“We’ve been testing recipes all day. I have a lot to bring with me tomorrow. I need my taste-tester to see if we’re heading in the right direction.”
“Mmm.” Landon’s stomach rumbled. He missed Robert’s home cooking. He’d taken all the good food for granted. It only took his first meal on base for Landon to understand he’d become a food snob. For his next meal, he’d gone to Bricktown for something considered gourmet. After that, he’d understood Robert’s truly unmatched skill and talent in the kitchen. Landon wanted every bite of the new recipes Robert planned to bring tomorrow. He’d even requested freezer ready meals to help tide him over until their next visit. “I already know you’re heading in the right direction.”
“You’re good for my ego.” Robert stepped through the kitchen door, and Landon looked around, seeing the remodeling in the kitchen. That was new.
“What’s going on in there?”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. I approved an upgrade in here. We’ve moved to a test kitchen. I’m not changing a lot in here. Rodney updated the kitchen a couple of years ago, but it needs a better workflow. They’ve promised it won’t extend the time for the remodel so don’t worry.” Robert headed toward the back offices. Landon caught a glimpse of Paulie’s picture that had been covered with a piece of clear plastic, still hanging intact on the wall. Even when they had only decided to paint the kitchen, it seemed important to Robert that Paulie’s picture stay exactly where it had always hung.
Landon had been on the phone to witness Robert’s unyielding dominance with the contractor who argued the complications of keeping the picture hanging during a remodel. Robert hadn’t budged. Moreover, he’d threatened legal action if anything happened to Paulie’s picture as they worked. Robert’s firm tone had wound Landon up so tightly that, while on lunch break, he had gone straight to his room to fuck his fist, making Robert talk him through his orgasm in just that same hard tone.
“How’s training going?”
Complicated, Landon immediately thought. Since joining intelligence, Landon had managed to hold his own in most technical situations, maybe helping to inflate his ego a bit, but this training was difficult. Since he’d chosen to spend all his free time on the phone with Robert, he had fallen behind. They spent so much time together, both their cell phones drained of battery every night. They were kind of ridiculous in that way, and Landon needed to find a way to clock more quality study time.
“So, like normal,” Robert said, misreading his silence. “No talking about the secrets of the United States Air Force, huh? How about talking about that dream you had?”
Landon rolled his eyes to disguise his embarrassment. Two nights ago, in a particularly loving phone call, Landon had confessed to Robert about the dream he’d had with the little boy who called him Papa. They had talked at length about every second of the dream. What the boy looked like, whether there were other children in the dream, what kind of remote-controlled plane had he used—just every minor detail until Landon had nothing left to describe but scenery. Robert became silent and reflective, insisting Landon had described the pond at his great-grandfather’s northern Minnesota home. Landon finally had to concede that, if he had dreamed about a home he’d never been to or seen, then the dream could in fact be a premonition. That had been all Robert needed in order to run away with the idea.
“I’m struggling with a formula,” Landon said teasingly as a diversionary tactic. “Maybe you could help…”
“Hold up. I also decided the playroom needed to be an actual playroom again. So, I’m thinking about going up with the restaurant. We own this building, so adding a second story isn’t out of the question.”
“What? Robert, that’s way outside the plans.” Building a second story would take months at the very least to accomplish.
“I don’t care. You’re free in two years. We can start the second phase of the remodel after the grand opening and go slower to not inconvenience the customers. It’ll be great. We’ll have storage and additional tables, maybe large enough to be a meeting place.” Robert took a breath, staring off as he relayed his vision. “Maybe a small dance floor can be added up there. We’ll see, but we need a place for our children. I grew up inside this building, and with you working here alongside with me—”
“We never talked about me working there,” Landon interrupted, and Robert’s eyes focused back on him.
“Of course, we have. You’re handling the front end and the accounting. You have excellent organizational and leadership skills, and I know you’re brilliant, so the accounting thing is a no-brainer.”
Landon shook his head. Unless that conversation had been while Landon slept—which happened a lot with his mister—he was certain he’d never heard these details.
“What’s that look you’re giving me? You don’t want to work here? We worked well together in the taco stand. Are you planning something else?”
“No, I’m not. We just didn’t talk about it. I’m not sure I’d be a good front man. It seems like it’s gonna be an awfully fancy place. I’m good at the heavy lifting,” Landon said, thinking about all the pictures he’d ever seen of Kane Adams. He was a well-put-together man who wore suits fitted to his body. Even in the snapshots, Kane Adams had a refined grace Landon knew he could never pull off.
“You’re a better fit than you think.” The old office chair squeaked as Robert took a seat. A chair Robert swore had been in this room since before he’d been born. “We’ll go over things to get you ready, but you’ll do fine. We’ll make a great team.”
“You sound so certain,” Landon said, looking at the time. This evening, they had
