Page 101 of Protected By West
Then it became more than a little... nerve wracking.
"Hayden?"
She smiled and then she snapped her fingers. "I've got it!"
Weston felt his lips purse a little and then he murmured under his breath. "I'm afraid to ask."
"I've been meaning to come over and congratulate you in person for your team passing the comprehensive tests to be certified for the Rangers."
He grinned. "I got your text and that little video you sent the team. They were happy to get that before the test."
"I wanted to give your team a little boost of morale."
Weston tasted a little bile on the back of his tongue and hastily swallowed it down.
Hayden didn't miss the awkward expression on his face and smirked, covering her mouth a little. "Some of your team don't need a boost, they're already puffed up enough."
Weston nodded. "I've got a good mix."
Hayden nodded back. "Definitely. I like the group you've put together. There are a few that are going to make things rough for you."
Drawing in a deep, chest filling breath, Weston let it out a moment later. "And I have a few that I think are going to help me smooth them out."
Hayden tipped her chin up and her gaze lifted as well.
He watched her ponder his words.
When she was done with her thoughts, he saw her look back at him with a somewhat rueful look on her face. "I don't envy the work you've got ahead of you."
He bobbed his head in a nod. "Thanks."
She shrugged. "It's the truth, West."
"True," he agreed. "The worst of it is behind us."
West knocked on his desk twice.
Hayden's smile widened. "Knock on wood?"
He shrugged. "I guess. I'll need it, I think."
She sat up straighter and lifted her chin at his hand on the desk. "You know who that reminds me of?"
"What?" He looked down, following the direction of her gaze. "The knocking thing? Who doesn't knock on wood?"
Hayden's smile widened even more. "A lot of people, but," she lifted her hand and gestured at his, "you picked that up from Chief Fagan."
Weston thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "I guess, I did."
"Speaking of Fagans," she took out her phone and opened up her text messages, showing him the picture he'd sent her from the backyard barbecue, "are you going to tell me that Tracy isn't related to the Chief?"
Weston sucked in a breath between his teeth. "Yeah... I mean, no. I think she is but... it's complicated."
"The relationship between fathers and daughters can be fraught with issues." He knew that there had to be something in her past that added extra weight to her words. "I don't think I've ever seen her at any of the Ranger events or promotion ceremonies. I didn't even know Chief Fagan had a daughter."
Weston grimaced at the surprise in Hayden's voice. "Yeah, I didn't either."
Hayden's chin dropped enough so that he could see her teeth just behind her lower lip. "What did Tracy say when you told her that you knew her dad?"
