Chapter 3
At the end of the day, Reid found Cash arguing with three of their employees, including their new hire, Jordan, in the warehouse downstairs. The large space housed their trucks and moving supplies. They shared the downstairs with a bakery chain, which stored its trucks on the other side of the barricade. But Reid knew Vets on the Go! could easily add a few more vans and still have room to spare.
As always, when vets from different parts of the military mixed, the age-old debate of which military service was superior started. As if the discussion ever needed to happen. Everyone knew the Marines to be the best of the best.
He lounged against the wall as Jordan tore into his brother. Reid wasn’t sure how he felt about hiring Jordan as a mover yet. He knew looks were deceiving, but next to his brother, she looked downright tiny. The company was an equal opportunity employer, and she had an exemplary military record. Just because she didn’t look like she could lift five hundred pounds didn’t mean she couldn’t bench her weight. Finley and Martin weren’t overly muscular and still did their fair share. He tried ignoring any sense of gallantry and forced himself to acknowledge Jordan had the right to pass or fail on her own, without his bias. Too bad Cash wouldn’t see it the same way.
“I think you’re scared of someone who can outthink you is all,” Jordan was saying. “Not your fault you’re a big, burly Marine with a tiny brain.”
Hector guffawed, then quickly coughed when Cash turned a murderous stare his way. “Honesty hurts, big guy.”
“Tiny brain, right.” Cash snorted. “You’re prejudiced because you’re jealous of these guns.”
Reid rolled his eyes as his brother started flexing. Because that started Hector and Lafayette posing. Then Jordan shocked the group by shrugging off her windbreaker to showcase toned muscles under her own short-sleeved shirt.
“Well, day-um,” Hector said on a laugh. “Little Army’s got her own set of ammo.”
“Told you.” She smirked at the group, and Reid liked her for the team. She fit, like a piece of their growing puzzle.
He watched the group, not surprised to see everyone gravitate around Cash. It had nothing to do with Cash owning part of the business and everything to do with his natural ability to lead. No matter how much experience others possessed, the guys in the units they’d been with in the Marines had always looked to Cash for what to do. The man would lead a squad out of danger, know where and when to attack. Cash was the go-to for getting things done…especially if that meant working under the radar, not following the rules.
It sometimes made being in the same room with him tough because Reid felt like that proverbial wallflower at the dance, overshadowed by his prettier debutante of a brother. And just thinking that made him want to laugh.
As the gang continued to try to out-flex each other, the mood easy and fun among them, Reid decided to make his presence known. He clapped, and they all froze.
Jordan quickly put her arms down and flushed.
Cash snickered. “Little Army is right.”
“Shut up,” she muttered.
Reid walked over to them. “You guys did great today. We’re back on track since Jordan helped with the last job. Good work,” he told her.
She smiled. “Yes, sir.”
“Please.” Cash shook his head. “He was an E-7. Don’t call him sir.”
“Yeah, don’t.” Reid grimaced. “I worked for a living.” He’d been enlisted, not an officer, though not for lack of opportunity, something he’d never shared with Cash. “So, Jordan, you’re on probation while we see how you fit with the team. Cash will make sure you learn what you need to know to start. And like we went over in the office, paychecks come the first and fifteenth, just like the service.”
“Nice,” she said.
“Yeah.” Lafayette nodded. “It helps. Yo, Reid, so what was up with the looker in the office this morning?”
Everyone watched Reid, curious.
“You mean Naomi Starr of Starr PR?” he asked.
“Naomi Starr. Sounds like a porn name. What?” Cash asked him, seeing his frown. “I’m just saying.”
“Jesus, is he housebroken at least?” Jordan asked the twins, thumbing at Cash over her shoulder.
“Not yet,” Lafayette said, “but we’re working on it.”
Cash shrugged. “PR? Do we really need to hire someone for that?”
“Probably yeah, due to all the business you’re picking up from that spot on television,” Jordan said. “The Starr woman looked classy. Was she smart?”
