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“I’m not grumpy,” Reyes protested.

Christian thought about it. “Hmm, you know, you haven’t been as grumpy the past few days. Something good happen?”

“I’m not sure I like the idea of my being less grumpy suddenly.”

Christian grinned. “Oh? So, something did happen. Are you just enjoying the sunny warmth of my company, or is it something else?”

“You can go back to singing now.”

Christian held up a finger. “Oh, I know! You found yourself a date for the Gala!”

Oscar scowled. “What?”

Christian rolled his eyes. “The big gala that’s held like...every year. Pretty much every soldier shows up, if they can, all dressed up with their dates. Big names from the town are invited. It’s a nice touch, bringing people in so they can see the better side of the base rather than just a few rowdy, drunken soldiers occasionally.”

“Fancy parties aren’t really my thing.”

“Hmph, shame. I think you’d look good in your dress blues.”

For a moment, he thought Reyes would say something in return, but instead, the man just turned back to his work. Oscar Reyes was a strange man, and his moods didn’t always make much sense to Christian. Yet, there was something different about him, and had been for a couple of days. Christian wasn’tsure what the other man was going through, but whatever it was, it had obviously been taking its toll. Christian hoped, for Reyes’ sake, that his recent upturn in mood meant something good had finally happened.

The office door opened, and General Winter popped his head out to look around the room. Nothing had been different between them throughout the day, which Christian considered a blessing. He still wasn’t sure what the hell they were. Whether the night before had been significant beyond a one-night thing, he knew it was important that nothing on the surface changed.

That didn’t mean his heart didn’t skip a beat or two when he saw the older man’s handsome features.

“Need something?” Christian asked.

“Checking to see if we had any impromptu visitors to worry about at the moment,” General Winter said with another glance around.

Christian shook his head. “No, sir. I closed the office about an hour ago so we wouldn’t have to worry about it.”

“And why, might I ask, did you do that?”

Christian laughed. “No offense, General, but you have a few things on your plate. If it’s an emergency, they can call ahead like any reasonable person.”

General Winter sighed. “That’s fair. Speaking of which, since we have no one to worry about now, would you come in here?”

Christian nodded, looking at Reyes. “You okay to handle the phones?”

“I think I can manage.”

Christian chuckled as he stood. “Glad to hear.”

Grabbing his tablet, Christian followed the general into his office. As much as they both trusted his memory when it came to anything they discussed, Christian didn’t like to take chances. He always brought his tablet to ensure he could take notes in case he forgot anything later.

Christian closed the door behind them. “Any word on our wayward team?”

General Winter sighed as he sat behind the desk, motioning toward the seats across from him. “Maelstrom hasn’t arrived at the rendezvous point as quickly as I hoped. The Canadian wilderness isn’t exactly known for being kind, but I hoped they would have more luck than this.”

Christian frowned. “You don’t think anything’s happened to them, do you?”

“I hope not, but I won’t dismiss the possibility. If they haven’t arrived by the designated date, we’ll send a rescue team to retrieve them. I won’t lose faith in them, though. Team Maelstrom is good, and their intel officer, for all his recent infamy, is good too.”

“Well, I hope it gets them to work together.”

General Winter snorted, leaning back in his seat. “Well, then maybe it might not be too bad if something has happened. There’s nothing quite like a block in the road to make or break a team.”

“Which I suppose is better than staying stuck in this feuding limbo forever,” Christian noted.