Page 18 of The Tycoon

“Come and get it.”She tore off a couple of paper towels and took her meal back to the coffee table with one of the paper towels.

Mason dropped their go bags by the front door.“I need to get going but I also wanted to tell you, I couldn’t find any damage to the ‘Vette.You’re lucky they were such lousy shots.Now, I need to get home.Wendy is making pot roast tonight and you know how she is if I’m late.Pot roast is my favorite…it’s always nice and big and juicy.Just perfect for a growing boy like me.”He chuckled.“Besides smelling those burgers all the way over here has made me ravenous.You’re lucky I didn’t eat them to assuage my appetite.”

Cole guffawed.

Regan laughed.“Well, thank you for controlling yourself.And you’re right, I wouldn’t want to be on Wendy’s list either.”

“Call me if you need anything,” said Mason, as he walked to the door.

“Will do,” said Regan.

“I’m sure Regan has everything under control,” Cole walked into the kitchen.“I’ll see you tomorrow at the office.”

Mason nodded.“See you tomorrow.”He took his leave.

Regan locked the door behind him.

Cole got his plate and walked to the sofa.He placed his plate on the coffee table.He took a bite.“Mmm.This is really good.I wish they delivered to my apartment.”

Regan laughed as she joined him on the sofa.They sat side-by-side, using the coffee table as a dining table.“I wish they would deliver tomyapartment.I bet you have someone who can pick it up for you.”She took another bite of her cheeseburger.

“You’re right, I do.”He took another bite, chewed, and swallowed.Then he chuckled.“I could always send Mason, but he’s liable to eat it before it got to the apartment.”

Regan blurted out a laugh and covered her mouth because she’d just taken a bite of burger.She quickly chewed and swallowed.Then she pointed at Cole.“You shouldn’t say things like that when I have my mouth full.You could end up with a face covered in partially chewed food.”Then she laughed.

He laughed, too.“I’ll try to remember for the future.”

The rest of the meal was eaten in companionable silence.

When Regan had swallowed her last bite of burger and her last gulp of Coke, she leaned back on the arm of the couch and patted her stomach.“That was nice.I haven’t had a meal in recent memory that wasn’t alone or with dozens of other people.Even when I got back, Mom had a party instead of just having dinner with my family.”

“I understand.I haven’t had a meal that wasn’t work related except for breakfast and even then, many of them were business meetings.”

“Looks like we were both due a reprieve.”

He reached over and took her left hand in his right.He pulled her to a sitting position.Then he turned her palm up and kissed the inside of her wrist.“Thank you.For being my bodyguard and, hopefully, my friend.”

She looked down at her wrist and then up into his eyes.She felt like she was swimming in the deepest ocean, they were so dark a blue.“You’re welcome.I’m glad I’m your bodyguard, too.”She stood, gathered their plates and empty bottles, and carried them to the kitchen, where she tossed the bottles into the recycle bin.Then she placed the plates into the dishwasher before returning to the sofa.

“What do you want to do now?I’m not used to entertaining in my home.Would you like to watch TV or a movie or something.I don’t watch TV much so I haven’t any idea what there is on.”

“Or maybe we could talk.”

“Okay.Would you like some coffee?I have decaf or regular.”

“Decaf.I want to sleep tonight.Your couch seems fairly comfortable.”

“It is.I’ve slept there plenty of times, and I’ll be sleeping there tonight.It’s a bodyguard thing.You are the one who sleeps closest to the door, not the client.I know that you are trying to be a gentleman, but that isn’t how it works.I’ll be back with that coffee in a few minutes.”She turned toward the kitchen.“Why don’t you think up some things you’d like to know about me?”she called over her shoulder as she retreated.

She prepared them each a cup of coffee from the Keurig.Then she grabbed a tray from a cupboard and placed the coffee, along with a small pitcher of milk and a spoon, for Cole.She carried the tray to the living room and set it on the coffee table.

“I remember you had a splash of milk last time, so that’s all I brought.”

“That’s perfect.Thank you.”

“Most of the time I take mine black unless there are flavored creamers on the table.Then, I can’t resist the French vanilla.”She sat on the sofa, prepared her coffee with the French vanilla creamer, and then turned toward Cole.Bending one leg under her, she leaned back on the couch.“So, what do you want to know about me?”

“What made you go into the Army in the first place, and in the second place, why did you become a Ranger?”