“Come in,” Victoria called pleasantly. When she saw who entered, her nose scrunched up and her eyes narrowed threateningly.
“I’m aware you know who I am, but we haven’t formally been introduced. I’m Cole. Please let me apologize for my blunder yesterday and for the bite you sustained by my dog, Brody.”
Brody, sensing the tension in the room, sauntered to Victoria and greeted her prettily. Always a sucker for a dog, Victoria bent to pet him.
Cole stepped forward and placed the tin on Ivan’s bedside table. “I heard you liked these. Again, please accept my apologies.”
Ivan grumpily pulled the tin closer and opened it. His eyes widened at the sight of the cookies. He took one out and offered it to his wife and then one for himself, not bothering to ask Cole if he wanted one.
“Here, Victoria, I think this might go down with your treat. When I saw the mug, it reminded me of you,” he said, handing her the tumbler.
Victoria scowled in annoyance at him as she accepted his offering. She took off the lid and steam rose toward her nose, letting off the scent of the whiskey. She smiled, then recalled Cole, her lips tightening as she replaced the lid and sipped.
“Leo asked us to drop by and introduce ourselves. Since you obviously know me, an introduction seems silly. I can’t blame you when I didn’t see the gun until I got closer. Victoria insisted I see the eye doctor, and they dilated my eyes,” Ivan explained. “I appreciate the cookies, but next time, I prefer a handshake.”
Cole turned to Victoria. She ignored him while she sipped her special brew.
“Victoria,” Ivan chastised.
She scowled. “He hurt you. You may forgive him for a tin of cookies, but it’ll take more than a cup of coffee for me.”
“Tori,” Ivan admonished. “He’s new. We’ve all made mistakes.”
“Yeah. Leo makes a ton of them,” she said stubbornly, glancing at Cole.
“It’s all right,” Cole interrupted. “I know my actions hurt your family and I accept full responsibility. Hopefully, in time, you can see Brody and me as an asset to the team.”
Ivan cleared his throat, making Victoria roll her eyes.
“Oh, fine. I accept your apology,” she said begrudgingly. “Just remember, I don’t offer a second pass. No one hurts my family and walks away.”
“Thank you. I understand. If you’ll excuse me, I have to find Kassie. I have some major ass kissing to do,” Cole grinned and turned around, signaling Brody to follow. They passed the second unit when Brody stopped and whined at Hannah’s door.
“Sorry, buddy. We can’t go inside. Kassie’s rules,” he told him as he continued walking.
He glanced back to see Brody staring forlornly at Hannah’s room.
“Come on, buddy. Don’t make this harder,” he coaxed.
Brody slowly caught up but stopped every couple of steps as if resisting the urge to run into her room.
“Don’t even consider it,” Cole warned.
Brody’s head sank low as he followed his master. Cole knocked when he arrived at Kassie’s office. He turned the knob, letting himself inside. He placed the bag with the handwritten card on her desk and left.
They went to the entrance and Brody whined.
Cole felt the same way, but he knew he needed to make amends.
“Hey, Cole,” one of the veterans called. “Gary caught the flu and he’s supposed to drive the bus to pick up the seniors for bingo night. Any chance you can do it?”
“Yeah, sure,” he agreed, returning to the check-in area. “Oh, shoot. I don’t know the route.”
The veteran turned to a couple of teens. “Mike, Glenn, will you please go with Cole and show him the route? It’s the same one for the food deliveries.”
The teens nodded and grabbed their jackets while Cole collected the keys.
“Don’t be surprised when a few refuse to go. Since the mishap the other day, they’ve got it stuck in their heads it’s not safe. It’ll take them a while to venture back down. In the meantime, the boys will load some frozen meals and drop them off to those who decide to stay at home,” the veteran explained.
