“Hey, sugar, no worries. I got a hitch and tow attachment.” He winked at me. “That’s just one of the many upgrades on the original package.” Kade’s eyebrows waggled, and I couldn’t help a very-unlike-me giggle.
“Settle down, buddy.” Max didn’t sound as amused as I was. “Let’s just get this done. I had a long day, and I’m ready to be home with a beer and baseball game.”
“Yeah, I heard about your day.” Kade shook his head, and I wondered if either man would elaborate. They didn’t. The curious part of my brain—well, let’s be honest; all of my brain was curious—wanted to know if Max’s long day had been connected to the situation in Petersburg.
But I didn’t get a chance to ask, because the guys were already walking to Kade’s truck. He jumped into the driver’s seat and leaned out through the open window, craning his neck to watch as Max directed him to back up close to the front of my car. Once the truck was in place, they both got to work, stretching cables and hooks to attach them to both vehicles.
“Hey, can you jump in there and put her in neutral?” Kade shouted to me. “And then we’ll head over to Evans’ house.”
“Sure.” I climbed back into the car and slid the gear shift out of park. When I stood up again, Max was standing a few feet away, his hands on his hips again.
“I’ll follow you over there. Samantha can ride with me.” The way he said my name sent a shiver of anticipation down my spine.
“Nah, I got this, Remington. You can head off now.” Kade’s eyes were steady on his friend. “You just left work, didn’t you? Haven’t been home yet? Go get that beer and ballgame.”
Max frowned. “But—”
“No buts. Sam can ride in the truck with me, and after we get her vehicle set with Evans, I’ll be happy to drive her home.” Kade came up next to me and slung a friendly arm around my shoulder. “You’re okay with that, right, honey?”
“Um ...” I hesitated, looking from one man to the other. “Sure. I mean, you’ve done enough, Max.” When his brows drew together, his forehead wrinkling, I hurried to add, “I mean, you’ve been so nice already. Just stopping to see if I was okay was really, um ...” My voice trailed off. “I appreciate it. Thanks. And thanks for calling Kade and setting up with Specialist Evans.”
“Uh huh. Sure.” He gave me one brief nod. “I texted him that you were going to be on your way. He should do a good job for you, but if you have any questions, give me a call.” He fished his wallet from the back pocket of his uniform pants, opened it and withdrew a business card. “My number’s on there.”
I took the card without looking at it. “Thanks. I think I should be okay.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Well ... see you around then.” Max gave Kade a light punch on the arm as he stalked past him. “Thanks, brother. See you tomorrow?”
“Bright and early, my man, bright and early.” Kade smiled at me, gesturing to the passenger side of his truck. “Your chariot awaits, my lady.”
If it had been just the two of us, I might have laughed or rolled my eyes or simply ignored him. But mindful of the fact that Max Remington was still within the sound of my voice and that he’d glanced over his shoulder at us, I played it up a little more, executing a quick curtsy and a faux simper.
“Thank you, kind sir.”
Kade chuckled, but I was pretty sure Max growled.
The inside of the truck was spotlessly clean, and I thought of my own car’s interior, which was ... not. I always tended to be in a hurry, running late, so there were travel mugs that needed to be taken out and cleaned as well as wrappers from various foods.
“You know Max well?” Kade’s abrupt question took me by surprise. He was pulling forward slowly, keeping his eyes on my car as it trailed behind us.
“No. I just met him when he stopped to help me.” I shifted in the seat, bending my knee and tucking my foot beneath me.
“Seriously? Huh.” He slid me a side-eyed look. “Seemed like he knew you better.”
“Nope.” I paused. “And he’s probably happy that he doesn’t. When he found out that I was here because I’d been part of the protest, he was less than thrilled.”
“Ah.” Kade nodded. “Yeah. Well ... you know, there are guys—and women—in the Army who are good at what they do and they like their job. But for them, that’s what it is. It’s a job, and at the end of the day, they go home and leave it behind. It’s not easy, because being in the military isn’t meant to be a nine-to-five gig. But then there are people who live and breathe it, every minute of the day. That’s Max. He’s Army to the core, and that’s never going to change. And when people like you—” He threw me a saucy glance. “—question what’s going on or even attack our mission, he takes it very personally.”
“I didn’t attack any mission.” I wasn’t even sure what that meant. “We were just protesting the fact that the Army bailed out a man who brutally attacked someone. We want to make sure justice is served.”
“Right. That’s the story from your point of view, but you don’t have all the details. That probably eats at Max, too. He’s such a straight arrow that he can’t imagine anyone thinking he’d do anything underhanded or wrong.”
“Huh.” We rolled down the back streets at a snail’s pace. I snuck a glance behind me to make sure my car was still there. “How do you know him?”
“Me?” He raised his eyebrows. “We’re both company commanders in the same battalion.”
“You’re in the Army, too?” His hair was short, like Max’s, but he just seemed to be so much looser and more laid back that I’d assumed he was just a friend from the area.
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “I know I don’t look the part the way he does. The other guys tease me about being a surfer dude from California, which I am. But I like what I’m doing here, too. I just don’t want to live it around the clock.”
