Each week, they took turns hosting the before-work, coffee gatherings. Mel had hosted it last week, Stefanie the week before, and next week Rylee had coffee duty. Thankfully, her new boss was a sweetheart and agreed to let her use their breakroom when it was her turn. Mac was also an old friend of Gabe’s, so Rylee had known him for years. Besides, his being Stef’s boyfriend didn’t hurt, either.
“Not that we ever need an excuse to eat a donut, but why do you need one right now?” Abby asked, reaching for one coated in powdered sugar.
Since Rylee’s mouth was full of Boston cream, she snorted. Probably take more than one to turn her mood around. The chocolate and cream went down smooth, though. It was a good start.
“Oh, dear.” Stef half smiled, half grimaced. “Your morning’s that bad?”
Rylee swallowed the rest of the donut in her mouth and nodded. “Worse.”
“Yikes.” Abby winced. “What happened?”
“It all started when I washed last night’s dishes this morning, and water gushed from under the sink onto my kitchen floor,” she said, pouring coffee into three disposable cups.
“See, that’s why I never wash dishes in the morning.” Stef waved her donut as she spoke, “It invites disaster.”
“Wish I’d been privy to that information,” Rylee said before lifting one of the cups to her mouth.
Abby nodded. “I’m taking mental notes.”
“Smart.” Stef reached for a coffee. “And you should also note I don’t throw clothes in the washer before work, either.”
“Do you do anything in the morning besides get ready for work?” Abby asked, adding creamer to the last cup.
A twinkle entered the brunette’s blue eyes while a blush crept into her smiling face.
Rylee grinned. “Let me guess…Mac?”
“Bingo! Got it on the first guess.” Stef snickered. “Give that woman a donut.”
Abby sighed, stirring her coffee. “If I had a hot-as-sin military hero in my bed, I’d choose him over a chore any day.”
“Amen.” Rylee’s laughter mixed with the others and went a long way to lightening her mood.
“So, what else happened?” Abby asked. “You said your bad morning started with your flooded floor. Not that that isn’t bad enough, but I’m guessing there’s more.”
She snorted again. “Yeah.” Six- feet- two- inches of condescension. Rylee chowed down her donut, still reeling from the incident. She couldn’t believe he had the gall to insinuate her shoulder flare-up was her fault because she didn’t call her landlord about the sink.
Okay, technically, he was right, but he didn’t have to be such a…such a Dex about it.
“So…are you going to share the reason you’re growling?” Stef asked, raising a brow.
Rylee frowned. “I don’t growl.”
“Yes, you totally do.” Abby smiled. “And it usually happens when a certain former D-Force soldier is involved.”
Stef snapped her finger. “Dex!”
“Bingo! Got it on the first guess,” Abby repeated Stefanie’s earlier words. “So, what did Dex do this time?”
She reached for another donut and grunted. “He showed up at my house uninvited and finished fixing the sink.”
Abby sucked in a breath, mock shock gleaming in her eyes. “No-o-o! The nerve of the guy.”
“Yeah! How dare he?” Stef said with equal aplomb and a grin that matched Abby’s.
“Ha-ha.” She rolled her eyes. “You two are funny.”
Stef smirked. “Then tell us what Dex did do to ruin your morning.”
Telling them he’d massaged the pain from her back didn’t exactly fit as an answer. She blinked and forced her mind to pinpoint what was bothering her. “He made assumptions about my judgment.”
This time Stef snorted. “It’s in his DNA. He’s a guy. Assumption should be their middle name, with emphasis on ass because, unfortunately they’re going to have a flare-up.”
At the mention of “flare-up,” Rylee rubbed her sore shoulder. The ache was just a dull throb now, kind of like her leg after a stubborn Charlie horse.
“Ut oh.” Abby frowned. “Is your shoulder bothering you today?”
She nodded and went on to tell them the entire under the sink fiasco, including Dex’s massage. The immense relief he’d brought her deserved a brief mention…even if he was a jerk afterward. “Then he had the audacity to blame me for hurting myself because I didn’t bother Mr. Crowley.”
