She’d sent back a heart emoji and nothing more.
She was respecting his decision.
The trouble was Major wasn’t sure he wanted her to.
“What do you mean it’s not her choice?” Roxie settled into a conference room chair, the interview playing on behind her head.
Brynn smiled and waved at the camera, and then the host ended the segment by playing the video again. He groaned and reached for the remote.
“Don’t.” Armie walked in, a stack of files in his hands. “This is my favorite part.”
“Which one? When the dog abandons him or when his pants do?” Roxie asked.
“When he stares at Brynn like she’s the last ice cream cone in the world.” Armie took the seat at the head of the table.
“I do not.” He looked back at the screen as Dolly eagerly ran to Brynn and she gave her a treat, her hand petting the dog’s head.
And there it was. He was staring at her like she was a golden goddess.
Armie snorted as he settled in. “Sure you do.”
When she looked up, his expression went back to grumpy.
Even then he’d known how gorgeous she was.
There was a knock on the door.
“Come on in,” Armie called out.
The door opened and Gavin Jacks shouldered his way in, a bag in his hand and a tray of coffees in the other. They were from the café across the street, but the bag in his hand was from the B and B. “Sorry I’m late. I stopped by to get you all some coffee. And I brought you some pastries. My gracious hostess made far too many for a group who is always watching their carb intake. Not me, of course. I was blessed with a naturally high metabolism. Between good genetics and a strong workout ethic, I can eat what I like and maintain my film bod. Not superhero body, of course. I would have to cut out carbs for that, but I’m not in that particular club.”
“You’re basically playing a version of Armie,” Roxie replied. “Eat all the carbs you like. He’s got a dad bod.”
“Of course I do. I’m a dad. I’ve got three kids.” Armie was frowning Roxie’s way. “What else would I have?”
It was obvious Armie wasn’t up on the current lingo. Major chuckled. “It means you’ve let yourself go a little. Gotten a bit paunchy around the middle. Which you absolutely haven’t, boss.”
Roxie snorted and rolled her eyes. “I was joking. The man won’t let any of us rest. He puts us through physicals every year. Won’t take his wife’s opinion that we’re all perfectly fit.”
Armie shrugged. “Can’t have you all getting soft.”
“I’d love to know what kind of routine you put them all through.” Gavin started passing out the coffees. “I’m sure Brynn will want to go through some training, too. Physicality is very important to our process. You should know that I’ve already gone through SWAT training, FBI training, and I spent a day at BUD/S.”
“You trained with the Navy SEALs?” Roxie asked.
Gavin gave her a grin that likely melted the hearts of women everywhere. He was one charming man. “Absolutely. For a day. And then I washed out. There’s a reason I’m an actor.”
“Well, Armie’s yearly fitness tests remind me of being back in grade school. You remember that day every year in PE when they made you do sit-ups and climb up a rope,” Roxie grumbled, taking the coffee with a nod. “It sucked then. Sucks now.”
“It’s not that bad.” Major kind of liked fitness test days. Sure, there was a lot of ribbing and joking around and Armie was serious about everyone being able to run a five-minute mile, but there were fun times, too. They usually ended with everyone getting a beer and hanging out.
“Says the man who runs every day,” Roxie returned. “I don’t have to anymore. I caught my man. Literally. Like I put him in the back of my SUV in handcuffs. I can let myself go. Or I could if Armie didn’t insist on his staff being in peak physical condition. Oooh, are those Seraphina’s muffins?”
Gavin passed her one. “Absolutely, and they are delicious. But try getting a Hollywood actress to eat one. When I left, our hostess was making egg-white omelets for Brynn and Diane, and the brat princess was doing her usual sleep-in. Ally rarely eats until the afternoon.”
Brynn probably had to be up at the crack of dawn.
In every single interview she’d been asked about him, and all she would say was that he was a deputy and a nice man, and no they weren’t seeing each other.
Over and over she’d been asked the same questions, and she’d handled them all with that smile that wasn’t as sunny as it usually was.
“How is she doing?”
The question came out of his mouth before he could think to keep it inside.