Being a brat tamer might be more fun than he’d imagined.
As it was late on a Saturday morning, the Manhattan commuters were sleeping or coaching soccer games, so the multi-lane toll roads of upstate New York and New Jersey were comparatively empty, which meant traffic was crowded but not stop-and-slow. Thus, the quickest route was I-287 to New Jersey, west to I-80 near Hanover, and straight on to Iowa.
The phone call came when they were speeding along with the other New Jersey drivers on I-80 near Blairstown.
Vets in Crisisappeared on the Aston Martin’s curved dashboard screen.
“That’s weird. Answer it,” Blaze muttered. “Hello?”
Staff Sergeant Jackson’s silken voice, so smooth that it was buttery, emerged from his speakers. “Lieutenant Commander Robinson, I am so sorry to call you, but we have been swamped with clients needing help today. That attack in the Red Sea last night has been all over the news, and of course, it’s a weekend.”
The only thing worse than the twenty-four-hour bad-news cycle was the damned Fourth of July fireworks that traumatized every battle veteran anew. Some of Blaze’s clients rented cabins in the woods situated miles from anywhere for that so-called patriotic weekend.
He said, “I am currently driving, and I am not alone. A civilian passenger without HIPAA standing, counseling training, or a security clearance is in the car with me.”
“Damn,”Staff Sergeant Jackson sighed. “What if I got a client to waive those?”
The irregularity of that request cast shivers over Blaze’s skin. “That is not within the regulations.”
“This person with you, are they reliable? In your opinion, would they be a security risk or likely to violate HIPAA?”
“I am putting you on hold, Staff Sergeant.” Blaze tapped the big graymutebutton on the car’s screen. He told Sarah, “They’ve never called me with a request like this. They must be getting slammed. Would you be comfortable if I took a phone call or two while I drove?”
She said, “It’s fine with me, but isn’t counseling supposed to be private?”
“You wouldn’t be counseling. You would just be in the car. I agree it’s irregular, but this must be an emergency.”
Sarah pointed to a green sign speeding past the window. “There’s a rest stop in a mile. We can pull over there and switch. That way, you can concentrate on the people you’re talking to, and I’ll drive.”
That was absolutely logical.
Blaze didn’t like it at all.
He said, “I counsel people all the time while I’m driving. We don’t need to switch.”
“But those other times, you probably didn’t have another driver with you. It must be safer for someone else to drive so you can concentrate on your clients and their problems. I mean,if you trust me.”
It was especially perturbing when the brat was right.
The rest stop exit veered away from the highway, and Blaze drove the car down the ramp to the parking lot and un-muted his phone. “Jackson?”
The staff sergeant’s smooth voice held a sarcastic twinge. “Did you talk it over?”
“Yes. She’s a US citizen, and I have found her to be trustworthy in every way,” he said. “Her character is above reproach.”
Sarah’s sharp glance at him from the corners of her eyes, defensive like she thought he was making fun of her, struck pain in his heart.
A pause on the phone line.“She,Lieutenant Commander Robinson?”
“Affirmative.”
“Why, Blaze, are you ina relationship?”
He didn’t dare look at Sarah. “Affirmative, Staff Sergeant, and I assume this conversation is covered by our non-disclosure agreement and HIPAA.”
“Mmm-hmm.Of course,it is. Hearts will be breaking, and people will be losing their paychecks on wagers, but I’msurethis conversation is privileged.”
Blaze shifted in his seat, not amused in the damn slightest that Sarah was sittingright therein the passenger seat. “That is not reassuring, Staff Sergeant.”
