“I like Daniel.” He paused to note Reid and Cash staring at him in surprise. “What?” he barked.
“Just didn’t realize you could do more than growl and snarl at everyone,” Cash offered.
Smith shot him the finger, and Reid grinned. “See, now that’s the Smith we know.”
“And love,” Jordan added with a wink his way.
That shut Cash up fast.
The evening progressed as they ate a delicious meal. Wisely, they’d put Smith next to Evan at the end of the table. He mostly kept his mouth shut, eating his second helping with pleasure. He could see what Cash saw in Jordan. Besides kicking ass and looking fine, the woman could cook.
Evan elbowed him in the side. “You awake?” he asked in a low voice. The others were laughing about something Reid had said.
“Yeah. Why?”
“You haven’t said much.”
Smith shrugged. “Not much to say.”
As if he’d asked for the attention, a laughing Reid turned from Naomi to regard him with a hint of caution. “So, Smith. What do you think of the company and where we’re headed?”
Uncomfortable with being in the spotlight but not allowing it to show, Smith thought about his answer. “Aside from Cash being an ass and you catering to his immature behavior, I’d say the company is doing all right. People seem to like us, and Evan has filled in as best he could.”
“Thanks so much,” Evan said drily.
“Could you be more specific?” Reid asked. “Not about Cash being an ass, but about the daily workings of the company. I like to know how things are going from another perspective.”
“From an outsider’s perspective, you mean.” Finally. It was almost a relief to have them come out and speak the truth. All this togetherness crap had been wearing.
Cash frowned. “If that’s what he’d meant to say, he’d have said it.”
Reid put a hand on Cash’s shoulder. “Imeantfrom someone newer to the company. Evan’s been good about letting me know how he thinks we can improve. But his ideas always revolve around our bottom line. You’re more of an operational kind of guy.”
“So’s Cash. So’s Jordan, though she’s probably brainwashed to say whatever Cash thinks.”
Reid spoke before Jordan or Cash could argue. “I’ve already talked to them. Now I’m asking you what you think. Don’t be afraid to tell me the truth.”
Smith bristled at any notion he might be scared. “Fine. The crew does a good job of getting organized. Sometimes we get confusing info on the clients though. Finley and Dan occasionally get details wrong. And I don’t like that. You should let the moving crew call the client to confirm the details before we go on a job.”
“Noted. What else?”
Smith wanted to have something else to complain about. But honestly, Reid had a good company staffed with excellent veterans. Despite most of them being from services other than the Marine Corps, Smith found himself respecting if not liking them. Even Funny Rob, an Air Force dweeb who wasn’t all that funny.
“Well,” Smith added, “Cash could probably work a little harder. I know he’s nursing that healing arm, but he seems to pair himself with the harder workers so he can slack some.”
“Asshole,” Cash snarled. “That’s totally not true.”
“Well, it’s a little true.” Jordan shrugged. “Hey, you always end up with either Lafayette, Hector, me, or Heidi.”
“See?” Smith sat back and let the fur fly.
“But that’s because you guys annoy me the least of the team.” Cash glanced at Smith and sneered. “I work with him, I spend most of my day trying not to put his head through a wall.”
Smith snorted. “As if you could. Though with Little Army, you might have half a shot.”
Jordan tried to hide her smile. They all called her Little Army because she was small but tough. The chick had a set of guns on her too, as she liked to point out when trying to out-flex Cash. Yeah, Smith had to admit there were worse people to work alongside than the gang at Vets on the Go! They’d all served their country, knew the sacrifices that came with military service, and still worked hard, pulling their weight.
If he didn’t necessarily get along with all of them, well, that was more his fault than theirs. And he knew it. But damn if he would admit it to anyone other than himself.
