Forces guy during Vietnam, he’d since become an airplane mechanic. They were lucky to have him and his experience working on Mad Rob’s planes. He had a couple of guys who would come in weekly to help him out, depending on the flying schedule for the company, but he was the guy in charge of the day to day maintenance on their three planes.
Mick glanced around the room. “This place is starting to shape up. You almost look like a legitimate company.”
Colton quirked an eyebrow at him. “Almost, huh? I guess we’ll have to try harder, but it does look pretty good.” He gave Chris an approving smile. “You got a lot done here last night.”
“It wasn’t just me. Julie helped.” It was nice to have Colton’s approval for once. It had been a while since he’d done anything worth earning it.
“We need to do something nice to thank her,” Jake said. “First, working here on the office and then with the extra defense training she’s giving the girls. No wonder she isn’t sleeping. She doesn’t have time.”
“What extra training is she giving the girls?” Chris asked.
Jake and Colton frowned, and Colton said, “Didn’t she tell you about the attacks?”
Immediately Chris’s heart rate sped up in panic. “Attacks? What attacks? Did something happen to Julie? One of the other girls?” Both the others had been attacked in the last year. They were all way too familiar with the terror of having one of their women in danger.
Colton immediately set to calming him down. “No, no, relax, Chris. It’s nothing like that. No one’s supposed to know, but there’s a serial rapist loose in Lubbock. Julie felt like it would be a good time for both the girls to brush up on their self-defense skills so she’s giving them some lessons this weekend.”
Jake scowled. “I don’t like the idea of this guy out there.”
“Honestly, who does?” Colton added. “I really don’t like that the cops aren’t warning the public. I should call Brian and see what he has to say about it. Penelope is always coming home after dark from the fitness center or the bookstore. I tried to talk her into letting me pick her up, but she threw a fit.”
Chris couldn’t help but chuckle at the confused look on Colton’s face. The poor guy just couldn’t understand why the rest of them didn’t like him bossing them around. “Um, Colt, you might have more success with that if you ask her, rather than just tell her.”
Colton looked thoughtful about that statement for a moment, and then a slow smile spread across his face. “Oh, it’s all right. I have other ways of convincing her.”
“Oh, man,” Jake moaned. “New rule for the office, you are not allowed to share things that could be construed as too much information.”
“You’re about to be a married man. In a few months, you’re gonna be begging for juicy tidbits.” Colton smirked at him.
“Like you aren’t whipped and headed that direction yourself?”
Colton smiled wide. “As a matter of fact, I am. I know that we aren’t quite to the point of scheduling yet, but everyone should note this on their schedules. Mad Rob is closed for business June 19th-21st.”
They all watched him expectantly, but Colton just stacked the papers in front of him and didn’t add anything about why they were shutting down.
Jake looked at Chris and raised an eyebrow. “Okay, Colton, you can’t just say something like that and not tell us more. So why exactly are we shutting down that weekend?”
“Because,” Colton continued to shuffle the papers in front of him, “we’re all headed to Vegas so everyone is there for my wedding. Penelope and I are eloping.” He looked up with a blinding smile that radiated his happiness.
Jake let out a loud whoop but immediately quieted and quirked an eyebrow in question. “Hmm, is there a reason for the rush?”
Colton crossed his arms across his chest and gave a huge shit-eating grin. “Oh yeah, but you’re not allowed to say anything to anyone yet, especially the girls. We’re gonna have a baby.”
Chris smiled, even though the news hit him like a blow to his solar plexus. It’s not like he hadn’t known this was coming, but wow, things were happening fast. Both of his siblings were about to get married and Colt was going to have a baby, a niece or nephew for him. Was it wrong that he wanted the same thing? His thoughts immediately flew to Julie. Once upon a