Page 86 of S.O.S. Perk

Andnothingin Sloane’s experience had prepared her for the larger-than-life Perkins’ family.

And when she said larger, she meant larger.

Perk was a smidge over six feet tall. His father? An inch taller. His brothers? Both easily six-four. And his mother was no slouch, coming in at five-eleven if Sloane was figuring right. Sloane felt downright petite amongst the land of giants until she met Perk’s brothers’ wives. Both were mere mortals like she was. One seemed very nice.

Introductions were awkward at best. Sloane had thought maybe Perk had been exaggerating his family’s displeasure with his life’s trajectory, but by the time she’d shaken hands all around, Sloane knew better.

Both Perk’s parents and one brother managed to slip in a few mildly denigrating quips about his “youthfulness” and his “play job” as they greeted Perk.

Because of that, Sloane reverted pretty quickly to her Agent Vessers demeanor. She wasn’t going to give these people a degree of warmth if they weren’t going to treat Perk like a complete person.

“Breakfast is just about ready,” Mrs. Perkins informed them after their jackets and boots had been shed in the front hallway of the family’s traditional colonial. The woman shepherdedthem into a large, bright kitchen, which held a huge round table decorated exquisitely for company. It was very… “House Beautiful”.

“Thank you, Sloane, for making sure my baby arrived here on time,” Mrs. Perkins twittered. “I’m sure it was because of you. Our Henry if often late because he barely knows how to keep track of time.”

Seriously?

“That’s funny,” Sloane responded, dead-panned. “On the job, he often coordinates things down to seconds to make sure everything goes smoothly.”

“Oh? You work with Henry?”Mr.Perkins asked with raised brows. “I thought he was involved with some rescue place.”

Sloane narrowed her eyes. “He is. And that’s how we met.” Was the man about to be misogynistic; suggesting that a female couldn’t be an operative?

“Well, you look like a woman who takes life seriously, so you must play a different role in the company than he does.”

Sloane wouldn’t immediately correct him that she didn’t work for SOS, but she had to bite back her locked and loaded, snappy response, which was to ask why the man’s head was so far up his ass when it came to his son. For Perk’s sake, however, she’d play nicely for a while.

Perk must have felt how conflicted she was, because he took her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. She gave him the slightest of nods in response.

“I assure you, sir,” she managed, “Henrytakes his job with the utmost gravity.” It was going to take some getting used to, using Perk’s given name.

“Right.” The oldest brother, Steve Jr., pranced over and gave Perk noogies.Actual noogies. “Saving tiny kitties from trees, and helping little old ladies who’ve misplaced their purses is very important.”

Sloane was having trouble hanging onto her shit. These people were clueless.

“Now Steve…,” Mrs. Perkins intervened.

Good.Maybe the family matriarch was about to tell the dickheads to stand down.

“…you know Henry just hasn’t found himself yet. Not like you and Dirk have. But he’s young. Give him a few more years. He’ll come around.”

Sloane sent a questioning glare Perk’s way, and he just shrugged. Why wasn’t he defending himself? Seeing the question in her eyes, he sidled up and bent to whisper in her ear. “I tried for a bunch of years. It’s not worth it.”

“Oh, yes it is,” she said out loud.

“It is what?” Mr. Perkins questioned, picking up a pipe which he began to pack with Borkum Riff.

Was he really going to smoke it inside? While breakfast was set to go on the table?Damn, this was like stepping back into the dark ages.

Sloane had no problem speaking her mind. Especially now that she’d been asked a direct question. “It isworth pointing out that your son is twenty-eight years old. He’s been in the military, has worked for your local police department, and is currently an agent with one of the most renowned search and rescue firms on the east coast.”

“Yes, dear,” Mrs. Perkins spoke up as she plated sausages. “We’re aware that he’s flitted from job to job and hasn’t been able to settle on one path, but we’re hopeful we can convince him to come to work for my husband’s firm. A new position has just opened up for a junior member,” she stated hopefully.

“Which means he’ll have to do grunt work for a while if he takes it, but he’ll catch on,” Dirk interjected. “He’s always been smart.”

Well, at leastsomeonewas saying something nice about Perk.

Sloane once again bit her tongue, approaching things from a different angle as they all sat down for breakfast. “Did you know that Perk is currently involved with a very tricky case?”

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