Page 52

Chapter 52

Jay

W hen we got to the office, there was a huge, colorful banner strung across our door.

Welcome Back Beauty and the Beast.

“Beauty and the Beast?” I asked.

“It was Meg’s idea,” Jack said, ratting out his wife. “She said just because you work here, didn’t mean you shouldn’t get proper call signs.”

“We have proper call signs,” Cate said, sounding confused. She turned to Meg and asked, “Why didn’t you want to use them?”

Meg smiled. “You were lost, not working with the team.”

“Why would that matter?” I asked.

“Why Beauty and the Beast?” Cate asked.

“The perfect enemies to lovers couple.” Meg looked so pleased at being correct about Cate and me that I couldn’t help but laugh.

“And Beast fits you,” Jack added. “Or at least, it did.” He clapped me on the back. “Though maybe less so in the future.” He lifted his head towards Cate.

General Maxwell wore the same expression as my dad as they watched the back and forth—a mix of amusement and exasperation.

“Some days it’s like working in a high school,” Dad said.

“What about high school?” AJ asked as he entered the lobby from the back, holding Blake’s hand. Poor girl practically had to run to keep up with him anytime he forgot to adjust his stride for her short legs. I looked at Cate, glad she wasn’t a foot shorter than me. I don’t know how AJ deals with it .

“Dealing with this crew,” Dad said. “AJ Janerek, you remember General Maxwell?”

“Good to see you again, sir.” They shook hands. He turned to me. “Permission to hug?”

“Dude, no. I’m not hugging you,” I answered.

“Not you. Maxwell.”

I knew he meant Cate, but decided to have a little fun at his expense. “I don’t think the General wants to hug you either.”

“Why are you asking him?” Cate asked, one hand on her hip.

“Because, I don’t want to get my ass kicked,” AJ answered with a grin.

“Who’s kicking your butt this time?” Doug asked as he entered with Beth and Chase.

“Great, just what we need, another clown in the circus,” I said, rolling my eyes .

After another introduction, General Maxwell said, “It’s a miracle you get anything done around here.” His tone and smile making it clear he was joking.

“When the crap hits the fan, there’s no one else I’d rather have at my back,” my dad said, adjusting his language for Chase’s little ears.

AJ and Doug each hugged Cate, then insisted on hugging me too. Chase made his way around the room, hugging everyone. When he finally made it to us, he took one look at our faces and stopped dead in his tracks.

“Hey, Chase.” I said, lowering to a knee.

“What happened to your face?” He scrunched up his nose.

Our faces still had plenty of color, but at least we looked better than we had a few days ago.

“Chase!” Beth scolded him.

“It’s okay, Beth, I’m sure it’s a bit of a shock,” Cate said. She used my shoulder for support as she lowered to a knee. “We got in a fight with some bad guys.”

“Did you win?” he asked, stepping closer so he could examine our cuts and bruises.

I looked up at my dad. We, as in Cate and I hadn’t, but we, as in SSI, had. I didn’t think Chase would appreciate the distinction so I said, “We did, with help from your Uncle John and everyone else.”

“Including my dad?”

It took a hot second for me to remember he’d started calling Doug dad, even though Doug and Beth weren’t married yet. They’d marry eventually, and when they did Doug would sign the adoption papers before the ink on the marriage certificate dried.

Doug sent Chase to hang out with Beth and the other spouses at Meg’s desk.

“So, you two are finally an item?” AJ asked Cate.

Cate hesitated, but I didn’t. “Yes.” It wasn’t like they didn’t already know.

But I understood why. She was still nervous they’d judge her for having a workplace romance. Who can blame her after what Gavin put her through? Sooner or later she’d realize I wasn’t Gavin, and let go of her fear. I just had to be patient.

“You’ve built an impressive business here, John,” General Maxwell said as they came back downstairs.

“Thank you. I’ve had a lot of help.” My father indicated the team.

“Having the local LEOs help cover the cost of the training range helped too,” Jamie added. “We’re looking forward to the day it opens.”

“How much longer?” General Maxwell asked.

“If everything goes according to plan, it should be fully operational in two months,” Dad answered.

“You’ll have to come back and see it,” Cate said. Her tone hinting she didn’t expect him to come back so soon.

“That I do. Maybe for your birthday.”

“Which is?” I asked, looking down at Cate.

“Dude, you’ve got to step up your game.” Jack said, shaking his head .

“What, unlike you, I can’t read her personnel file.” It was bad I didn’t know her birthday, but in all fairness we’d just gotten together and our courtship wasn’t exactly normal.

“True, true, but still, it looks bad,” Jack said.

I should have waited until we were alone to ask her .

“Cate?” I asked.

“August 14th,” she said, putting me out of my misery. “Yours?”

No one gave her shit for not knowing mine. “July 23rd.”

“Not long after Jamie and Emily’s wedding,” she said.

“Yup.” I popped the p. I put my arm around her shoulders. “You’ll get to meet my sister, Madi. I think you’ll like her.” I didn’t bother asking if Cate was coming to the wedding, trusting she’d be there with me to celebrate.

“I think so, too,” Dad said. “She’s better behaved than the boys.”

“That’s a pretty low bar, sir,” Cate joked, catching everyone off guard.

Dad laughed, “You got that right. Come one General, I’ll show you the range.”