“I deserve to meet him before you officially hire him.”
He glanced at Reese.
“What?”JJ asked, her gaze narrowed on him.“What’s that look for?I should be allowed to meet anyone you intend to hirebeforeyou hire them, should I not?”
“She kinda has a point,” Reese muttered, not looking up from his food.
Yes, she did.Because JJ had played a pivotal role in their very first case—before they were the governor’s task force—Brantley considered her a partner, not an employee.And yes, he agreed that any partner should have a say in the hiring process.
Brantley looked at JJ.“Call him.”
“What?”
“Call him,” he repeated.“Call him and tell him you’d like to interview him before he makes a decision.”
She looked horrified.“I’m not gonna tell him that.”
“Why not?”
“Because—” Her eyebrows dipped down.“Fine.”She reached for her phone.“What’s his number?”
Reese grabbed his phone before Brantley could, so he continued to eat while Reese rattled off the phone number, and JJ dialed.
All eyes shifted to JJ when she put the phone on speaker.
“Hello?”
“Is this Archer?”
“It is.”
“This is JJ.Jessica James, I mean.With the task force.”
“Hey, Jessica James,” Archer crooned.“What can I do for you?”
The man oozed charm with every syllable.Brantley would give him that.
“Brantley and Reese told me you stopped by today.”
JJ stared at the phone as though waiting for a response, but there wasn’t one.And there still wasn’t one.
Reese cleared his throat.
Archer said, “Oh, sorry.Was that a question?”
It was quite possible his best friend blushed, but Brantley couldn’t be sure.
“No,” she said, not making eye contact with anyone.“It wasn’t.I was just … uhmm…” Her forehead creased.“I wondered if you’d have a few minutes to talk to me.”
“Of course,” he said cheerfully.“What would you like to chat about?”
“Here,” she stated.“In person.”
“Here as in … where?”
“I’m in the hospital.”
Brantley fought the grin that threatened.It wasn’t like JJ to be flustered, but she seemed to be at the moment.