“Yes,” Reid answered. And sexy and someone who’d shot his latent libido into the stratosphere. He’d had to put on his disinterested, serious face when dealing with her so she wouldn’t realize how badly he’d wanted to bend her over the desk. That was more Cash’s style. Not exactly sophisticated or professional.
“So, what? We’re celebrities now?” Cash grinned.
“Not quite.” Though they’d gotten a call from another television station requesting an interview. He needed to know how to handle it.
Naomi had said all the right things and come at just the right time. Finding someone to help with marketing had been on his long to-do list since they’d opened. This thing with Cash and Hector had sped up the timeline.
“I have to talk to Evan. You guys should go home for the day. We just added six more confirmed jobs that want in as soon as we can get to them. Jordan, are you good to come back tomorrow at six?”
She blinked. “In the morning?”
“Duh,” Cash said.
She glared at him but said to Reid, “Ah, sure. I’ll be here.”
“Great. Cash, set her up with a few shirts and give her the schedule. I think we have something that can fit her.”
Jordan beamed. Reid saw Cash and Hector noticing her with more than platonic interest, cleared his throat, then gave them a knowing look. Lafayette put his brother in a headlock and walked him away, leaving Cash and Reid alone with Jordan. Cash tried to ignore him.
“Cash, a word?” Reid said.
“I’ll be right back,” Cash said to Jordan.
“Ohhh, I can’t wait,” she deadpanned, and Reid had to laugh.
Well away from the woman, Reid dragged his brother close and whispered, “She’s a teammate. Not a possible conquest. Stay out of her pants.”
“Please. I’m not thinking that at all.”
“Yeah?” Reid knew his brother. Cash liked women. A little too much. He never went where he wasn’t invited, but Reid knew they’d have to be careful about stepping over any lines, especially since they were now in charge. It was a lot like being back in the military where fraternization was a huge no-no. “Well, then keep not thinking it. Jordan is clearly capable. Take her through her paces, and make sure she’s a good fit. I like that she’s not afraid of you. But let’s hope she still understands a command structure.”
“Hey,” Cash whispered back, affronted, “I didn’t want to hire her. You made me.”
“Bullshit.” Kind of. “It helps to have a woman on the team. She’s a fellow vet, and she looks damn good on paper. See how she works out—not in bed but on the job.”
“I should be saying the same thing to you. I saw you eye-fucking that redhead earlier.”
“I was not.” He hoped he hadn’t been obvious about checking her out.
“Nah, man. I know you. She’s just your type.”
“Smart and pretty?”
“See? You noticed.”
“So did everyone else.” Naomi Starr had looks and grace. And breasts. Good Christ. Reid focused on relaxing his sudden tension. “Look, just play nice with Jordan. Stop pissing her off so much, and treat her like one of the guys.”
“I am.”
“Really? You never looked at Martin like you want to do him.”
Cash bit back a grin. “Yeah, okay. Right.”
“Get her settled, and lock the place up. I’ll see you at home. I’m going to swing by Evan’s first to talk about hiring Naomi.”
Cash nodded, shoved past Reid, then barked a few orders at Jordan.
Reid shook his head and went back upstairs. After confirming a meeting with Evan at a local restaurant, he finished finalizing a few scheduling conflicts.
To his surprised pleasure, all this extra business had been just what they needed. But his fear they’d soon outpace themselves continued to rear.
An hour later, he sat with his cousin at a downtown bar in Queen Anne. They’d both started on their second rounds—beer for Reid, soda for Evan. Poor Evan looked the way Reid felt.
“Bad day?” he asked his cousin.
Evan’s and Reid’s fathers had been brothers. Both had passed within a year of each other. Evan, like all the Griffith men, had that tall and good-looking thing going for him. Evan, though, seemed to have been born with a natural ability to charm anyone out of a bad mood. Hell, even Cash liked the guy, and Cash didn’t like many people outside of Reid.
“Bad day?” Evan repeated, laughing a little hysterically—totally out of character for the chill guy. “God, it’s not over. I’m just on a break. Man, I hate my job.”
“Not good, considering it’s your livelihood.”
