by Natalie Ann
“Exactly,” she said back. “Nothing in common, but that doesn’t mean we’d drive each other nuts. I can be professional and he’s pretty funny and laid back. I can’t even believe he was some special op commander. I can’t see him being serious about anything.”
Her father shook his head. “And you’re jumping to conclusions on the few times you’ve met him. I’m telling you, there is more to Brock James than anyone would ever know and we know you like to know everything about everyone. So again...you can understand why I find your question funny.”
“Point taken,” she said, turning to leave. “I’ll get to work soon on it and keep you posted.”
“Dinner tonight at the house, don’t forget.”
“I won’t,” she said, knowing that it was her turn for dinner with her parents.
When she showed up hours later, her mother was putting a shrimp and vegetable stir-fry on the table with rice and a tossed salad.
“This looks great,” she said. “It’s going to hit the spot.”
“This is one of my favorite meals,” her mother said, “but I only make it when you come. None of your brothers like it as much. How was your day? Your father is up changing right now.”
“It was good,” she said. She’d come straight from work and was still dressed in her skirt and shirt, but she’d slipped her pumps off when she walked in. “Did Dad tell you that Brock James is my client now?”
“He mentioned it to me when he came in. I think he wanted me to check to make sure you weren’t mad at him or thinking we had some secret agenda going on.”
She started to laugh. “Dad put me in my place on that. He was right. I still don’t think Brock and I would annoy each other, but he was right in that we are polar opposites.”
“Are you talking about, Brock?” her father asked when he came downstairs. “Carolyn, don’t get her upset again. What is wrong with you?”
“I wasn’t upset earlier,” she said, putting her hands on her hips.
“Relax,” her mother said. “Let’s sit down and eat and change the subject. You’re working with a client you’ve met before. Nothing more than that. I’m not sure what the big deal is.”
“Dad could have told me before but instead I looked like an idiot walking in there stunned to see him.”
Her father pulled a chair out. “I’m sorry, Jade. I told you it’d slipped my mind. Grant and I were working on a deadline and you know how that can get.”
She did know and figured she should cut him some slack before they got suspicious of her behavior when she’d said she was trying not to act any differently. Guess she was failing.
“Fine. Conversation over. I’m hungry, so let’s eat.”
“That was close,” Garrett said to his wife when Jade had left.
“You almost screwed it up,” Carolyn said. “I told you it was a mistake to not let Jade know she was meeting with Brock. The least you could have done was tell her before she walked in the door rather than just send her the meeting invite.”
“I know, I know. Miscalculation on my part,” he said. “Did you see how riled she was? That was nothing compared to earlier. And I had to take a deep breath and force myself not to laugh when she asked if it was some kind of setup. Then she got all offended when I told her why it was ridiculous.”
“You know Jade is sensitive about being the baby and always looked at as the pretty girl that gets dismissed or written off as a bitch.”
“I don’t think of her that way,” he said, “but I know she has struggled with that most of her life. Again, I messed up. I’m nervous about this one.”
“Why?” she asked. “We’ll get it covered.”
“It’s not that, it’s more like...she’s my baby. I know we talked about wanting our kids settled down but now thinking of my girl with a man. Even if he’s the one we are hoping is perfect for her.”
Carolyn moved closer to him and patted his hand. “It’s hard to let go, I know. I’m there with you. But wouldn’t you rather know it’s with someone that could protect and love your little girl like we did?”
“Yeah,” he said. “But I’d said it earlier to Jade without thought, and the more I think of it the more it makes me nervous. I really believe there is more to Brock than any of us will ever know. Do we want someone like that with Jade?”
“We all have secrets or demons in our lives. Finding the right person might help him. Maybe he can help her. It needs to play out.”
“With us watching every step,” he said.
“Exactly. So, don’t mess up again.”
“I won’t,” he said, giving her a kiss. There was more on the line in his eyes this time.
6
New Dreams
The following week, Brock drove to what would be his new office. He’d dressed up for the interview but had no intention of wearing a suit and tie for this job. He’d even said that. It wasn’t who he was and he wasn’t changing for anyone.
Didn’t he tell Jade not to pretend? He meant that for every aspect of his life too.
Too bad he didn’t always adhere to his own words.
He pulled his SUV to a stop, got out, his feet hitting the pavement in his new boots. Casual boots that looked dressy enough but were functional. He’d spent too much of his life in boots and nothing else.
Sneakers were great for working out or going places, but boots were what he felt the most comfortable in.
He had on dark jeans—that he bought a few days ago—along with a button-down shirt. He’d had very few clothes to his name and nothing like this.
Half his clothes didn’t even fit the same now. Though he’d put some of the weight he’d lost back on after his accident, he wasn’t as muscular as he’d been. Not as thick in his legs either. At least one leg. He’d have to get over that too. He spent a lot of time working out the past month getting strong and trying to even his body out.
