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“Yes, mamá,” I conceded. “I’ll see what I can do.”
She hung up moments later, and I hung the phone up as Bennett walked into the office. “Did you hear about the shooting at the Starbucks in Longview?”
I looked up in surprise. “No. Any casualties?”
Bennett shook his head and took a seat across the desk from me.
I leaned back in my chair and looked him over.
“You look tired,” I observed.
He grimaced. “Reagan had the stomach bug last night. I can deal with almost anything, but puke and phlegm just really gross me out.”
I grinned.
Reagan was his daughter. She was a quiet and overall nice little girl, which didn’t seem like it fit Bennett at all since he was so outgoing.
I’d met Bennett when we’d both been in the Navy, finding out only when we went into basic training that we were from the same area of Texas.
When I’d first come to know Bennett, he’d been going through a rough spot with his ex, trying to get custody of their child. A child that the mother had tried to abort, but Bennett had convinced her not to. She hadn’t, and then went on to gain full custody of the child that his ex never wanted.
Bennett had gotten custody, though, with the help of his family.
“Didn’t she just have that last week?” I asked in surprise.
He shook his head. “No, two weeks ago she had the flu.”
“Oh,” I said, shaking my head. “Poor girl. I guess that means you’ll be getting it soon?”
He shrugged. “I always do. It’s like clockwork.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Guess that’s part of the game of child rearing.”
He flipped me off. “So, are we invited to dinner to meet your mystery chick?”
I shook my head. “She’s not a mystery chick. She’s the same one I’ve wanted for forever. I’ve known her for what feels like forever.”
His eyes flared. “Is she the chick that used to show up at all those deployments and welcome homes?”
I nodded and sat back to pull my cell from my pocket. Then I opened the phone, and scrolled to the picture I’d taken the previous morning. The one with her and Nautica.
Handing it over, I smiled when his breath inhaled. “Holy shit, she’s hot.”
Of that, I had no doubt.
Then, of course, he started flipping through the pictures on my phone.
“Why do you have pictures of soccer cleats on here?” He asked.
I yanked the phone out of his hands and shoved it back into my pocket.
“I handed you my phone so you could look at one picture. Not swipe left and right. Next time I hand you my phone, be courteous,” I snapped.
He chuckled and sat back in the chair. “No, really. Why the cleats?”
I shrugged. “I wanted to buy Georgia a pair of cleats, but I didn’t know her size. I had to ask my sister.”
“She used to play soccer?” He questioned, scratching the back of his head.
I nodded. “Yeah, we both made all-state. She was pretty good for a girl. One of the only ones that could keep up with me. She’s even better than my sister. That’s how I met her. She used to challenge my sister like a wildcat on the field. That competition morphed into a relationship. Their senior year, I think they spent the majority of the time at my parent’s place. She never left from what I heard.”
“I’m glad you think I’m pretty good for a girl,” an amused female’s voice said from the doorway.
I turned to find Georgia leaning casually against the doorway, arms crossed nonchalantly over her chest.
Today she was wearing black slacks and a purple button down shirt that matched part of her hair.
Her shoes looked sexy as hell, too. Tall black heels that made her legs look a mile long.
I stood and walked around my desk. “Georgia, this is Bennett. Bennett’s on the SWAT team with me, and an officer here. Bennett, this is Georgia.”
Bennett stood and offered his hand to Georgia, shaking it once before letting it go.
“It’s nice to meet you, Georgia. I’ve heard a lot about you over the years,” Bennett greeted her.
Georgia blinked, and then turned. “This Bennie Bear?”
I winced and looked at the man beside me. He did not look pleased.
“Seriously, man? I don’t understand. My sister called me that one time in front of you. One!” Bennett growled in frustration.
Georgia giggled. “Don’t worry, Bennett. I won’t tell a soul. He only told me ‘cause he knew I was sad.”
Bennett’s indignation froze, and he studied Georgia like a bug under a microscope. “I used to play soccer. You were in my grade at a different school, from what I understand. Do you remember Corinne Brady?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Yeah.”
I could tell she wanted to say all kinds of rude things, but that was the thing about Georgia. She didn’t talk shit. About anybody.
“You can acknowledge your distaste,” I said, gesturing to the seat beside the one Bennett was previously sitting at. “Corinne Brady is Bennett’s baby mama and ex. They don’t get along.”
I knew the moment she became aware of just who we were talking about, and her perfect little mouth formed a cute little O.
Bennett’s eyes twinkled. “I can see my reputation precedes me.”
We’d grown up in a small town about thirty minutes outside of Kilgore, TX. However, we’d gone to Gladewater while Bennett had attended Kilgore ISD.
We were very loyal to our school, hanging out with our own, but everyone had heard about the incident involving the fake rape victim. Even me, and I’d been half way around the world. That’d been the topic of many letters back and forth to Georgia while I was overseas. It’d rocked our small town then, was still doing so six years later.
Years ago, the incident had spread like wildfire through our schools.
A girl had been raped, and her boyfriend, Bennett Alvarez, had let it be known far and wide that retaliation would be coming to those who’d done it.
Well, weeks went by and nobody ever heard another thing about it until, one day, it became known that Corrinne had lied about being raped and had actually been an accomplice in the entire charade.