“Yeah.” Evan downed the rest of his soda. “Shit, Reid. I’ve been thinking about ditching the job and joining you guys full-time. I’d rather move couches than tally numbers. I’m so sick of tax season.”
“Um, it’s May.” Reid felt like a moron when Evan shot him a look.
“Because we only worry about taxes through April fifteenth? Do you have any idea how many extensions were filed this year? And Vanessa Campbell-McCauley, you remember my workaholic boss, has been busting my balls on a regular basis. She is the biggest pain in my ass…”
Reid felt for the guy. Evan’s boss, the blond dragon, whom Reid had once made the mistake of complimenting within his cousin’s earshot, seemed to live to make Evan miserable.
“I thought she was grooming you to be a partner someday. That’s a good thing, right?”
“She is. And yes, you’d think being a partner would be good,” Evan said, misery in every word. “But she’s relentless. She’s ten steps ahead of everyone and thinks we should all have her work ethic and her brain. I mean, I’d like to have a social life at some point. I’m looking down the end of forty soon.”
“You’re thirty-one, Evan. Relax.”
“Ha. Easy for you to say.”
“I’m thirty-four. If anything, I’m closer to forty than you are.”
“Yeah, but you’re your own boss.”
“And I work harder because of it. You know that.” They paused while the waitress dropped off their order of monster fries. Covered in shredded brisket, gouda cheese, and carb-loaded baddies, the treat was just the thing Reid needed to focus on work once more.
“I think the PR woman is right,” he said, trying not to imagine Naomi in nothing but that fiery-red hair. “We need to manage our growth now before we’re overwhelmed.”
Evan nodded. “That makes sense. After you mentioned her, I googled her firm and made a few phone calls. It’s small, like she said. But the companies she’s worked with can’t say enough good things about her.”
Reid wanted to find some reason to turn her down. His attraction to Naomi bothered him. He had no room for a woman right now, not when so many lives depended on him. It had been bad enough when he’d felt responsible for Cash. But now he had Hector and Lafayette, Finley, Martin, Tim, and now Jordan relying on the business to pay the bills.
A familiar constriction made him tense, and he dropped his fork, no longer hungry.
“Relax, man. It’ll work out.” Surprised to see Evan so upbeat after his talk of hating work, Reid studied his cousin.
“What?” Evan asked and motioned for another drink.
“Why are you suddenly so relaxed? Was that soda spiked with something?” Reid shook his head. “Lightweight.”
“Ass. No. I’m just excited about growing the business. See, if we do this right, I’ll start tapering off at work, taking on more responsibility with you guys.” Evan’s gray eyes, so like Reid’s, brightened. “The thought of not filing hundreds of returns or enduring more meetings with Vanessa is making me giddy. I swear I’d almost rather go back out on a field op.”
Reid chuckled. “Yeah, sometimes I miss the Marine Corps. Weeks spent out in the field. Qualifying on the range. Time overseas in a foreign country where they weren’t firing back at us. Ah, those were the days.”
“Tell me about it.”
Reid studied his cousin. “Why’d you get out so soon after joining?”
“Reid, I was in for six years.” Evan shrugged. “Being an officer had its perks. I loved the Corps, but life in logistics got tedious. I had planned to follow you two into the infantry, but it didn’t work out that way.”
“Radio recon, not infantry,” Reid corrected him, as he always did when his cousin lumped him in with the ground pounders.
“Yeah, yeah, same difference. You know, at first, logistics appealed to me. I thought it would be a better job to transition from if I ever got out, even though I’d planned to make the Marines a career. But I never thought I’d get so tired of taking orders from people.”
“What did you know about orders, Lieutenant?”
“That’s Captain to you. But hey, life as lowly lieutenant, then captain, wasn’t much better.”
Reid didn’t comment. Though he hadn’t been frontline, Evan had caught some shit in the trenches and had the mental scars to prove it.
“So why accounting then?” Reid asked. “I always wondered that. Didn’t Aunt Jane push you toward business?”
