He parked his truck inside the gate, ensuring he didn’t get blocked in when everyone else arrived. As he made his way to the barn, he looked at the back of Brantley and Reese’s house, noticing the curtain that covered the sliding glass door was covered. Based on deductive reasoning, that meant Brantley had one of his debilitating migraines. Evidently, Reese closed the curtain to ensure no one stopped by to chat.
Atticus kept walking, trying not to smile so much his cheeks hurt. It wasn’t easy since he’d received a text message from Carson a short time ago telling him he wished he was waking up with him this morning. Atticus wished the same thing, but he was playing it safe. That was the only reason he hadn’t gone to Carson’s as soon as they touched down yesterday evening. Instead, he’d returned to his motel room and crashed, sleeping until his alarm went off at five.
And here he was.
He typed in his passcode, waited until the lock disengaged, and pulled open the door to the barn. As soon as he walked inside, he realized there was a reason people didn’t come in that early. Baz, JJ, and Reese were standing at the electronic board, an animated conversation taking place. He couldn’t make outwhatthey were saying, but there was an edge to Reese’s tone.
To announce his presence, he cleared his throat and greeted Tesha, pretending he hadn’t noticed anything else.
When Reese turned around, he looked worried but quickly masked it with indifference before forcing a smile. “Mornin’.”
“Good morning,” Atticus replied. “Looks like I’m early.”
“Never too early to get here,” Reese said, his shoulders relaxing. “Plus, I wanted to talk to you, anyway.”
Aw, shit. Nothing good came after those words. Anytime someone wanted totalkto him, they usually wanted to criticize or threaten.
“Should I pack my shit now?” he asked, already feeling defensive.
Reese frowned. “No.” He exhaled sharply. “It’s not bad, Atticus. Not at all. Come on. Let’s go in here.”
“Can I get some coffee first?”
Reese’s eyebrow quirked. “You don’t drink coffee.”
“I know.”
Reese shook his head and chuckled. “Seriously.” He pointed to the conference room. “Get in there.”
Atticus led the way, stopping just inside the room.
“Close the door,” Reese said as he marched past.
And he said it wasn’t bad. Right.
Atticus closed the door but refrained from sitting even though Reese did.
“I told you, it’s not bad.”
“Forgive me if I don’t believe you.”
“Sit, Atticus,” Reese demanded, his tone sharper than Atticus had ever heard it.
He sat.
He looked around the room.
He fidgeted.
He did everything but look at Reese because he knew what was coming. Reese said it wasn’t bad, but that was because he likely believed he could deliver the news with style. The man had a way with words. He could probably give Atticus his walking papers and make it look like it had been Atticus’s idea.
“We were watchin’ you in New York.”
His gaze snapped to Reese. That didn’t surprise him. Atticus knew he was still within his probationary period. Back when Brantley had offered him a job, he’d told him he needed time to assess him. His ninety days were officially up this week, so it looked like it was time to get that assessment.
“And?”
“I think it’s time…” Reese sat up and put an elbow on the table. “To get you a partner.”
