“Peas?” Sparky guessed.
“When did they start coming with a stem?” Saint replied, laughing. “It’s not celery either. Patch pointed out he didn’t add any because he doesn’t like it.”
“I never made it past the clumps. Maybe they’re supposed to represent the surprise part,” Leo said, shaking his head and chuckling. “We thought Taco’s cooking sucked. Patch brings it to a whole new level. Do you know how to cook, Cole, or should weadd you to the food poisoning control list, too? I’ll need to space you out. I can’t afford for all of you to go down at the same time.”
“I can hold my own,” Cole said, chuckling. “I’m not a five-star chef or anything.”
“We don’t expect perfection. Tess usually cooks for us. She’s taking an eight-week cooking course in Seattle,” Taco explained. “We like it when it’s Sparky’s turn. Ty never fails to bring dessert for his wifey.”
The men made gagging noises, giving Sparky a hard time. She grinned, and a slight blush covered her cheeks.
“She cheats,” Ragu accused. “Ty always helps her prep everything ahead of time and she throws it in the oven.”
“I don’t hear you complaining when you’re holding out your plate for seconds,” Sparky threw back. “Plus, Hannah eats a bit more when I bring her something.”
The men seemed to sober and nod their heads at the mention of Sparky’s friend.
“Did I miss meeting someone else?” he asked.
“No. She’s a friend of mine at the hospital. The veterans have a program which lets us visit people without family. I met her during my stint there,” Sparky explained. “Ty and I pop in to keep her company.”
“I read they have several programs. Do only veterans at the hospital get to participate?” he asked.
“No. We extend our service to the hospital. Doc and Kassie help us when we need it. We like to extend the favor,” Leo explained.
After everyone finished, Leo took Cole for a tour of the town, taking his time introducing him to people who stopped to chat. Like all small places, everyone seemed to know everyone else’s business.
“Come on, I’ll show you to your cabin. The guys will meet us there in an hour to unload your stuff,” Leo said as they drew closer to their vehicles.
Brody jumped into his seat and Cole fastened him in. He drove up the mountain, marveling at the picturesque landscape in the beginning winter months. Following Leo, Cole stopped in front of the most perfect cabin he’d ever seen.
It seemed nestled in the woods, providing privacy. The front held a porch swing and he already imagined summer nights with Brody sitting out there. He got out of his truck and let Brody out while taking it all in. Leo swung open the door and let them enter first.
Cole stepped into the brightly lit cabin with wood floors throughout. The living room contained a cushy couch and two chairs. The sunny kitchen showed lots of promise. Leo stood by, letting him investigate before leading him to the master suite. Instead of tooting about the size of the bedroom, Leo opened the sliding glass door, showing him a screened-in porch with a slanted glass roof to see the stars.
“Most of the cabins have a view of a mountain. With this one hidden in the woods, Kassie suggested this instead. It’ll save you from bug bites.”
“I love it. Brody and I might even sleep out here on occasion,” Cole said as he viewed the roomy area.
“Whatever you do, don’t do it in the nude. People talk here. All it takes is one sight of your lily-white ass, and you’ll make the town’s website.”
Cole laughed. “I don’t plan on making any special appearances, but I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Do you want to stay out here while we talk?” Leo asked as he flipped a switch to the fireplace. “I believe they stored the glass panes in the shed out back to make it a four-season room. I don’tadvise it in the colder part of the season. The fireplace provides a small amount of heat, but not enough for the entire area.”
“You’re speaking my love language now. I love the outdoors,” Cole said, signaling for Brody to lie down. Leo took a seat on the wicker couch while Cole sat in a cushy chair, not believing his luck.
“I read in your file you enjoyed camping and imagined you might like this space. Let’s discuss your pay.” He pulled a paper from the folder. “We grant you four weeks of paid vacation. If we have a down period, you can request additional unpaid time off. You come with experience and we considered it when we decided to hire you. I prefer not to have a rotating team. I tend to like my employees happy. I’m sure you’ll find the figure in there will match my sentiments.”
Cole examined the paper and his eyes widened at the sum. “I’m very happy with your sentiment. What do I pay in rent?”
“The first six months will be free. It’s our way of making it easier with the moving expenses. You didn’t come with an entire moving truck, but others might. I don’t want moving to become the reason I miss out on a skilled professional. We promote family time. I’ll warn you now, we’ve experienced a population explosion around here, myself included. We have several kids, and we get together on Sundays for a family dinner. We take turns hosting it, or we hold it at the facility in the winter to allow the kids time in the pool. You can choose to participate, risking your sanity. Consider this your extended invitation.”
“I’ll take you up on it. I love kids,” Cole said, smiling. Even though Leo said it like a death sentence, his eyes said otherwise. The man’s voice held genuine warmth when discussing the family.
“As far as your teammates go, we have one who requires special handling. Bear lives on the spectrum and doesn’t enjoy crowds. He rarely attends meetings, except for things like today.We don’t bother him when he’s working unless it’s crucial. When he feels comfortable, he joins us and when he needs a break, he’ll leave. I don’t want you to consider him disrespectful in any way. He’s a very important part of the team and relatively new to his position.”
“Duly noted,” Cole acknowledged the hidden warning Leo gave him. The leader didn’t realize how much respect he garnered from it. “What about Scarlett?”
