Page 60 of Baby Heal the Pain

Evan grinned. “Cute. It’s what we said about each other. Or at least what we thought.”

“See, and I thought this was going to be a love story.”

“Hang in there, because it is, in a way.” He pulled spinach and goat cheese out of the fridge. “The first night we were there, he shows up at my room with a big-ass flask of whiskey.”

“Ooh, contraband. Is that when you realized you loved him?”

He pointed a spatula at me. “Don’t make me come over there and...”

We stared at each for a minute. If I’d had to guess, I’d have said we were both having very dirty thoughts about what we would like him to do to me.

He cleared his throat, checked the eggs, and continued. “So Bennet pours out a big portion of contraband whiskey for each of us and tells me one of his philosophies, which is that two men who hate each other can become friends in one of two ways: being under fire together, or getting shit-faced drunk together. And he proposed a toast to not getting shot.”

“And then you two got your happily-ever-after,” I said.

“Nope.” He threw spinach and goat cheese on top of the eggs and covered the pan with a lid. “But we did get a few more drinks in us. Maybe a lot more. And finally, when we were good and wasted, he asked me why I didn’t want him in charge of the mission to rescue his soldiers. The truth just popped out of my mouth: I didn’t want him to be the dumbass who got my people killed. He said that was exactly the reason he didn’t want me in charge of the negotiations.

“And there we had it. In vino veritas, and on common ground friendship. When it came time to trek to the village and negotiate the release, we each played to our strengths. We got the soldiers back and everyone got out alive. And that’s when we lived happily ever after.”

I took a loud, annoyed sip of coffee. “So this is where the lightbulb is supposed to go off over my head as I realize that today, Sloane and I each have our lane, and when we each stay in it, the team benefits.”

He furrowed his brow. “Huh, was there a lesson in there?” He pulled the pan off the stove. “And here I thought it was just a way to entertain you while I made you breakfast. But if there had been a lesson or two, I might add that having all the team leaders show up lets them know all the bases are covered. Gives them a sense of safety, even when everyone knows there’s no such thing.”

I raised my eyebrows. “What, you don’t think Frank, who walked right up to the line of ordering me not to show up today, inspires that kind of confidence?”

“That’s what happened?” He snorted. “That asshat might be a lot of things, but inspirational isn’t one of them. What about my story? Did it inspire you in any way?”

“Not in the same way a sexy Green Beret story would have, but it did make me think about a nice, big glass of whiskey.”

He cut the omelet in half and slid the pieces onto two places. “Anything else?”

“Yes, one more thing.” I grinned. “Fuck Sloane.”

“Fuck Sloane.” He laughed and slid a plate in front of me. “Now let’s eat, then we can get to work. Your team is waiting for you.”

---