Page 70 of Men of Fort Dale: The Complete Series

“If you say so, David. I don’t think this will end well,” Philip said, continuing to frown.

Which boiled down to regret on Philip’s part for not having chosen in the first place and letting David do it instead.

The difference between them, at least with the decision regarding the newest member of Team Maelstrom, was that Philip would have looked at the bottom line and picked what looked the best. David’s approach had been to comb through the files of possible candidates, trying to get a good idea of each of the soldiers he was looking at and choose the one that felt right.

His instincts, especially regarding command, had been right more often than not.

“Well, if that’s the case, then I owe you an apology, and I have no problem taking the fall if this blows up in our faces,” David soothed.

Philip laughed again. “But if it goes well instead?”

David snorted. “We both know Command isn’t going to care one bit if it goes well. They only pay attention when things go to hell.”

Philip slapped his knee. “Isn’t that the damn truth? We’ve been up to our necks here, and they don’t care as long as everything works out for them. At least you have Christian going for you, right?”

“He has been a great help, yes,” David admitted.

“Ah, what I wouldn’t give to have someone cute and nubile working my front desk. It would certainly liven my day up a bit,” Philip said with a wink.

David shook his head. “That’s hardly what I spend my day thinking about.”

Most of the time.

“Still, doesn’t hurt, eh?”

David decided it was time to change the subject before Philip tried to prod him. The last thing he needed was to have Philip bring Christian into a crude discussion. The thought grated on David’s nerves, and he would have preferred Philip thought about Christian as little as possible.

“Well, it will please you to know you won’t be floundering much longer,” David said, opening a file on his computer.

Philip cocked his head. “Oh?”

“Well, this isn’t the first time you’ve spoken of needing help. So I found you someone who can.”

Philip blinked. “How...so?”

“You’ve said time and time again you could use some help, and what better than someone who knows their stuff? I found a man, Oscar Reyes, who could definitely benefit you but also could use the experience,” David said, turning the computer screen to face Philip.

Philip’s eyes turned cautious, though his smile remained. “You’re...replacing the assistant I already have?”

“Your receptionist will be fine. Reyes will work directly under you and aid you with decision-making. He has a lot of field experience and has commanded more than his fair share of soldiers. His injuries prevent him from doing anything active, so I figured, take his field experience, combine it with your administrative talent, and we have a match made in heaven,” David explained.

“I wasn’t looking for a replacement,” Philip said carefully.

David snorted. “Replacement? This man will help you.”

And hopefully, replace him. David hated this aspect of his job, preferring to run the base instead of being neck-deep in politics.

Yet it was an inevitable aspect of his life, and he couldn’t avoid it forever.

He had a feeling Reyes would be ten times better than Philip at the job and a hundred times more dedicated.

All the man needed was to learn the ropes.

“Well, I’ll certainly give it some thought,” Philip said, the happiness surrounding him disappearing.

“He’ll be arriving soon, so you’ll have time to figure out how to integrate him. I’m sure we can find him something to do around here in the meantime,” David said.

Not that Philip would have a whole lot of choice in the matter.

If David wanted Philip to have someone working as what would essentially be a protégé, then that would happen.

Philip didn’t have to like it, and he could drag his heels and draw out Oscar’s placement, but it would happen.

Hopefully, once it did, with enough time, David might be able to present Reyes as a better choice and see if there wasn’t something somewhere else that would suit Philip better.

Philip’s attitude shifted almost immediately back to his previous mood, speaking loudly as he moved on to another subject.

David nodded, adding only enough to keep Philip happy as the man began to regale him with a tale about a few unruly new soldiers and ideas for improving the clinic’s efficiency.

However, David did not need to engage much in the conversation, as Philip was perfectly happy to hear himself talk, allowing David to zone out peacefully.

That was until a message popped up on his screen, bearing Christian’s name.

Good Lord, he’s so loud. You’re going to need a hearing aid if he keeps this up.

David kept his rapt expression, nodding to Philip as he replied.

Are you calling me old?

It took a moment, and David almost smirked at how long Christian took to answer.

There’s no answer to that question that wouldn’t get me in hot water, so I admit defeat.

David’s lips twitched, and he closed the message thread, feeling better than he had moments before.