We clapped and cheered.
“And now, I’m going to turn over the floor to your fearless leader. Kat?”
We cheered again.
“Hold up,” Pasco said. “If we’re making speeches, we need drinks so we can toast.”
He and Jensen carried trays with silver champagne glasses and handed one to everyone. I looked down at the liquid and had no idea what it could be. Which was usually the point of the Jensen/Pasco mixtures.
Lang stared down at the purple drink, then looked up at Ben. “Is this about you, Purple Haze?”
Kat arched an eyebrow at Pasco and Jensen. “Thanks for stealing my thunder. I’m not going to ask how you got this information, but the three of us will have a chat in my office tomorrow morning.”
Jason took a bow, and Pasco lifted his glass. And I realized theirs was a bromance story like Ben’s and Ryan’s.
“In case there’s anyone in the room who hasn’t figured it out, Ben Hayes has accepted a permanent position here at HEAT.” Kat lifted her glass. “Welcome, Ben.”
“To Ben!” We all toasted.
We sipped our purple drinks. An explosion of sour cherries and black olives and something vile that was unnamable assaulted my tongue. Mai spit hers back into her glass. Several people choked down some of the drink, then set down their glasses and backed away.
Kyle drank his down in two gulps.
Logan scowled at Kyle. “That comes back up and we’regoing to have a problem.” He pointed at me. “It’s only cute when she does it.”
Ben eased his arm around my shoulders. “Sorry, the vomit comet is all mine.”
“Ben!” I fake-slapped his chest.
“Medical conditions are no joke, Hayes,” Bond said. “You’d do well to remember that, as HEAT’s head medical officer, I can make you retake your physical fitness certification at any time.” When Wheeler opened his mouth, she held up her hand. “And I can make you join him.”
Someone turned on the music. Wheeler asked X if they could install a karaoke machine. She refused. Logan asked someone, probably Ben, if they were going to have a problem. And the whole thing devolved into a raucous party.
Chase nudged my elbow. “What would you be doing tonight if you were back in Vallejo?”
“Nothing this fun.”
“I heard you’re promoting your assistant operations manager to run the California branch while you restart the Maryland branch.”
I glanced across the room at Mai. “I wonder where you heard that? Yes. First, though, I have to evict a group of cult members from the building, who, it turns out, I’ve been paying for six months.” I shook my head. He didn’t know the details of the HEAT operation. “I’m sure that sounds crazy.”
He held up a hand. “I’ve learned not to ask questions about things related to this place. But I am interested in looking at your business plan. Derek’s a high-end whisky snob, and he’s been harassing me for years about finding an investment in that area.”
I smiled. I liked him for my friend. “Thank you, Chase. That’s very nice, but you don’t have to go on a pity business date with me.”
“There’s no pity about it,” Derek said as he joined us. Hehanded me a tumbler with two fingers of whisky in it. “My favorite.”
I sipped it. “Mm, a Macallan fan.” I took another sip. “I haven’t had this vintage before, though.”
“It’s an Edition Number One. I bought it at auction. My brother wasn’t lying about us wanting to invest in your market space. Let’s take a meeting. How’s tomorrow for you?”
“Afternoon is fine,” Mai said. She walked over to us, dragging Ben with her. “But tomorrow morning, these two have a very important appointment to see a condo. I’ll be there, by the way.” She winked at me. “I have to make sure to tell the realtor we’ll need an extra key cut for me.”
Ben took my hand. “Tell me she’s kidding.”
Chase patted his back. “She’s not.”
Something rumbled over the gym floor. We all turned to see Kyle pulling a large, black box by the handle into the lounge.
