More Than a Hotline Fling

-30-

Juneau's POV

"Congratulations." My knuckles rapped on the doorframe of Courtney's new, blank-slate office. "Well-deserved, Court."

"Thanks." Her eyes lifted from the cardboard box she pawed through. One handful at a time, she lifted items onto her desk.

Woah. No idea she was... a cat lady.

Courtney lined up one, three, five glass cat figures in a row. Each wore exaggerated features and raised a paw for a high-five.

"Maneki-Niko." She smiled. "Calum bought me one as a gag on his first deployment. Said they were good luck, so I got one at the start and finish of his other tours after."

Clutching the reason I came in here to my chest, I leaned my shoulder on her door frame. "Before and after?"

"Yep." Her smile widened to a flash of full teeth. "One that he came home and another that he didn't have to leave again."

Oh, my heart. That's so sweet.

I palmed my papers to my chest at her and Cal's cuteness.

"I'm so glad he's domesticated now." She cupped her chin in her hands. "You wouldn't believe the shit they pull outta the harbor."

"I can imagine."

Spring was Damian's least favorite time of year, for the hard-to-identify winter bodies that rose up in the rivers. Courtney showed me pictures from Callum serving in the Coast Guard of a submerged fleet of ice cream trucks off Atlantic Beach. A decades-old attempt to build a reef was now prime fishing real estate.

Even I'll pass on that swimming expedition.

"As for this cave of an office..." Her dark eyes traveled around the boxy, windowless room. "At least I can eat my granola bars in peace."

I pushed an exhale out of my nose and winked. "So, does this mean I can request off any day that I want?"

"Pretty sure you could do that at any time," she tossed back, then froze. My stomach twisted when her eyes pulled wide and dropped to my hidden hand. "Unless you want, no need, to tell me something about a future block of time off?"

"Nothing to tell." I released my folded arms and offered up my certificate. "But I'm here to talk about what shift I should end up with."

"Oh gosh!" She leapt up from her seat. Taking long steps, her arms hugged around me. "Wow, I knew you'd pass but good score."

My hands palmed her back. "You did?"

Her head shook and she released a "Pshh," sound. "Juneau, you know this animal shit is in your blood."

Tension wrinkled my nose. "Eww. Don't say it like that."

She pulled back, guided me to her desk chair, and cupped her hands over her desk. "I'm thrilled you're my first HR case. Trying to pick a shift? Hang on."

Her wrists rolled and she typed on her keyboard, maneuvering around the keys with her long, blood-red nails.

Beautiful, but I'd never get gloves stretched over acrylics.

"No surprise, every doc's team has an opening. A couple already put in transfer requests for you."

"Really?" The chair under my ass groaned as I leaned closer. "Who?"

"All the regulars, Mahoney, Harris -" she paused with a grunt. "Oh, girl, don't work with Doctor Lawrence. He's creepy."

"I don't think he's that bad," I said when her blank look prompted me to giggle. Dr. Lawrence wasn't awful, but very... detail-obsessed with his work. "Fine, maybe a little."