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Flynn tried to shove the anger aside and was mostly able to focus on the others. Over a meal of pasta, vegetables, and bread, he discovered how much his friends had already grown the business.
Midnight Security had clients who wanted to learn everything from better fitness to defensive driving to tracking criminals in the woods to best practices for protecting their own clients. And more.
Aisling patted Graham’s arm. “Just wait until you see Midnight Runway. It’s amazing.” Graham had bought an abandoned airstrip and was refurbishing it as a driving school and shooting range.
If Flynn dove in and focused on the business, he might forget about Catalina. Tess. Fat chance, but he had to try. “So, how can I help? What do I need to do to get up to speed?”
Graham grinned. “Well, a herd of cattle got lost in the woods, so I hope you brought your horse and your lasso.”
Flynn rolled his eyes but couldn’t completely contain the grin. “Sure did. I snuck my filly Ginger in my suitcase, so I’m good.” Hell, Cat was really on his brain. Ginger wasn’t even his own horse. That was the mare she’d ridden that day at his ranch.
For the next hour, he did his best to stay centered on the group and the business. He helped carry dishes into the kitchen where he had his mind nearly blown.
A cylindrical robot moved off its charging station and to the sink, where it scraped the dishes into compost and garbage bins. Then it stacked everything in a dishwasher that could have been from the future. Afterward, it closed the bins and returned to its station.
Tansy grinned up at him. “Pennyworth likes the job far more than I do. We’ll have to introduce you to his cousins after you choose a room. Nico almost shot one and we don’t want that happening.”
Tansy took him on a tour of the lodge and without knowing it, filled him in a little on Cat. Tess. She’d chosen the room closest to the stairs on the second floor. The one with the quickest exit.
Tansy also revealed that Tess was quiet and hard-working, neither of which was surprising. Tansy was the most brilliant person Flynn had ever encountered and her obvious respect for Tess’s work made him happy.
Cat had always been smart and kind. Hard-working too. She couldn’t have been any more different from her criminal father. Anger simmered again. What had happened? Why hadn’t he known?
Flynn chose a room across the hall from Cat. He wanted to keep an eye on her if she ever came back. He had to see her. After dumping his stuff into drawers, Flynn went in search of Sam.
He found him and Tansy on the deck in front of the lodge. They were huddled close together, leaning on the railing and looking out into the night.
He wanted that. The thought kicked into him like a bull’s hoof to the chest. He’d never thought much about settling down before, but seeing his buddy so obviously in love and happy about it made Flynn want it too.
He’d once envisioned having that with Catalina. He’d planned to ask her to the Christmas dance and to be his girlfriend, but her house had exploded. And she’d died.
He’d been painting pictures of the future, and she’d left him behind.
Sam turned at the sound of the door closing behind Flynn. “Thought I might see you. I was just letting Tansy in on the situation.”
They turned as a unit and Tansy’s face was sad. “Tess never talks much about her past. Actually, she rarely talks about herself at all. Now I know why.”
“I need to see her. Can you tell me how to get to the cabin?”
Sam and Tansy exchanged a long look, then Tansy turned to him. “I’m not sure yet. Tess is a friend and I won’t betray her trust.”
Flynn nodded, impressed with her stance even though it frustrated him. “I get that. Tess and I were good friends in high school. I don’t want to get into details because if she’s in hiding or on the run, it’s better if no one knows them. But we were friends. Starting with her helping me in math, ending with her spending a day with my family at the ranch.”
He drew in a deep breath. “The day she supposedly died is the day I was going to ask her to a Christmas dance. She was important to me. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. I want to talk to her. Find some answers.”
Tansy studied him for a long moment. “Fine, but I won’t let this surprise her. I’ll let her make the decision.”
Flynn nodded. That was fair.
Tansy patted her pockets, probably looking for her phone. Sam chuckled and shook his head. “Use mine.”
Tansy leaned up to kiss him lightly then she headed down the stairs and out to the dock to make the phone call.
Flynn wasn’t sure what he’d do if Tessa said no. He didn’t think he could leave it as is. Seeing her face had brought him right back to the emotions he’d been feeling as a kid. A longing for more, for a future with Cat. A yearning for a family of his own, a life filled with love and joy. Now, he was more than a little worried he wouldn’t be able to rein those emotions back in.
Chapter3
Second Look
