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“You and Chelsea seem very relaxed around each other there,” I point out as I sit back in my chair. Drew shrugs whilst pouting.
“We were just talking; she has our sense of humour.” He picks up a screwed-up piece of paper and launches it at Logan, who catches it without looking away from his computer.
“Any reason you are throwing rubbish at me?” he asks, throwing the paper into the waste bin by the door, getting it in first time.
“Why the fuck did you tell her we were all aware she matched with each of us. She was dead embarrassed at first,” Drew snaps through gritted teeth. Logan shrugs, still refusing to look away from his screen.
“It slipped out; accidents happen,” he mutters, which earns him an eye roll from Drew.
“For a special obs specialist, you’re shit when it comes to keeping something quiet.” Drew sits back in his chair and rolls his neck before rubbing the back of it. “I’m going to order Chinese. Make a list, and I’ll order it in. Young can fort the bill.”
“He left Chels with the instructions to put a takeaway on his card and anything else we need,” Logan says as he lets out a deep breath and leans back in his chair. He looks at the clock on the wall and then the screen. We’ve been at it for three hours and managed to get fifty-three cards done. It's eight at night, and we have eight hours to finish the other one-hundred and ninety-five. We should be able to do it, as long as we don’t lose too much time taking breaks or stopping for food.
Chelsea walks back into the room and places her phone on the table. She’s quieter than she has been all evening, and I can see whoever was on the phone has upset her.
“Everything okay?” I ask, leaning on the table, watching her as she takes her seat.
“Yeah, my daughter is having issues at school and has been upset. She’s okay now I’ve spoken to her.”
“How old’s your daughter?” I ask as I slip the card I just wiped out of the cardholder and hand it to Logan before selecting the next card.
“Six. She has such a kind soul, but it makes her an easy target for bullies,” Chelsea sighs as she wipes her cheek, and I can see how hard it is for her to be away from her daughter whilst she’s upset.
“If you need to go, Chels,” Drew starts as I place a hand on her arm. She looks at him and forces a smile.
“Honestly, it’s fine. She’s going to sleep now anyway, so it won’t make any difference if I’m there or not.” She must notice we are all watching her as she flashes a big smile and grabs her phone. “Who wants what for dinner? Mr Young is paying.”
10
Chelsea
“Bambi! Will you shut the fuck up for once in your life!” Logan shouts as he throws a screwed-up paper napkin at Drew.
“Okay, enough, I need to ask. What’s with the nicknames?” I laugh as Drew flips the bird at Logan. I don’t think I have heard them refer to each other by their real names tonight other than when discussing each other with their employees.
“It’s a military thing,” Calvin laughs as he sips his water.
“I know that, my dad was in the Navy. But I want to know why you haveyournicknames,” I laugh.
“Drews is Bambi because, well, look at him. He couldn’t have more of a baby face if he tried,” Logan laughs.
“Logan is Houdini because there is no lock, physical or encoded, that he can’t crack,” Drew announces. “And Calvin is Pippin.”
“As in Pippin Took, from The Lord of The Rings?” I ask, laughing. Calvin rolls his eyes as the others roar, laughing.
“The very same.”
“So, how did you earn yourself that nickname?” I ask grinning.
“When I was on one of my first training courses, we had to be stealthy and sneak past our commanders without being seen,” Drew starts.
“Except this dumbass drops his rifle against some rocks and sets off the blanks in it, letting everyone in a five-mile radius know where he was,” Logan finishes clapping his mate on the back. “Seriously, you could hear it all over. To say he failed is an understatement.”
“Alright, smartass!” Calvin sighs, pushing Logan's hand from his shoulder and returning to the laptop in front of him.
“Oh, I get it now! Pippin knocked the skeleton into the well, letting all the Orcs know where they were!” I exclaim as the reference finally clicks into place. Logan and Drew both laugh as Calvins nods with a sigh.
“That name has stuck with me for ten years.”