Abby’s gaze narrowed. “But the poor man just had knee surgery. Why would you bother him?”
“I know, right? That’s what I told Dex, and he looked at me like I was a child.” She’d moved to Texas to get away from that. “Women are more than capable of fixing a leaky sink. In fact, I did fix it, and would’ve finished putting all the pipes together if it wasn’t for the lack of space between the sink and the island. It forced me to lay under there all crookedly and that’s what messed up my shoulder.”
Stef shook her head. “Yeah, there is only the standard three feet there.” Her friend was the previous tenant in the cottage Rylee now rented. “I used to misjudge the distance when I was cooking.”
“I’ll keep it mind,” she said. “And at least I have an island. I didn’t back in California.” Her small apartment had been newly renovated but with a galley kitchen, not an open concept like she preferred.
Abby flicked her long hair over her shoulder, the light strands glowing like melted gold when they caught the light. “I have to admit, I’m still surprised your family let you move several states away.”
“It would’ve been near impossible to convince them if Gabe wasn’t already here.” Which would’ve forced her to move without their consent. She’d been determined to come here one way or the other. “I had to get out from under the protective bubble my family put me in. For crying out loud, I’m almost twenty-eight. That damn car accident was over eleven years ago, and all the surgeries to fix my shoulder are in the past. I’m not an invalid, but battling them for my independence handicaps me.”
Stef’s gaze rounded. “You were in a car accident?”
“Yeah. When I was sixteen.” She exhaled, realizing her new friends wouldn’t know about it. A twinge of sadness rippled through her. It’d been kind of nice not being known as the accident girl. “My friend was driving, and we were on our way to a concert when we were sideswiped by a drunk driver.”
Rylee didn’t really remember the actual accident. One second they were laughing and singing to a Coldplay song on the radio and the next second was a blur of breaking glass, crunching metal, then darkness.
“She was in a coma for two weeks,” Abby said, having heard about it from Rylee’s family when they’d first met.
It wasn’t something she talked about much. Mostly because that gave it credence and helped it define her. And she was a hell of a lot more than a car accident victim.
“Oh, wow.” Stef frowned. “That had to be tough on your family.”
Remembering the raw emotion on everyone’s face when her eyes had first fluttered open took the wind out of her self-righteous sails. The stark relief and tears in the eyes of the strong, military Bryson males standing vigil was an image that stayed with her to this day. They loved her. She knew that and appreciated it so much…but sometimes, God…sometimes she needed to breathe. “That’s when they erected that bubble I mentioned.”
“And your family is mostly men,” Abby pointed out. “So they are testosterone-driven and incapable of harnessing their overprotectiveness.”
Freakin’ understatement of the year.
“But it doesn’t make it okay,” she muttered. “I have the right to live a life and not have to tread softly every step of every day.”
Abby nodded. “Believe me, I get it. Carter can be just as obstinate as your brothers.”
“True.” Rylee had witnessed the guy’s overprotectiveness toward Abby on several occasions. Especially whenever his sister had a date.
Brothers made ha
ving a love life almost impossible.
“Well, I had the exact opposite growing up, but I agree. It’s your life,” Stefanie said, her blue gaze serious, making Rylee wonder what her friend meant, but would respect the woman’s privacy. “You need to be able to live it. Make mistakes. Learn from them.”
Rylee leaned her butt against Abby’s desk and stared down at her pink toenails visible in her leather sandals. “When I wanted to join the Navy, they said ‘no, it’s too dangerous,’ and I listened.” Although, her shoulder injury probably would’ve red-flagged her anyhow. “When I wanted to apply to the police academy they said ‘no, it’s too dangerous,’ and I listened.” Same thing with being a paramedic, forensic analyst, lifeguard, nature photographer…the list was endless. “When I suggested being a paralegal and they didn’t give me any grief, I swore I won the freakin’ lottery.”
“I can imagine.” The smile in Stefanie’s tone had Rylee lifting her gaze.
