Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 145091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Kim stood and crossed the space between them, taking the platter out of Kyle’s hands. “Margaritas are for people who need to talk about their feelings. Do you have feelings, Kyle?”
“I feel like I want a margarita. I feel like not going back downstairs where Angie will throw another bucket of dishes at me and tell me to clean. You know for someone who does as much yoga as she does, she’s mean,” Kyle announced.
“You’d get more places with her if you would work without a shirt,” Sandra quipped.
Those nachos looked delicious.
Kyle’s hands went to his hips. He honestly wasn’t wearing much of a shirt to begin with. It was a thin white tank that molded to his every muscle. “She’s supposed to be a lesbian.”
“Yes, and lesbians enjoy a nice work of art as well as the straights,” Sandra shot back.
“The sexual fluidity of the older generation screws with my head every time. I’m only working here for another couple of days, and this shirt stays on,” he announced. “And I’ll go find another drinking partner. I bet Tucker and Jax could use some margaritas, too.”
He marched out.
“That boy is in for some major suffering,” Sandra said with a shake of her head. “Dumbass. Let’s eat and we can talk about how sometimes it’s way better to pick joy over duty. And I’m a former nurse. I’ve seen where joy can lead a person. Usually to the ER. The things I’ve seen that managed to fall in a person’s anus. You can’t unsee that.”
She nearly choked on her drink. She barely managed to swallow and then a laugh took over her body. It made her shake and feel light at the same time.
Joy. Amusement. A little peace.
Yes, she had a job to do, but maybe there was a place in her life for some joy, too.
She sat back as Sandra started telling stories, and for the first time in forever, let herself be.
Chapter Fourteen
“Do you know how happy I am to see you? I can’t believe… I swear you were this high the last time I saw you.” Nikolai Markovic had a massive smile on his face. He looked almost exactly the same with the singular exception of a light dusting of gray hair at his temples. He was still tall and broad, with jet black hair and blue eyes that would have made her heart thump had she been an adult when she’d met him. Instead she’d been a girl and he’d been a family figure, so when she hugged him now all she felt was a deep sense of comfort.
Uncle Nick remembered her father, had known him for longer than anyone else.
“It’s good to see you.” She stepped back and nodded to Nick’s wife. “Hi, Aunt Hayley.”
The pretty American with deep brown hair stepped up and gave her a hug, too. “It’s so good to see you, sweetie. I wish we’d been able to have a gathering for your dad.”
There had been no funeral for Lev Sokolov, though she’d identified his body and they’d given her a lovely urn full of his ashes. It was sitting in her drab apartment since she’d never figured out what to do with them.
Now she wondered if Drake wouldn’t mind taking her on a trip. Her dad had been happiest in Greece. He’d kept a tiny apartment in a seaside town. It had been where they spent all their downtime. He’d told her he’d wished he been born a fisherman, but she would tell him it was good he wasn’t because they would have starved.
She missed her father. Since that day with Sandra and Kim, the waves kept hitting her but it felt different now. Before her grief had felt entirely bitter, and now there was an amazing amount of sweet that came with it.
“You know how the Agency works,” she said with a sad smile. “I’m afraid the mission is more important than societal rituals.”
“His entire existence was classified.” Brad had come in with her. He’d spent the entire plane trip going over and over the mission. Since she’d gotten the call from her Consortium contact, he’d gone into overdrive, and it made him way less relaxed than he’d been before.
And he hadn’t been particularly relaxed before.
“He was still a person,” Nick said with a frown. “He deserves respect. Especially since he gave his life for a country he wasn’t born in. He chose to work for the Agency. He chose to believe in America.”
That seemed to rattle Brad a bit. “Well, I wasn’t in charge of that decision. I’m sure we can work something out.”
“What do you mean my old room has been taken over by someone else?” Tucker was complaining as he strode into the lobby, rolling his suitcase behind him.
An attractive man with red and blond hair was walking beside him. Owen Shaw had met them at the airport, and he’d been excited to see Tucker and Jax. They’d spent the whole trip to the club catching each other up on how their wives and kids were doing. They’d talked endlessly about carpools and schools and how hard it was to coach Little League. That had seemed particularly rough on Jax, since the town he lived in had never had a Little League before and one of the townspeople was worried it might be overrun by aliens. Brad had looked at her like he did not understand that world, but she’d thought it was nice.