Page 61 of Sidelining the Safety

Lee shook his head as another notification popped up on his phone. “Just the dumpster, but I gotta hurry. My guys are meeting me upstairs. Caitlin called us in.”

“Caitlin? Well, go, man. Don’t keep her waiting.” Yowie’s urgency was kinda funny. Lee watched as Yowie pulled Jakes toward the shower while telling Anders to leave him alone so he could get ready. Anders spun up and away, leaving Lee to get undressed and into the shower.

Twenty minutes later, Lee was dressed and striding toward the elevator. He pulled out his phone and opened his messaging app.

Mac:

She wants to meet me?

Drew:

Yeah. The article mentions Lee, and there’s a picture of us huddled together with you and your family. It’s a ‘mountains out of molehills’ deal, but she wants our decision sooner rather than later. [article link attached]

Lee debated about opening the link but opted to read the rest of Mac’s tribulations as he stepped into the elevator.

Mac:

Okay. I’ll be there.

OMG. Traffic is a freaking nightmare. I’m gonna be late.

Holy cow, this place is huge. How do you not get lost? Where the hell do I even park?

I think I’m lost… Oh, here’s the entrance.

I’ve got an official family badge! How cool is that? Tom is such a sweetie. Coming up the elevator now.

The doors opened and disappointment hit Lee. He’d somehow thought his men would be waiting for him when they opened. Realizing his ridiculousness, he hurried toward Caitlin’s office.

“I’m here.”

“Lee!” Mac burst from his seat and then froze, biting his lower lip. Lee went to him and opened his arms for the hug he could tell Mac wanted to give him. They hadn’t talked about PDA, but he wasn’t one to ever care, and he didn’t think they did either. It was just another piece of their relationship that they hadn’t yet had a chance to discuss.

Mac hugged him fast and kissed his cheek before passing him off to Drew for the same.

“Thanks for meeting with me so quickly,” Caitlin said, starting right in. “Have a seat. Drew and Mac brought me up to speed on the fire and that you discussed using Casey West’s Football Fandom platform but haven’t come to any decisions yet.”

“Have we missed anything?” Fitz asked as he entered, followed by Coach Mike, Head Coach Emilio Oliveira, Special Teams Coach Jaxon Ross, and Dr. Rosie.

Lee stood up quickly, shocked to see them all there. Drew and Mac did as well, looking just as stunned.

Caitlin stood. “Let’s head to the conference room.”

Fitz led the procession across the hall, where they took seats around a large conference table. Lee might have found it funny that his men put him in the middle, but with the stern and worried expressions on the Trooper’s upper management’s faces, he felt protected instead. Mac and Drew had his back, and that meant everything to him.

Caitlin led the discussion, starting with Mac giving a recount of Katy, Troy, the restraining order, and the fire. “And everything’s good now?”

Mac nodded, and when Lee reached for him, their fingers tangled tightly. “Just some scorched cement. Troy’s still in the wind, but the police are on it. Officer Daniels is running point if you need to coordinate anything with the station. I swear that guy is dumber than a post. The police station is located at the end of the block and my family treats every officer who walks through the door with respect and admiration. Plus, Officer Daniels and my sister are dating now that Troy’s out of the picture… or well, you know.” Mac’s shrug and faint blush had Lee grinning softly at him. He pressed his lips together to keep from smiling. He knew intimately how dark and how far that flush could get.

“And how was business today? Busy? Busier?”

“You’re asking because of that picture and article, right?” With Caitlin’s nod, Mac continued, “I didn’t notice. Maybe a little busier. I did notice it was a different type of crowd, but it’s also a weekday, so maybe tonight will be different. Once people see it, read it, and get out of work. I forwarded the article to my family and Officer Daniels, so I think we’ll be okay. I’m not worried.”

The way Mac fiddled with Lee’s fingers while he spoke made Lee wonder if maybe he was lying, just a little bit. Lee wouldn’t be surprised… Hell, he’d be worried if something he did affected his mom’s business. Too much of a disruption to any business could become its killing blow.

Lee gave Mac’s hand a light squeeze as he leaned over and pressed his forehead to Mac’s temple. “I’ll pay for any extra security or cameras or whatever safety measures you want if you think you need them.”

Mac patted his cheek. “We’re okay. This is Troy’s doing, anyway, so why should you pay?”

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