To the naked eye, most might not notice much other than the nasty scars all over the place, but to him, he wasn’t the same as he was before.
And he had to tell himself to get over it. He was alive and he was well when so many from that day weren’t.
Did his life change? His career? His dreams?
Hell yeah. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t make a new life. A new career. Have new dreams.
And now he was sounding like a freaking wuss in his own mind.
He walked to the main building, swiped his badge and got in, then started to make his way to his floor. He’d done all his paperwork last week so he could come in and just get started. That had been on his list of things to do after shopping for new clothes and household items.
He hated shopping!
And every time he went into a store he found himself wondering how Jade could enjoy this so much and then reminded himself that he had to stop thinking of her.
She’d sent him one email that she was working on his box. She wanted to know if he had a name for it yet. A product name since she’d seen his notes on some of his plans for it.
He didn’t. It hadn’t even crossed his mind, but he knew he’d have to come up with something at some point. For now he just wanted to get it to the point of production and then he even had to figure out how to produce it.
Now he was wondering if he got in over his head, but the truth was, when he was lying in bed trying to recover, he had flashes of things and the life he’d had. Some of those flashes brought him to this box and how many of his guys would laugh and then complain what they wanted came damaged.
Some of those guys would never get anything again. Their careers, their lives, were over. But for those that remained, he was going to do something about it and his father was already in line to invest when the time came. Right behind Travis, who was in on this now.
“Brock,” he heard and then turned to see Ken Adkins standing there. Ken was one of the men that had interviewed him and would be showing him around. Ken was the Dean of the university and was housed in the same building as Brock.
He moved forward. “Ken. Good to see you.”
“I know you’ve got your paperwork finished and probably want to set up in your office, but I’d like to show you around the campus today if you’ve got time. I know the head of every department from the hospital, the cancer center, to the grounds, and so on have probably already filled your email box up with meeting requests.”
“They have,” he said, having had access to his email box last week. “It’s on my list of things to do today once I’m set up. I haven’t done much more than read and organize things.”
He hadn’t officially started and wasn’t the type of person to just jump before he got the lay of the land or what others might have had set up for him.
“Good, good. Why don’t I show you to your office and let you get settled.” Ken looked at Brock and saw he didn’t have anything on him, no briefcase, no bag, not even a lunch. “It might not take long.”
“I work light,” Brock said.
His laptop for work was in his office, he’d bring it back and forth with him, that was a given, and he should have picked up a case for it. Damn it, another thing he’d have to shop for. No, online, that is what he was doing. He wasn’t going back in another mall anytime soon.
“Nothing wrong with that,” Ken said. “Whatever gets the job done. There’s a cell phone in your office for you and keys to a campus vehicle.”
“I like my phone just fine,” he said. “I’ll give everyone that needs it my number, but I don’t really care to carry two phones.”
Ken laughed. “Many feel that way too. The old director didn’t want to have work calling his personal cell. He was a bit old school. I suppose since he was retiring at some point he didn’t want anyone bugging him once he was gone.”
“Retirement is a long way away for me,” he said.
“Right, right. Anyway, you’ve got a campus vehicle at your disposal. You can drive it back and forth to work or keep it here. Again, the old director used it all the time.”
“I’m fine with my own when I’m not working,” he said, thinking how wasteful it was. He was pretty minimalistic at the heart of things. His whole life had been that way. Most of the time his possessions were in boxes or bags and things he could easily move from one place to another. The last thing he needed was two phones and two cars.
“Again, whatever works for you. My office is two down from yours on the right. Just come get me when you’re ready.”
He nodded his head and walked into what would be his office.
It was huge with a big window overlooking most of the campus. Many might think this was a prime location, but it was just a room he hoped to not be stuck in too much.
Once he had things set and his laptop up and running, he checked out his email, made some notes on the calendar, replied back to many he’d be in touch this week once he got settled and then went to seek out Ken.
“Is now a good time?” he asked.
“That was quick,” Ken said. Ken was probably in his fifties. He had on a shirt and tie with his dress pants and black leather shoes. Nothing like Brock would ever wear.
“I figured there was no reason to dive into something right now knowing you were waiting. I just replied to a few emails and I’ll do the rest when I get back.”
“Then follow me. We’ll take your campus SUV and I’ll show you around.”
“We’re not walking?” he asked.
“We can if you want, but it would take a lot longer. It’s a nice day out.”
He read between the lines that Ken would prefer not to and, to be honest, he wasn’t sure how his leg would hold up if he was on it nonstop all day. Best not to put it to the test.
“Driving is fine.”
