Ollie
Sitting in Mark’s office waiting on him for this impromptu meeting I requested, Natalie comes back in with some coffee and what looks like homemade brownies. Damn, I’m a lucky man.
“Damn, Sparkles, between you and Pixie, gonna have to up my workouts. Never had it so good.”
She gives me a look, then smiles, taking a seat across from me at the corner conference table I’m sitting at. Again, another look, this one longer and very inquiring.
“So, I take it you’re done with the wheelchair, Ollie? How’s that walker working for you? Don’t rush it, honey, take it slow. I know you’ve been working hard but don’t mess up all that hard work because you’re bullheaded. You hear me?”
Grinning, I nod my head.
“No plans to fuck this up, Natalie. Especially after all the hard work of these doctors ya have here. Best of the best. And the walker isn’t too bad, but I can’t wait to go to the cane ’cause that’s one step closer to walking on my own. And no pun intended, ya know.”
She laughs lightly, sipping on some coffee, so I grab a brownie off the end cut and dive in. Damn, so rich and creamy, but the edges are nice and crunchy. Perfection in my mouth. Daydreaming on brownies I miss the first part of her question, so I raise an eyebrow.
“Just like a man, put something sweet in front of you and your mind is blown. I said, since you’re having a meeting with Mark, am I to assume the consultant job is not something you will be considering? And if that’s a yes to my question, what does that mean for you and Paisley? Before you say it, Ollie, I hear it enough from Liam and Mark, yes, I’m nosy, deal with it, SEAL boy.”
I know I don’t have to tell her anything, but I truly like Natalie, she’s becoming a good friend. She’s been around a long time working for this company, married to not only Dreamboat, but was also married at one time to Papa Smurf—well, Aaron—before all that shit that went down. Taking a breath to get my thoughts together, I share.
“Yeah, sorry, Natalie, as much as I am coming to love it here in Virginia and especially everyone I’ve met, this just doesn’t feel like home. Been giving it a lot of thought and I could probably go back to Cali and stay with Onyx until I find a place. Maybe see if Muffin needs me for something out there. But again, not home. Since Bahrain and the shit that went down there, I’ve been giving much time and thought to my life, family, and home. I’m honestly starting fresh, so might as well try and do what I want, where I want, with whom I want, right? And you’re right, as much as I love being a Navy SEAL and hanging with the best of the best here, including yourself, I don’t see myself sitting behind a desk for the rest of my life. And as far as missions go, not so sure I’ll ever be a hundred percent again. And I don’t want to be the reason someone doesn’t make it back, get me? So, I want to talk to Mark about a possible opportunity that maybe Cole Security Forces can partner up with, for some of the soldiers who come back and ain’t as good a fit for this type of work but need to get their emotions and heads back into the game.”
As I explain my idea, as it is in the beginning stages, her excitement calms my nerves. If I can get the same kind of response from Mark, maybe then I can reach out to the parents and see if what I’m thinking is even an option with them. Then I need to go to my Pixie, explain my idea in extreme detail, and see what her take is on it too. So many moving parts but one step at a time. Natalie leans over, giving me a hug, just as Mark opens the door. Always the smart-ass he starts as soon as he closes the door.
“Sparkles, you’re breaking my heart. Damn, thought I only had to put up and share you with Dreamboat, but now I see it’s old Ollie too? Not good, woman, not good at all. And you, brother, sneak attack when I’m not looking, you water dog.”
As we all laugh, he puts his case down and takes a seat at the table, immediately grabbing a brownie.
“And you’re giving this big asshole my brownies too? I’m not having a good feeling about this at all. That’s just so wrong.”
I watch the interaction between the two of them and pray to God I’m not making a huge mistake not taking some time to see if this right here could work.
“Twilight, honey, I’ve told you time and time again you don’t have what I need. Dreamboat just pushes all my buttons. He gets my sails up.”
Mark groans and before he can say a word, there’s a knock at the door and Dreamboat and Ladykiller walk in. Seeing all of us sitting around, Liam raises an eyebrow as Quinn immediately walks to the table, grabbing two brownies, moving to the sofa. Natalie stands, looks around, and shakes her head.
“I’ll be back with some more coffee and brownies. Ollie, nice talking with you. Keep in touch, honey, no matter what. You’re always welcome here.”
As she walks out, I feel three pairs of eyes on me. Well, that was a good prelude into my talk, I guess. Again, before a word comes from my lips, I hear Quinn run his mouth.
“Why is it every time I walk into what looks like an interesting conversation, it ends, and I still don’t have a fuckin’ clue what’s going on? What happened to us from battles and orgies to talks now? We’re getting old, motherfuckers. Now it’s wives, kids, and soccer games. Gotta live up to our names and reputations, men. And you, Ollie, we haven’t even given you a name. Something we need to work on.”
As he carries on, Natalie returns with coffee and brownies. We continue to shoot the shit, listening to all the ridiculous names Ladykiller comes up with for me. No, I don’t want to be called Shorty, Munchkin, or Tinkerbell. What is that bastard even thinking? If they give me a name, I want a cool one like they all have. Mark clears his throat and Natalie grabs Liam by the hand and Quinn looks from them to us and back again.
“All right, all right you just aren’t any goddamn fun anymore. Come on Dreamboat and Sparkles, let’s leave these two workaholics to it.”
When they’re gone, Mark looks my way with a look on his face.
“So, from what I got from Natalie’s comment you’re not planning on staying around, am I right Ollie? Shit, man, it’s great to see you up and about on your own sea legs. See, all that fucking therapy does pay off, you whiny bastard. So come on, let’s talk this out and see what’s on your mind.”
I start to explain until Mark tells me to hang on and he walks to his desk, motioning for me to take one of the chairs there. He picks up his phone, putting a call through. I hear him tell someone he wants them in on a conversation then he puts it on speaker.
“All right, Jackson, you got Ollie and me. Ollie was starting to tell me about an idea he’s got that could involve us and him, just not in Virginia or Cali. Thought it would be easier to have your ears hear the same thing I do ’cause ya know I’d fuck it up trying to relay it after. Got some time?”
Once Jackson assures us he’s got time, I start again and break it down for both of them. Question after question comes my way, and I do my best to answer them or write them down to follow up on. We go over logistics, get into some early plans, working around different scenarios. By the third hour, my head feels like it’s in a vise. When I try to explain what my two next moves would be, they continue to fire questions at me. So, I’m honest with my responses. First, I need to have a conversation with Paisley—which they throw their two cents in about—and some really good suggestions and ideas. If that works out, then put a call out to the parents. So, what I thought would be a quick one-on-one conversation with Mark turns into a few hours with Mark and Jackson, the owners of Cole Security Forces. In the end, I couldn’t be more surprised or happier at the way we ended the call. Now gotta get with my Pixie, get her two cents.