enid. It’s Lily Barrett.”
“Ms. Barrett. How can I help you?”
“I checked my notes after I got back to the office and I didn’t see any timeline for the products. Do you have a schedule you can send me?”
“I thought we discussed…” Her voice trailed off, and Lily heard the clicking of computer keys. “That’s right, Mr. Chandler interrupted the meeting, didn’t he? Yes, there is a schedule. I’ll send you an email shortly.”
“Great, I appreciate it. I know Mr. Walcott is in a hurry to get this started.”
“Yes, he is, and he was very impressed with your presentation. This is kind of a pet project for him.” It was the opening Lily had been hoping for.
“I was wondering if he was always so hands on? Especially with such a large project team in place.” No answer at first, had her wondering if she’d overstepped some invisible line.
“Very observant of you, Ms. Barrett. He is involved in every aspect of his business, but as I said this is very important to him.”
“I see. I didn’t mean to sound like I was criticizing him. It’s just Mr. Chandler was so adamant about his selection.”
“Mr. Chandler is usually very professional. I was quite surprised to see him react that way. But Mr. Walcott is planning on going ahead with your plans, so you don’t have to worry. I’ll forward any information on work already completed.”
“Thank you, again. If Mr. Walcott has any questions, just give me a call.”
“We will. Goodbye, Ms. Barrett.”
“Good bye.”
Enid Mercier would be a tough nut to crack that’s for sure. She’d hoped to get a bit more information out of her. But at least she didn’t have to worry about the douche. It looked like he’d dug his own grave. The dull ache in her shoulders eased as she leaned back in her chair. She’d be fooling herself if she didn’t admit that he’d scared the crap out of her, and she still didn’t know how she held it together and got the hell out of there.
There wasn’t much in the way of notes from the presentation. The weirdness of the meeting had been a distraction, from her usual frantic note-taking. Opening a new file, her fingers flew over the keys as she tapped out what she remembered and some new ideas she’d come up with.
The ringing of her cell phone broke her concentration a short while later. Checking the screen, she saw it was Chloe.
“Hey, brat. How the hell are you?”
“I’m good. Beat but good. You’d think I’d be used to having three kids by now.”
“Yeah, except you have four, don’t you?”
“Four? Oh shit, yeah Logan qualifies.” They’d hardly seen each other since Alex was wounded. Chloe had been there for her until she’d flown to Germany to be with him for his second surgery, the first had been in the field hospital at Bagram Air Force Base. With baby Andy coming a few months later, she’d had her hands full too. Lily was glad Margie, her mom, had been able to help until Logan had come home.
“Yup. I really appreciate what he did for Alex though. Hunter is already making a difference.”
“Thank God. I was worried about both of you.”
“Me too. He's still a jerk about some things. But I haven’t wanted to hit him with the frying pan today, so I
guess that’s progress.”
Chloe giggled. “Yeah I’d say. How did the presentation go? It’s a huge thing, I saw a write up in the paper today about Walcott and the whole project.”
“Really? It went well, mostly.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing. Okay, maybe a little something. The asshole VP flipped out when Mr. Walcott told me I had the job. Totally disrupted the meeting.”
“What an asshat.” Lily heard Chloe’s younger daughter, Bella, yell about the bad word. Those girls and their curse jar. One of these days she was going to smash that thing. “Sorry, Bella. I’ll put money in later. Now go play with your sister. I’m back, sorry. So, what happened after that?”
“It sort of broke up the meeting. They went into Walcott’s office. We could hear them yelling but not clearly enough to make out what was being said.”
“Sounds like he’s a real winner. But you got the job?”
“Yeah.”
“Congrats. It’s going to bring you a lot of visibility. This might be a turning point for you and your company.”
“Yeah, it could be. As long as I don’t fuck it up. Or someone else fucks it up for me.”
“Who would do that? Alex?”
“No, the douchenozzle. When I got out to the parking lot, he was having a yelling match with some seriously scary looking dudes. Then he saw me and came over and told me to not take the job, and threatened me and Alex.”
“Holy shit. Bella stop listening to my conversation and go play, or I’ll find some chores for you. That girl is going to be the death of me. Anyway, did you tell Alex?”
“No way. I don’t need him getting all riled up about this. He’s on edge enough already. He had another bad nightmare last night too. I hate that he won’t let me sleep with him, but at least he has Hunter. When I checked on him, Hunter was sleeping snuggled against him. I’d be jealous if the dog wasn’t so damn cute.”
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