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“It’s perfect. How the hell did you get it timed perfectly?”
“Luck.” Sam laughs. “Honestly, I thought it would get there this afternoon.”
“Well, I’m going to start on it now.”
“Good. I’ve gotta go. Tucker wants us to run some carry drills.”
“Love you, Smoky.”
“Love you back.”
Nothing could wipe away the smile on my face right now. I got incredibly lucky to find a man who loves me the way Sam does.
Time passes fast now that I have things to do. The second I finish cleaning up from breakfast, I fall into building my Lego. It’s way more detailed than I expected it to be. I’m also having more fun than I thought I would. It seemed like this could get tedious, but each page is different, which keeps my attention from wandering.
My alarm surprises me out of my focus. I blink to reorient myself to my surroundings. Three hours have passed by in a blink. I’m not even finished with the Lego yet.
I head to my office and boot up my computer. It feels like it’s been a year since I was last in here. When I’m logged in, my email program flashes with over three hundred emails. Okay, maybe an hour was a bit of an underestimate of how long it would take me to get through them.
The meeting is in ten minutes, so I go ahead and pull up the video call app. Usually, when I’m running behind for a meeting, it chooses that moment to update. I’ve learned to get it pulled up a few minutes before I’m supposed to join, just in case.
A few minutes before everyone is supposed to join, I start the meeting. My camera is off for now. I’d rather talk to them with my camera on, but I don’t want to freak anyone out.
The first one on the call is Eliza. “Carter! I’m so glad to… oh. You’re not on camera. Are you here?” Her laugh is self-deprecating.
“I’m here.”
“Okay, good. I was worried I was talking to no one there for a second.”
Inez and Paul are next. They’re sitting beside each other in front of the camera. William joins in at the same time, and I start the meeting.
“Hey everyone. Sorry, I’m off-camera today. I’m looking a little scary right now.”
“Is anyone squeamish? ‘Cause I’m gonna be honest, I need to see your face to make sure you’re actually okay,” Eliza says.
“I’m good to go and agree with Eliza. We need to see you to make sure you’re not faking how healed you are.”
William and Paul add their agreements, so I click the camera button. As soon as my video pops up, Inez and Eliza gasp.
“Told you I’m looking a little scary.”
“Jesus, Carter. Are you sure you’re okay?” William asks. “We can postpone the meeting if you need more time.”
“No, I promise I’m good. I’m not going to be on the whole day, but I need to get an update on everything.”
“They did a number on you. God, I’m so sorry,” Inez says.
“Do know anything about who did this to you?” Paul asks.
I shake my head. “I have no memory of it. It’s both a blessing and a curse. I can’t help the cops find who did this, but I also don’t have the ugly images in my head either.”
“How horrible. I’m sending you a care package right now. You deserve all the pampering, and I know just the thing,” Eliza declares. Her eyes focus on her computer, and I want to laugh at her determination. Then she demands to know my address, even though she could easily find it in my employee file if she wanted. I reluctantly give it to her only because I don’t want them to spend money on me.
“That’s not necessary, Eliza. But thank you. Let’s start with project updates. Any major hiccups you guys need my help with?”
William tells me his tracking program is complete.
“That’s fantastic. Let’s do a trial run on the database to see what it picks up. How customizable will it be?”
