“Don’t you want to know more about me?” a stubborn part of her asked.
“What’s your last name?”
She made a decision. She’d been using her mother’s last name for employment, but she felt like giving it to Noah instead of her legal name was too much of a lie. “Lane.”
“Okay, Jenna Lane, is there anything else I need to know? Criminal record? Warrants? Drug habit?”
“None of those things. But what if I’m flaky?”
“I don’t think you are. You’re still here, even though that Allison woman seems determined to be a bitch to you.”
“I might be desperate for cash.”
“If you are, then you’ll take my offer.”
Jenna’s heart thumped. Her stomach twisted. “You don’t know me, Noah. I could be anyone.”
He didn’t look worried. “And you don’t know me.” He leaned toward her. “I’ll tell you this much, though. The job I do means I see real scumbags more often than I care to. I’m so jaded I’m not worried about—beg your pardon—one small woman with a potentially sketchy past. It’s not nearly as sketchy as what I deal with on a regular basis. I’m the kind of guy you don’t want to see coming for you if you’re doing something that hurts others. I’m not worried about you. I’ve watched you work, and I know you’re soft inside. You talk to the people who want to talk, and you listen to those who need an ear. You move slower than your boss wants, but that’s because you’re focused on helping your customers with more than taking impersonal orders.”
He sat back and looked at her almost smugly. “No, I’m not worried about you at all, Jenna Lane. I want to hire you because I know you’re a good person, and that’s what Alice needs right now. Someone good to look after her.”
She knew he was military. She’d seen him in uniform a few times. She didn’t understand Army ranks or patches, but she’d been an Air Force kid—and she was pretty sure he was either military police or special forces based on what he’d just said.
That could be a good thing or a bad thing for her, depending. Good because it was like having her own built-in protector, and bad because if he figured out she was running from something, he wouldn’t stop until he knew what it was.
“Are you an operator?” she asked, using the term she knew meant someone was part of an elite unit.
His eyes widened a second, and then she saw respect flare in them. He nodded. “Yes. Does that make a difference?”
“Green Beret?”
“Something like that.”
“Like that, or that?”
“Like. I can’t talk about it. If you know what a special operator is, then you’ll understand.”
She nodded. “My parents were Air Force. Mom was an officer and dad was enlisted. They died in a small plane crash six years ago.”
He frowned. “I’m sorry, Jenna. That had to be very hard for you.”
She shrugged. She didn’t usually talk about it, but something about him made her willing to say the words. “It was, and thank you.”
Tami appeared at her side, bending to look Alice in the eye. “Hey, sweetie! Aren’t you a cute little honey-bear? I just want to pinch those cheeks.” She shot Noah an innocent look. “I just love toddlers. So adorable.”
Jenna rolled her eyes at the blatant attempt to steal Noah’s attention. “They’re adorable until they bite you,” Jenna said matter-of-factly.
Tami was so startled she whipped her head around to stare wide-eyed at Jenna. She recovered quickly though. “You’re such a tease, Jenna.” She straightened and eyed Noah. “I just love kids. I’m free to babysit if you need anyone. Here’s my number. Call anytime!”
She handed him a folded piece of paper, smiled a fake smile, and sashayed away in a manner designed to shake her ass.
“What the hell was that?” Noah asked, keeping his voice low.
“Surely you’ve met Tami before. She’s been here for a year, I think.”
“Oh, I’ve met her. She’s always trying to get me or one of my friends to ask her out.”
Jenna leaned toward him, hand on table, as if to impart knowledge. His gaze strayed to her chest, and she realized that he could probably see her bra. She straightened quickly, clearing her throat to hide her embarrassment.
“Best to avoid that if you can. She’s my roommate, and trust me when I tell you that you’d better enjoy farm animal noises during sex. She’ll put out at the drop of a hat, but you’re going to need earplugs. Or a gag.”
Noah sputtered. “Thanks for the visual.”
Jenna shrugged. “Just doing my part.”
He dropped Tami’s number onto her tray. “Throw that away for me, would you?”
“Yes, sir. Anything else, sir?” she asked as Allison emerged from the back to make her rounds.
“Yes. Call me. Unless you’d like to take the job now?”
Allison was getting closer, and Jenna had already been standing with Noah for too long. “I have to go. I’ll let you know.”
It’d been a long day at work when Noah emerged at five and headed for his Jeep. He’d left Alice with his neighbor, Mrs. Barlow, who also watched her grandkids for her son and daughter-in-law. It wasn’t ideal, and he felt like he was imposing, but she’d offered and he’d accepted because he still couldn’t get Alice into day care on the post yet.
Soon, he hoped. His phone dinged with a message, and he took it out to look. The number was unknown, but he’d soon rectify that by making a new contact.
Hi, Noah. This is Jenna. If you haven’t changed your mind, I’ll take the job.
Noah leaned against the side of the Jeep and sighed. He’d been hoping to hear from her since he’d left the diner last night. He wanted to whoop, but he didn’t. Jax “Gem” Stone walked up a few moments later.
“You looking at cat videos again?”
Noah snorted. “Nope. Got a nanny.”
“Really? That’s fucking awesome, man!”
“Tell me about it.” He tapped out a message to Jenna. I haven’t changed my mind. Thank you! When do you want to start?
He prayed like hell it was right damn now, but for all he knew, she’d had to give two weeks’ notice. He’d make it through two weeks. Somehow. So long as he knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel, he’d make it.
“When does she start?”
He lifted the phone. “Asking now.”
Gem flipped his keys in his hand. “Yeah, it can’t be much longer before we head downrange again. It’d be nice to have that taken care of before we gotta bug out.”
“Fuck yeah it would.” Because he didn’t want to imagine the hell of trying to arrange around-the-clock care for little Alice—and then the hell of worrying about it while he was supposed to be doing his job.
“See you tomorrow, Easy,” Gem said, unlocking his Corvette and climbing inside. It wasn’t a new Vette, but the way Gem babied it, you’d never know. The car was a pristine C6 model, and Gem spent a lot of time in the garage, polishing it to a shine. It was a wonder he ever drove the thing since Noah knew he was going to go home, stick it in the garage, and wipe it down with a rag.