“Wait, what? You turned them down?”
“Let’s say we start poppin’ out kids, and we’ve got, like, four little ones?—”
“I’d stay home, you’d work at TOPGUN?”
“It’s an option. What do you think?”
“I’d consider it. Are you sure you don’t want to accept that position now?”
“Not if it doesn’t work for us both, Bella.”
She smiled at him. “Four kids, huh?”
“I’d have six with you, but that might be a lot, even for us.”
She laughed. “So, what are you thinking?”
“I think it would be great to be in BLACK OPS withyou, but still fly for the Navy.”
“How do you see that working? Aren’t you deployed for months at a time on an aircraft carrier?”
“There’re always loopholes. It’s all in who you know.” He leaned back, crossed his ankle over his thigh. “Do you want to stay with the Agency?”
She shook her head. “BLACK OPS has been my first choice since I started here. I love the work and the close team.”
On a nod, he said. “Lemme see what I can do.” He pulled out his phone, made a call.
“Hey, Greystone,” Evelyn said. “How are you and Caroline doing?”
“We’re good. Caroline’s here, and you’re on speaker.”
“How are you, Caroline?”
“Great, Evelyn. You?”
“We’d love to have you for dinner this weekend. We have a lot to celebrate this Memorial Day.”
“We’d love that,” Caroline replied.
“Mom, the President told me that if I ever needed anything, I could ask him for a favor.”
Evelyn chuckled. “That didn’t take long. Whatcha need?”
“I want to fly for the Navy, but I’m thinking of accepting a position with BLACK OPS. I’m hoping President Garrison could override my deployment, even if just for the first year.”
Silence.
Then, she broke it by saying, “Greystone, why do you always—always—have to push the limits?”
Caroline laughed.
“It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t,” he replied.
“So true,” Evelyn said. “The President’s in meetings all day. I’ll ask him later and let you know. See you Saturday. Love you.”
“Love you.” He hung up, pushed out of his seat, extended his hand to Caroline. “Let’s go ring shopping, fiancée.”
They found the team working in their offices, and Greystone called everyone into the hallway.
