Page 133 of Out Of A Fix

“What do you see?”

“A big man with gray hair and a gun on his hip, and another man with red hair who’s smiling and waving at me. I think I should let them in. They look nice.”

“Even the guy with the gun?”

“Yeah, and he smiled at me too.”

“Jesus,” I muttered under my breath. “I need to implant some survival instincts in you.”

“Should I open the door or not?” She asked, sounding aggrieved.

At least she had the good sense to ask me. “Yes, open the door.”

She had to undo the deadbolt and then the lock, but she did it fast and welcomed the two men to her home.

“Thank you so much,” Owen said brightly, smiling at her. “My name is Owen, and you must be Tatum, the lady of the house.”

I heard her breath catch, then saw the smile she gave him. Clearly, she was already enchanted with him. “I am the lady of the house.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, shaking her mitten-covered hand. “And I have very similar bunny slippers at home.”

If her smile got any bigger, she’d explode.

“We’re friends of Nash’s,” he went on. “This is Jared Colter, Nash’s boss and⁠—”

“Oh no,” she whimpered and bolted over to me.

Owen, laptop bag hanging over his right shoulder, a recyclable bag in his left hand, crossed the living room, followed by Jared, who’d stopped to lock the front door.

“Please don’t take Nash back,” she pleaded with Jared, draped over me again, her arms back around my neck, trying to shield me from my boss. “My dad loves him, I love him, my brothers love him. Wink too, even though Nash will have to take him to the vet for more shots.”

Jared Colter was a fearsome man. He was scary, no two ways about it. But he also possessed a kind, gentle heart, and so he took a seat on the bench close to us and smiled at the little girl.

“Sweetheart, I have no intention of taking Nash away. I’m just here to offer him a different job and give him his new phone.”

She perked up. “Really?”

“Cross my heart,” he promised.

Her sigh was long.

“And Owen brought doughnuts.”

“You did?” She was very excited.

“We flew into Seattle, so we stopped on the way.”

Owen put his laptop bag down on the table and took the other one, the important one, the one with deep-fried goodness, to the kitchen.

Viola was stunned to find visitors as she returned with Griff’s ibuprofen for me. As most people, she was charmed by Owen but in awe of Jared. It was the height and the muscles, how solid his stare was, the laugh lines, and the deep rumble of his voice. No one was impervious to the lure of Jared Colter. Even John, emerging minutes later, seemed more than a bit overwhelmed in my boss’s presence.

I was given a fancy new cell with all the bells and whistles, in a case I was certain was drop-proof, shockproof, and waterproof. My previous phone had a case I’d picked out, so apparently, that was no longer my choice. It was also loaded with everything my old one had, plus whatever improvements Owen had seen fit to install.

“What job?” I asked Jared.

“Chief Higheagle called for a reference on you,” he said, picking up the ibuprofen and moving it out of my reach. The man was not big on drugs. There was always some natural remedy he preferred. “She has a job proposal. She thinks you’re strong, steady, a problem solver, and that you have a very calming effect on people.”

I scoffed.