“At least I actually enjoyed the job,” she said. Even though her parents had vetoed most of her choices, Rylee’s suggestions had always been jobs that had interested her. “I loved the research part. Loved following a thread and hunting down the whole spool.”
“Mac said you’re a wiz at background checks, and a master at due diligence,” Stefanie told her. “He also thinks you’d make a great investigator.”
Warmth spread through Rylee’s chest in a strong, swift wave. “That’s exactly why I took the job,” she admitted. “Keeping the office running smoothly is okay, but it’s not enough. I want more. I want to go out into the field and actually investigate cases.” She studied both women, gauging their reactions, relieved to find acceptance in their gazes. A smile tugged her lips. “I never told a soul that before. It feels good to get it off my chest.”
It was weird how much lighter she felt.
Abby leaned forward to set a hand on her arm. “I think you’d do great. But you still have a problem…Gabe.”
She sighed. Yeah, he was the only fly in her proverbial ointment. “Maybe. But you and I have both seen Mac square off against my brother in the past.”
Abby wrinkled her brow. “I’m not sure the argument of which team has a better quarterback is the same as the welfare of Gabe’s little sister.”
“Still, Mac has always held his own,” she insisted. “What do you think, Stef? Does your boyfriend have big enough…nads…to take on Gabe?”
“Hell, yeah.” Stef didn’t hesitate. “But I do know he’d never put you in harm’s way.”
Rylee blew out a breath. “I’m not asking him to. I don’t want to be on a security detail. I want to work on the investigative side. I came to Harland County with that goal in mind.”
“Plus, she has a permit to carry,” Abby said.
“No kidding?” Stefanie blinked at Rylee. “Your overprotective family actually lets you near a gun?”
She laughed. “It’s because they’re overprotective. I have Navy SEALs for brothers. They were completely on board with it. They even gave Abby and me self-defense lessons.”
“Of course, then my brother and his Delta buddies insisted they had some stuff to teach us too,” Abby said. “So we got more lessons.”
It had been grueling, yet invigorating, even though her shoulder had sometimes ached afterward. Not that she ever showed it.
“My favorite part was being able to flip Carter over my shoulder.” Abby grinned.
“I’d love to see that.” The pretty brunette smiled as she chewed her glazed donut.
Rylee chuckled. “That had been great.” Flipping Gabe over her left shoulder had been great, too. No way would he allow her to try it over her injured one.
“I don’t like guns, so I didn’t do the gun thing,” Abby said. “But I enjoyed the other stuff. They made sure we could take care of ourselves. Of course, I hope we never have to.”
“Between her brother and all of mine, we’ve been well-schooled,” she said.
Stefanie cocked her head. “Well, then, Rylee, I’d say you should definitely ask Mac to let you investigate.”
“Yeah.” Abby grinned. “Do it.”
“Okay.” She smiled back at them. “The next case ESI gets that requires an investigator…I’m going to ask Mac to give me the chance.” Her boss was in Houston right now, on a consultation. With luck, it was an investigation case, and Mac would let her in on it. The euphoria swirling through her dimmed as her mind snagged on a thought. She turned to fully face Stef. “I don’t like secrets, so I hate to ask this of you…but could you not tell Mac about this conversation until after I approach him?”
“Done.” The woman gave a quick bob of her head. “Let me know how it goes.”
She nodded, grateful her new friend was so understanding.
“Speaking of secrets,” Abby said, gaining their attention.
Rylee stared at her, having no idea where she was going with this.
“Mac is not the only one I’ve seen go toe-to-toe with your brother,” Abby stated.
Rylee tried to remember if she’d ever seen Carter and Gabe in a heated discussion, but she came up empty.
“I’m not talking about my brother.” Abby laughed as if reading her mind. “I’m talking about Dex.”
“Dex?” This time Rylee laughed. “Those two are like two peas in a pod. I’ve never seen them argue. Ever.” They were even more alike than Gabe and her two other brothers.
“Yes, Dex,” Abby replied, her expression bright with barely suppressed glee. “I saw and overheard them having a very interesting discussion a few years back.”