“Yeah. She and Dad were so determined that I get my freakin’ MBA it about drove me nuts. Dad was a business guy. Great. Didn’t mean I had to be.” He gave a ghost of a grin. “They had a shit fit when I followed you guys into the Marine Corps. Dad used to complain to Uncle Charles all the time about how you two were a bad influence.” He sobered quickly. “Unfortunately, Uncle Charles always agreed.” Especially if it had to do with Cash remained unspoken.
Reid didn’t want to think about his father because his emotions were conflicted. It was tough to a love a man he’d also hated. “Don’t we have better things to be talking about? Like what we can do with the budget?”
Evan groaned. “Not more numbers.”
Sometime later, Reid returned home. Cash hadn’t yet arrived, and Reid knew better than to stay up waiting for him. Though Cash was his older brother, Reid had always felt responsible for the poor guy whose father had hated him no matter what he did. Hell, Cash had only to breathe too loudly for their old man to pound a few “manners” into him. And Cash would take any beating, verbal or physical, to prevent Reid from getting the same.
Reid hated the memories. Hated that his mother had been too involved in her own little world to care for them the way she should have. Or that his parents treated him like the golden child while shitting all over Cash.
Reid felt too wound up to relax, so he threw on some workout gear and left on a run. The brisk May evening air did him good, and he increased his pace around the quaint neighborhood to Green Lake. Phinney Ridge was a better area than he and Cash could afford, but an old Marine Corps buddy owned a bunch of properties in town and had rented to them at a hell of a price.
Not too proud to take the offer, especially considering how Reid had helped the guy when he’d been in a jam during his time in service, Reid and Cash enjoyed the safe, genteel neighborhood while being within a few miles of both Green Lake and Ballard.
Putting on a burst of speed, Reid wondered what to do about his brother. On the outside, Cash had a lot going for him. Big, handsome, strong, a powerhouse at the gym and with the ladies. Yet on his own, he continually fucked up. Booted from one job or another because he scared his employers, refusing to be tactful when he saw screwups by pointing out wrongdoing without a care for repercussions.
That was Cash, a superhero without the sense to ease his way out of dangerous situations. He was a grenade that took out everything in its path, whereas Reid took care of problems one shot at a time. Only hitting the target, not everything within a fifty-mile radius.
The run did him good, and Reid was feeling it as he returned. The shower he took was even better, or it would have been if a stray thought hadn’t entered his mind. Like what Naomi Starr would look like covered in nothing but running water.
He swore under his breath, now stimulated when he’d been trying to relax.
That damn woman had acted like lightning, awakening his body from a long hibernation. Sure, Reid dated occasionally. But not lately, with the business being all-consuming for so long. Taking care of Cash and the others, making sure Evan wasn’t disappointed at believing in them. Sometimes he felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. He just couldn’t handle having to be there for a woman as well.
Unless she only wanted a few orgasms. That he could handle.
A glance down at himself showed he could handle it all too well right now.
Naomi had worn her long, wine-red hair down, curling over her perfect breasts. She had to be at least a C-cup. He’d wanted badly to reach out and cup each mound in his hands. Not at all professional or civilized. But damn, he’d wanted to.
She had turquoise-blue eyes, a mysterious shade that had seemed to change while they’d spoken. Reid had always been a sucker for intelligence, and the woman had that in spades. Looks, smarts, a body to die for…
He groaned and took himself in hand, pleasuring himself to the fantasy of that gorgeous redhead on her knees doing anything he wanted.
Reid sagged moments later, wishing he had someone to help him get off. But his hand saved him a lot of aggravation in the long run. No one to disappoint if he didn’t call or text enough. No one demanding his time when he was too damn tired to go out after a fourteen-hour workday.
And no one to be jealous when he went to help his brother out of yet another jam.
No, Reid didn’t need to be involved with anyone at the moment. First, he had to get the business squared away. Then maybe he’d find a serious lover.
And it sure the hell wouldn’t be one he worked with. He snorted. After all that talk warning Cash away from Jordan, would Reid make the same mistake?
No way in hell.