by Margaret Kay
“I’m really not okay with him going through my files.”
“He’s ensuring its secure. I’m sorry, it’s just protocol.”
“I hate that word.” Then it occurred to her what he’d said. “Wait, tomorrow? Where are you going tomorrow?”
“We’re heading out on a mission. That’s why I’m home early because I leave tomorrow.” He watched disappointment wash over her face.
“So soon?” She asked softly.
“I’m sorry, but it’s my job.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“I’m not sure, till the mission is done. The good news is we can text and talk on the phone some.”
She wrapped her arms back around him. “I know it’s your job and I understand. It was just a shock. I thought we’d have a few more days together before you had to go.”
She was already dreading him leaving. If today was any indication of how it would be, alone with nothing to do, she’d go nuts. Then a thought struck her. “Can I paint this place and get some decorations for it while you’re gone?” She asked.
“What do you mean paint?”
“Like put some color on the walls. You can’t seriously like this white everywhere. I was thinking a rich beige in the bedroom, maybe a sunny yellow in the kitchen.” She smiled enthusiastically.
He glanced around. He’d never really thought about it. But she did look excited at the prospect. “Two thoughts on painting. My first reaction is sure, paint and decorate it however you like. I’m sure I’ll love it. But my second thought is that I’d really like us to move into one of the townhouses over by Garcia and Sienna’s so the effort could be wasted. This place is so small; I’m hoping we can move within a few months.”
“I’d love to move over by them eventually, but you said yourself, those units seldom come on the market. Besides, I like this place. It reminds me of that little apartment we had in college.”
“Yeah, it’s about the same size.”
Kennedy laughed. “It was cozy. I have a lot of great memories from that place.”
“Me too,” Sloan said. They shared a kiss that would lead them right to bed, but Sloan stopped it as it heated up. “First, sit. We have some urgent business to discuss.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
Sloan smiled. “It’s all good, I promise.”
He went over the insurance forms with her. “But as soon as you get a job and if there are good medical and dental benefits, I’d like you to go on your own. It would probably save us some money that way and we’re going to have some big expenses, like buying one of those townhouses and getting you a car.”
She agreed.
Then he gave the form for the Marshals and explained it. “But Shepherd was going to reach out to see if the Marshals could build you a history with a degree and job experience teaching music to K through twelfth grade, like Sienna suggested.”
“That seems like it would be too good to be true. I doubt the government would fabricate a degree and experience to allow me to be a teacher. As I said, I’m willing to go back to school and get the degree, but I don’t want to have to redo all four years. It sounds like I’ll have lots of time to do that and work too while you're away on missions.”
“Let’s wait to see what Shepherd comes back with for you. I’d think within a week or two the Marshals will have your history built and you can look for a job then. So, hanging out here doing nothing is short term. Besides, I’m going to leave you my car keys. You can go shopping, go over and visit with the other ladies, explore the area, whatever you want to do. And I called my credit card company and added you to my account. They are express shipping a card to you. It’s an authorized user card in your name. You should have it by Thursday.”
“What name did you put on it?”
“Kennedy Cole to match your driver’s license.”
“I really want to go by Kaylee.”
“We’ll try it out. I’ll admit I’m trying but am having a hard time not calling you Kennedy.”
“Will you try harder for me please?”
He nodded his head yes and grinned. “Anything for you.”
“I’m surprised you added me to your credit card.”
“Well, you need to be able to go shopping, for food, for decorations and paint for this place, for whatever else you may need. Oh, and,” he stood and pulled the cash from his pocket. “I took four-hundred out of my checking account for you, so you have some cash while I’m gone.” He sat it on the table. “Garcia said Sienna is already planning a couple all-girl dinners while I’m gone. Knowing Sienna, at least one of them will be out at one of her many favorite restaurants. Doc and Jackson will be left home with the kids. Sienna is a firm believer that moms need time away from their babies and dads need time alone with them. Garcia is so screwed after this kid comes.” He chuckled at the thought of it.
“They are a fun couple, so different, but you were right, they just work so well together.”
“Yeah, I think Doc and Elizabeth fall into that category too. I know you didn’t get too much of a chance to talk with Elizabeth alone the other day over at Garcia’s. She’s home full-time. You may want to text her one day while I’m gone and go over to get to know her better. I’m sure she’d like the company. I know you’ll like her. She’s had a very interesting life.”
Kennedy nodded and smiled. She’d like that. She had been so wrong in her initial thoughts about the four women who were at the BBQ the other day. And she had to admit she had never met four nicer women, who were accepting of outsiders, fun, and nonjudgmental, like they were.
Sloan fingered the heart charm bracelet. “Babe, I’d like you to reconsider the injected-in tracker.”