Four hours later, they found themselves in the cafeteria. The noise was deafening, the kids moving around were nuts. He’d never gone to college like this so it was all new to him. He got his education in the Navy. He had his degree in criminal justice and masters in security management. But everything he did and was exposed to was much more structured than what he was seeing here.
Then again, that had been his life. Structure. Even at home, it was how his father operated.
He really didn’t know much different and was content with that life. Being in what he considered civilization again was a challenge that he needed to overcome.
“Brock,” he heard and turned to see Bryce Fierce standing there. He’d met him at Ella and Travis’s wedding, then again at the party a few months ago.
“Bryce,” Brock said, extending his hand out. “Good to see you. I want to say it’s shocking on a campus this big I’d run into you on my first day, especially here.”
“I’m just getting some food. I ran out of the house too fast to get some and didn’t have time to stop and get anything from Payton’s.”
Payton was Bryce’s wife who owned a deli not far from campus. He remembered meeting the blonde beauty over the summer and complimenting her on cookies that she’d brought in. He could have eaten twenty of them and then reminded himself he’d just get fat if he kept it up.
“Dr. Fierce,” Ken said. “I wasn’t aware you knew our new Director of Security.”
Bryce laughed, obviously catching the underlying condescension in Ken’s voice. The guy thought he was better than everyone else and Brock had noticed that from day one. He’d brushed it off knowing he could get along with anyone.
“Brock is a good friend of my cousin Ella’s husband. We’ve met at weddings and family parties,” Bryce said. “Welcome aboard and I’ll let you get back to your tour.”
He watched Bryce leave and then get stopped by a few students. He suspected not many professors interacted like Bryce did when he wasn’t in class and knew that was probably what made him so great at his job.
“I wasn’t aware you had any connection to the Fierces,” Ken said. “No one mentioned anything to me about it.”
“I didn’t know it would make a difference,” he said. “I’m not someone to ask for help getting a job.”
Ken stared at him and then laughed. “Touché. So you know Wyatt and Sam at the cancer center and hospital?”
“Of course,” he said. He wasn’t volunteering that he knew Wyatt’s sister better or that he was going to be working with her. It wasn’t anyone’s business what he did on his own time.
“Did you want to grab some food here since I noticed you came in empty handed?” Ken asked.
“I’ll pick up a quick sandwich if you don’t mind.”
“No, go ahead. We are actually done with the tour, so take your time.”
He didn’t though and just picked up a premade sub, chips, and a drink, then moved back. He figured Ken wasn’t someone that liked to be kept waiting and though Brock enjoyed playing with people’s heads and making them wonder and wait, he didn’t want to start off on the wrong foot either. That was his old career.
This wasn’t the Navy where he had to interrogate everyone or read between the lines, even try to figure out master plans. Unfortunately it was hard to remember that.
By the end of the day, he stood up from his desk and felt his leg cramp. He knew he’d moved around more than he should have and then sitting still for a few more hours hadn’t helped. He was going to have to figure out how to make this work. Too much of one thing or another wasn’t cutting it for him.
There was no way he was going to limp out to his vehicle where anyone could see him, so he stretched a bit and felt he was good enough to get there. He needed to find a gym soon. After looking at the two on the campus, he knew there was no way he was spending his time there with the students.
When he got back to his apartment, he took a hot shower, grabbing the shower wand he’d installed and applying it right to where the cramp had been.
After he was cha
nged, he found a microwave meal and tossed it in to heat up. When he was done eating, he started on his physical therapy exercises, squats, lunges, stretches. Then he did pushups, sit-ups, pull-ups. Everything he’d done when he needed to exercise in the field and there wasn’t any equipment around.
He’d taken another shower and was sitting on the couch flipping through the TV when his phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was his father and answered, “Hey, Dad.”
“Brock. How was your first day?”
“About what I expected. Spent most of it moving around the campus and shaking hands with people. I’ll be doing that for a while I’m sure.”
“It’s all part of the game. You’ll get some work done soon. I’m sure you’re ready to dive in and make all sorts of changes.”
“Yep. Some of the policies and procedures aren’t good enough in my eyes. But I need to meet with the head of security for each location. Takes time and I’ve got plenty of it.”
His father laughed. “You’ll get used to it. How’s the leg doing?”
“Sore, but fine.”
“And you wouldn’t tell me if it was worse anyway,” his father said, knowing him well. Why bother telling his parents that he cramped up and had to stretch for ten minutes before he felt he could walk without a limp? It was normal and no reason to worry or upset them. His father was liable to set him up with more specialists. He was done with that.
“It’s not though. Everyday aches and pains I’m going to have,” he said.
“We all have them,” his father said.
“Exactly.”
“Are you settled into your apartment? Your mother would like to come visit.”
He expected this too. “It’s just a one bedroom place that isn’t much to look at. I don’t plan on being here long. I’ll start house shopping soon.”