It was no use trying not to be interested because dammit, she was. “Okay, I’ll bite. You look like you’re going to burst, so go on. Spill it. What were they discussing?”
“You.”
Rylee blinked…waiting for her friend to deliver a punch line.
Abby stared back at her without blinking.
“Well, hell…that’s interesting,” Stef muttered, before sipping her coffee.
“Me?” She laughed again. Man, her friend was way off. “The only reason they’d argue about me is to determine the best way to keep me in that damn bubble.”
“Oh, you’re right, it was about that ‘bubble,’” Abby said, and the excitement lighting the woman’s eyes made Rylee nervous. “Gage wanted you in it, but…Dex did not.”
In the process of popping the last of her donut in her mouth, Rylee jerked her head at Abby’s claim…and the donut bounced off her chin. “What do you mean, Dex didn’t?”
That was crazy. Abby must’ve misinterpreted the situation. Otherwise, it meant…
“Dex stood up for you to your brother,” her friend stated out loud the absurd thought flittering through Rylee’s brain. “Why do you think you were able to go with me to Cancun three years ago?”
Her jaw dropped along with her pulse. “I thought Gabe backed off because he knew I would go anyway.” It was true. She would have.
Abby shook her head and grinned. “You thought wrong.”
“Like I said, interesting.” Stef refilled her coffee. “So why do you think Dex would stick up for you?”
“That’s the thing. I wouldn’t think that.” She walked over to the table and set her cup down to wipe her hands off with a napkin from a stack near the donut box. Like this conversation, her hands had sticky spots.
Abby joined them and refilled her cup. “All I know is Dex had pointed out to Gabe that he was smothering you and you could take care of yourself.”
She inhaled. No way. “He said that?”
“Yep,” Abby replied. “He also told your brother he should back off because, although your family meant well, they were loving you to death.”
Her heart rocked hard in her chest. How had he known? That was exactly how she’d felt. He’d nailed it. Why was she only hearing about this now?
She straightened her shoulders and pushed the question aside. It didn’t matter. The past was the past, and now was the time to worry about her future. “Well, al
though Gabe is still a bit stifling, he has mellowed, and living here in Harland County, I feel…free.”
“Texas has that effect on people.” Stef grinned.
She returned the grin. “Well, I like it.”
“So do I.” Abby gave a curt nod.
“Okay, then…” Rylee lifted her cup in a toast. “To Texas.”
“And to Harland County,” Abby added, raising her drink.
Stef lifted hers. “And to its newest soon-to-be investigator.”
They touched cups before cementing the toast with a sip of their hot brew.
Newest investigator…
Rylee liked that, too. A lot.
Now, she just needed to get her boss onboard with the idea, without interference from her brother or Dex. Although, in light of Abby’s disclosure…it was possible the latter would side with her.
An image flickered through her mind of his face and the disdain denting his brow during their earlier discussion about her landlord.
No. She wouldn’t count on him. The last time she’d made that mistake he’d turned her world upside down and shook her out. He was not a safe bet.
It was a good thing she didn’t need to rely on him at work.
Chapter Three
Later that afternoon, Dex was on a dolly underneath an SUV in the garage in the back of ESI headquarters. There wasn’t much left to do with the vehicle other than tighten up the last of the bolts on the oil pan. Tires were checked and rotated. Fluids were checked and topped off where necessary, filters were replaced, and he’d just changed the oil.
He couldn’t really delay it any longer. It was getting late. It was time to find Rylee and lock up for the night.
Earlier that afternoon, Mac had called to tell them he was staying in Houston for another consultation, which meant he and Rylee were the only ones in the building. Hence his preoccupation with the SUV.
After their encounter in her kitchen that morning, and the way his body had come to life in her presence—and his foot had found its way into his mouth—Dex had made it a point to give the woman some space.
It hadn’t been his intention to get into an argument about her landlord that morning, but after seeing agony zap the color from her cheeks, tighten the skin on her face, and suck the life from her eyes, he hadn’t exactly been functioning with a clear head.
Dex (HC Heroes Book 3) Page 3