“No,” she replied without even thinking about it. “I’m fine with this one, though it is tighter than I like. Can you have that woman add a few more links? And I’ll keep it on, I promise.”
“The idea is so no one can take it off you. If it’s looser, a cutting tool is easily inserted. It is tungsten, so it would have to be a strong tool, but we don’t want that. Will you do me a favor and consider the injected tracker? Talk with Angel or one of the other women about it.”
“I’ll think about it,” she said noncommittally. “So, what is my budget for decorating this place and buying things?”
Sloan didn’t know how much that kind of stuff cost. “What are you thinking besides paint?”
“Some pictures for the walls, you definitely need more towels, a few kitchen items. I started a list.” She held up the pad of paper.
He glanced at it. It was a long list. “I don’t know, I guess, start at around three thousand and if you need to spend more, let me know. Does that sound right?”
She smiled wide. Holy fuck! Three grand! She was hoping for four or five hundred. “So, you're approving I spend up to three thousand dollars on your credit card to decorate this place?”
“Yeah, get what you think we need.” He motioned at his walls. “I obviously have no clue about decorating.”
She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big hug.
Sloan took hold of her hand. “There’s one more thing, babe. I talked with Dr. Lassiter this morning. He thinks we should make a pact with each other to call each other out if either of us are being less than honest with our feelings.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She demanded.
“When we drove over to Garcia’s on Sunday, you told me three times something was fine, when I knew damned well it wasn’t, but I didn’t want to start a fight with you, so I let it slide. We promised each other we’d be honest in our conversations.”
“I was nervous! Do you have any idea how most women are? Let me tell you, your friends’ wives are not like most women.”
Sloan smiled. “That’s what you need to say to me next time.”
“You knew I didn’t want to go.”
“Yes, and I knew you’d change your mind about them when you met them. We have to trust each oth
er enough to be open in our conversations, babe. That’s what almost led to you going away with the Marshals, the fact that we weren’t. And with as much as I’m going to be gone, we absolutely have to be open and honest with each other or we aren’t going to work out.”
She frowned. “I’ll try, but you have to understand everything in my life is different now and I feel,” she paused as she searched for the right word. “I don’t know, insecure, lost. I’m really trying, Gary.”
He pulled her to her feet and embraced her. “Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me that. It’ll get better and you’ll figure out who you are now. I promise.” He kissed her and the intensity of it immediately heated them both up. This time, he was sure that there would be no stopping where the desire took them. He was surprised when she pulled away.
“Hold on one second.” She left him standing there and disappeared into the bedroom for a few seconds. When she came back, she dropped a bag of pot into his hand. “Since we’re being honest with each other, I’m assuming this would be a problem for you. I didn’t realize I had it in that purse I packed in the bags at my place.”
“Yeah, this would be a problem for me. Kennedy, I carry federal creds. You can’t use illegal drugs.”
“It’s only a little bit of pot. It’s not really illegal.”
“Yes, it is illegal. Federal law trumps state laws in my view.” He paused and gazed at her.
She couldn’t decipher his stare.
“Is this going to be a problem for you, not using, I mean?”
She laughed. “It’s only weed. I’m not addicted or anything. No, it won’t be a problem. I didn’t have to tell you I had it. But I wanted to be open and honest.”
He sat the baggie onto the table. “I’ll get rid of that later.” He wrapped his arms back around her and pulled her in close. “Thank you for telling me. If you find you have any of those kinds of problems, we’ll get you some help, otherwise, can you stay away from it for me?”
“Baby, I can do anything for you,” she said seductively.
When their lips met, the sparks flew. Sloan hadn’t had anyone other than a casual fuck partner in a long time. His life just didn’t allow for it before now, or the right person hadn’t been in his life. He wasn’t sure which. As he held her and kissed her, all he could think about was how long he might be away and that he wanted to really make this time together count.
He glanced around his place. The blinds were closed. He undressed her right there in the living room. He made love to her on the coffee table, leaving her butt print on the glass. She sat him on the couch, straddled him and rode him like he’d never been ridden.
Then they took it to the bedroom where they stayed in bed the rest of the afternoon. They took a nap, their hands holding each other securely in place. When Sloan woke, his legs were still entwined with hers. Their dinner was scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast in bed, naked. Then they made love again before drifting off to sleep.
The morning came too soon for them both. As they waited for Sherman to pick Sloan up, he went over the security panel, the panic code, and the purpose of Ops again. Sloan urged her to reach out to the other women. He didn’t want her to spend however long he’d be gone home alone.
“I promise I will. Besides, I’ve got a lot of decorating to do. I plan to go to the store to get paint for one room today, so I can start. I’ll probably go to a home décor store and look at decorations too. I’m looking forward to this! I know I can’t buy much till that credit card comes, but I can plan and price things out today.”
