“Well…that was unexpected,” Carter says gruffly.
“I’m not sure why we all had to drive into town for it,” I say, almost to myself.
A deep, rumbling chuckle comes from Carter. “Trust issues will do that to you.”
“Well,” Trent says, interrupting his brother. “Kelsey, why don’t you handle the advance-team work? Send me your plans once you have them, and I’ll get back to you with which operatives of ours will be assigned to which roles. If you have questions about which of your coordinators will be best to place with our team, just shoot me an email. I guess we’ll see you in Vancouver.”
“Or at Wild Brews. Or the grocery store. Maybe even the movie theater,” Lila jokes next to me.
“Sure,” Trent says before picking up his briefcase. “It’s always so nice to see you and your boyfriend.”
“See you around,” Carter grumbles, and less than ten minutes after the men arrived, it’s just Lila and me in the room again.
“Well, shit,” I say as I drop my head into my hands. “We’ve got to win that contract.”
Chapter two
Carter
Present Day: January
“Twopancakesandaside of bacon,” my mom says, setting a plate down on the table next to mine. I try not to pay attention, instead focusing on the checklist I’m creating in my phone of things to pack when the team and I leave next week.
“Thanks, Alice,” Janice says, digging into the pancakes I know she didn’t order.
“Of course. And how is that pesky nephew of yours?” my mom asks.
According to my mom, Janice is the queen of Wild Bluffs gossip, and apparently, she spends most of her free time trying to set her nephew Matt up with any single woman in town. Which I can only imagine is as miserable as it sounds.
“Still refusing to date any of the women I set him up with. I really thought he and that Lila Walker were going to be a hit. Who knew professional golfers stealing the young women in town was a problem we’d have to worry about.”
“Oh, but they make such a lovely couple,” my mom gushes.
“Unfortunately. Now I have no idea who to set Matthew up with. That boy will be the death of me.”
“I know the feeling,” my mom jokes, sending a stern look in my direction.
I roll my eyes good-naturedly, knowing she gets a lot of enjoyment out of teasing me about my dating life—or lack thereof.
The two women continue to dissect poor Matt’s love life before the sound of a bell dinging on the counter pulls my mom away.
As my mom heads into the kitchen, Bill, my mom’s boss for the last thirty-two years, stops at Janice’s table, quietly asking if she’d like the eggs she ordered instead of the pancakes.
Janice smiles before shaking her head. “No. Alice must’ve known I needed a pick-me-up today. The pancakes are delicious. Plus, this is what I get for not having a usual order.”
Bill laughs and taps a finger on Janice’s table before sitting down in front of me.
“How are you today, Carter?”
“Good.” Or at least as good as I can be with the stress I’m currently under.
“She’s going to be all right. I know you’re worried about leaving now that her dementia has progressed, but she’s going to be fine. Mildred and I will make sure she has everything she needs.”
“I appreciate that,” I say, though the fear still grips my stomach. My mom started showing signs of memory loss over three years ago, and after her diagnosis with Alzheimer’s a year later, I left the Army and moved back to Wild Bluffs. After speaking with several memory specialists and spending countless hours down rabbit holes on the internet, I realized moving in with my mom after being gone for the last fifteen years might not be the best for her routine, so I moved into a small rental down the street, ensuring I would be nearby when she needs me. I’ve had dinner with her almost every night since then, and I’m worried about what changing her routine will do.
Unfortunately, I’m also worried about the mounting costs of her medication, the experimental treatments we have her on, and her increased need for care, so now is not the time to tell my boss I can’t be the lead security agent on a six-week international tour—especially when my boss is my asshole half brother.
“How often does something like that happen?” I ask, tilting my head toward Janice and her plate of pancakes.
