He cracks his knuckles, and I’d hate to be the man who tries to date his daughter.
“Hi, everyone.” Amy gives a nervous smile.
I’ve known Amy since she was a baby. We all have. But you only see kids grow up in snapshots when you’re in the military.
Especially if you’re in the Special Forces. With long deployments and black comms, you can’t always keep in touch with your family. Every time we came back, Amy would have grown up months at a time.
It’s hard keeping a family together in those conditions, and it’s not surprising Tony split with Amy’s mom. It’s not how he wanted things to go, but he loved her enough to set her free.
Now his little girl is all grown up, nineteen years old and our new receptionist.
“I’m sure you’ll all make Amy feel welcome,” Bronn says.
“Not too welcome,” mutters Tony, and we all laugh.
Bronn gets to talking about the jobs this week and where we’re all assigned.
I’ve got a cushy number ferrying around a visiting minor politician who’s had death threats. Often, it’s the presence of security that is the deterrent, but I won’t be afraid to act to protect a client when I need to.
I’m zoning out again when the door to the briefing room opens.
Someone’s pushing backwards into the room, and the first thing I see is an expansive ass in tight leggings. The woman’s pulling a bucket and mop and using her fine ass to open the door. She’s crouched over, her auburn hair tied in a high ponytail that sways over her shoulder, so I don’t immediately see her face.
But my heart rate quickens at the shape of her. The curvy figure, long neck, thick hair. Then she turns, and my heat skips a beat.
It’s her. Jodie.
My Jodie.
Right here in the briefing room.
The room spins, and I think I’m going to fall. My attention zones in on her, my eyes hardly believing it’s Jodie.
Her soft pink mouth is exactly as I remember it, with high, rosy cheekbones and hazel eyes that widen as she sees everyone staring at her.
My world spins. Time stands still.
It’s her.
In the briefing room.
My feet have been resting on the chair in front of me, and they fall to the floor as I sit up in my seat. The noise makes her look up, and our eyes lock.
Her mouth pops open, her eyes widening in shock. The room fades away, and it’s just the two of us for one long moment, staring at each other across the room.
Worry lines crease her brow that weren’t there eighteen months ago. There’re dark smudges under her eyes, and they no longer sparkle. Instead, her eyes look at me cool and glazed.
This is Jodie, but not the carefree girl I remember.
“And this is our new cleaner.”
Bronn lifts a hand to indicate Jodie, and she breaks her gaze from mine. Swallowing hard, she takes a breath and looks around nervously.
“Sorry, I didn’t know everyone was in here.”
The briefing room is designed so you can’t see into it, with tinted glass windows and a thick door. We deal with some confidential movements and need a secure area. She couldn’t have known we were in here until she opened the door.
Bronn gives her a rare smile.