It was nice to see her excited about decorating. He gave his place one last glance, almost afraid what she might do to it while he was gone as the throaty growl of Sherman’s Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye announced his arrival before the octane red pearl coat high performance car pulled into the driveway.
“That’s what Brian drives?” Kennedy asked, staring at the shiny dark red car through the front windows.
Sloan laughed. “Yeah, Sherman loves shiny things that go fast, new cars, boats, you name it. He spends more on his transportation than he does his housing, the flashier the better.” He picked his backpack up. “I’ll be in touch when I can.” He kissed her and embraced her one last time. “Make sure you lock up after I’m gone. Be safe, babe.”
“You too,” she said, suddenly feeling worried for his safety.
She watched him get into Brian’s sports car. She didn’t even know what to think. She had no idea where he was going or how dangerous his mission would be. He said he couldn’t tell her any specifics until it was over, but he’d be in the United States. As she watched the car back out of the driveway, she felt a mixture of emotions that were foreign to her, loss, worry, loneliness, anxiety. They all settled in her chest as the car disappeared from sight. She wished it hadn’t been a weekday. Sienna would be at work by now and she would have liked to of talk to her.
After she showered and ate a bagel for breakfast, standing in the kitchen so the crumbs fell into the sink, she typed out a message to Elizabeth, deleted it, and then retyped it. She read it aloud to herself. “Hi Elizabeth, this is Kaylee. I’m going to do some redecorating at Gary’s place. He left me his car, but I’m not sure what good stores are around here. Any suggestions? I want to buy some new towels for the kitchen and bathroom as well as some pictures for the walls. Oh, and we need some organizers and shelves for the closet too.” It didn’t sound too pathetic. She hit send. She stood there with her eyes fixed on the phone, waiting for a text reply.
She almost jumped out of her skin when the phone rang, an incoming call from Elizabeth. “Hello.”
“Hi, hope it’s a good time for a call. I just thought it would be easier than texting,” Elizabeth said. “Decorating, huh? That sounds like fun.”
“I see it as more of a necessity. There is no color at all in this place. White walls, not a single picture anywhere, even the towels and the shower liner are white. I seriously can’t stare at these walls another day and given that I can’t even get a job until the Marshals build my history, I feel like I’m going crazy already.”
“Aww, Kaylee, try to see it differently. Just try to enjoy that you have nothing you have to do right now. Think of it as a vacation. You don’t have to rush to work or anything else.”
“All there is to do here is watch television, and I am maxed out on watching,” she paused, remembering Elizabeth knew nothing about her and her role in the arrests of the foul-four.
“I don’t watch much television either. I have quite a few good books I’d gladly loan you. I was confined to bed for two months during my pregnancy. I read a lot. I could bring you a few of my favorite books if you’d like. I need to get out and about with Olivia, and I need to drive myself places. Hey, why don’t I come pick you up and we can go shopping.”
Kennedy’s first thought was to cringe. A day out with this stranger and her infant didn’t sound like a good time. But then she remembered Gary telling her to keep an open mind and that she might really like Elizabeth. She wished it was Sienna offering, but Sienna was at work. “That would be great. Yes, thank you.”
“Fantastic,” Elizabeth said excitedly. “It’ll take me about a half hour till I have Olivia ready. I’m just finishing up feeding her. I’ll be there in about forty-five minutes or so. Most of the stores open at nine, so we can get an early start before they get too busy. Will that work for you?”
“Make it a full hour till you get here. I have to get ready yet.”
“Okay, text me the address and I’ll see you in an hour.”
As Kennedy styled her hair and applied her makeup, she had to admit that she was excited. It was still warm out. She chose a multicolored floral sundress and a pair of flat sandals. She put all the money Gary had left her in her wristlet purse with her new driver’s license, the credit card the Marshals gave her, and the car keys with the house key on it. Then she waited by the window, watching for Elizabeth.
A brand-new Audi Q7 pulled into the driv
eway. The tiny driver was Elizabeth. Holy shit, Elizabeth drove a fifty-thousand-dollar vehicle. She had to wonder what Gary made doing this job. He could probably afford a lot more than three grand to decorate this place. Good to know.
She hurried out, activated the alarm panel, and locked the door. Peeking through the window, she saw the car seat facing backwards, dead center of the backseat. She hadn’t been around any babies since she and Gary were in college and Allen and Leslie had the boys. They spent a lot of time babysitting. Kennedy liked to pretend they were her and Gary’s kids. Maybe, they would have kids now. Maybe all she had dreamed about and hoped for back then could still come true. She smiled at Elizabeth and greeted her as she opened the door.
