Page 46 of Protecting Josie
“Anyway. We guessed that you guys probably don’t have anything fresh to eat, seeing as how Blink’s been gone a while, so Remi and I put in a huge order at the grocery store. It should be delivered within the hour. Got a ton of fresh fruitand veggies, and while we tried to control ourselves and only get healthy stuff, we couldn’t resist throwing in some things that any self-respecting doctor would frown over but we consider vital,” Wren said with a smile.
“Like Cheetos. Blink is addicted to the things,” Remi said.
He would’ve protested, but she wasn’t wrong.
Remi took a step toward the couch but didn’t encroach on Josie’s personal space. “I’m really sorry about what happened to you. It’s so awful…but you’re here now. Anything you need, Blink will help you with, and if he can’t, we’ll all step up.”
“Yeah, and Bo has already been in touch with Cookie. He’s a retired SEAL that he’s close with. His wife, Fiona, went through something similar as you. She was a captive for a long time. Cookie said she’s more than willing to talk to you, but only if you want. She had some PTSD for a while, but she’s good now. Happy.” Wren glanced at Remi with a frown. “Shoot, I’m overstepping, aren’t I? I meant to keep this upbeat and welcoming, and instead I had to go and bring up what had to be bad memories.”
She looked back at Josie. “I’m sorry. All I meant was…we’re all here for you if you want to talk, or just sit and listen to us babble on about nothing. We’re kind of good at that. And I’m already getting the impression that you’re a lot like Blink. You like to listen rather than talk. Which is cool.”
“I’d like that,” Josie told her.
“Oh! Good. Talking to Fiona or hanging with us?” Wren asked.
Josie just nodded.
Wren and Remi both beamed. “Great! Awesome. Okay. Blink, maybe you can bring her to Aces. It’s this cool barthat all the guys go to. It’s super safe, and I bet Jessyka would be willing to open early so we can all hang out there without any of the other patrons. You know, so you can get to know us without worrying about anyone else around. Not that you would. Worry about anyone, I mean. Because there’s no one to worry about, but, you know…without the pressure.”
“She knows what you mean,” Blink said, taking pity on the obviously nervous and babbling Wren.
Josie nodded again, backing him up.
“Okay. Great. Well, um…we’ll just be going now,” Wren said.
“Yeah. It was great meeting you. Thank you for taking care of Blink over there. He’s important to me…to all of us. We’ll be in touch. And please let us know if there’s anything else you need. We’re happy to get it for you. Blink has our numbers, and he can call or text. Enjoy the stuff we brought and the food delivery. I’m looking forward to getting to know you, Josie.”
Blink walked the women out, giving Kevlar and Safe a chin lift before shutting the door.
He let out a long breath of air, then turned to Josie. “They’re talkers,” he said unnecessarily.
She giggled. The sound went through him like a bolt of electricity. He liked seeing her happy. Wanted to keep her that way for the rest of her life.
“Shall we see what they brought?”
Josie nodded and walked over to where he was standing by the bags. The two of them carried everything to the kitchen table and began to unpack.
Blink shook his head when it was all laid out in front of them. “They went a little overboard,” he said.
That was an understatement. There was enough chocolate candy to last for months, three different kinds of shampoos and conditioners, lotions, makeup—what looked like half the beauty aisle. They’d also picked up several different colors of leggings and a plethora of shirts and other lounging clothes.
He turned to look at Josie, and saw her staring at the gifts spread out all over the table with tears in her eyes. He instantly panicked. “It’s too much, isn’t it? We can take it all back, anything you don’t like or want. Don’t cry, Spirit, please. I can’t stand it!”
She turned to him, and her lips quirked upward even as two tears fell. “It’s wonderful,” she said quietly.
Blink tried to relax. “Oh…okay.”
Josie picked up a bottle of spray detangler, then looked back at him and gestured to her hair.
“Yes, we can get to work on that. You want to shower first? And when I say shower, you can stay in there as long as you want. I’m not sure how long the hot water will last, but I’ve got a decent tank. I’ll carry this stuff into the bathroom for you and you can try it all out…but I have to say, there’s nothing wrong with Irish Spring.”
She huffed out a laugh, and wiped her cheeks with her shoulders.
Blink loved that he could make her smile. “While you’re showering and going over your clothing options, I’ll see if I can make some room in my pantry. Because I’m sure those two bought out the damn grocery store. I’m expecting a huge truck to back up to the door to unload it all.”
She smiled at him again, and Blink realized how content he was. He hadn’t felt like this since…well, never. After his previous team was ambushed, he fell into a spiral of depression. It hadn’t been easy to pull himself out of it, but with the help of Remi and his new team, he had. But despite clicking so well with his teammates…he’d still just been going through the motions of life.
Even after all he’d been through in the last week or so, he felt happier now than he could remember being even before losing his friends and teammates.
