More poking around in the cabinets and pantry netted her the ingredients for cinnamon muffins. She’d just started mixing the batter when a brush of fabric told her she wasn’t alone.
Rowan glanced over her shoulder to see Lily stretching in the doorway. “Hey,” she said in a soft voice.
“Can’t sleep?”
She shook her head. “Once I have Alexa back, I’ll probably crash hard. Right now, I’m so worried about her I can’t relax enough to sleep for long.”
“I understand.” Lily moved deeper into the kitchen and peered into the bowl. “What are you making?”
“Cinnamon muffins.”
“Oh, yum.”
“Want to help?”
“If you want me to stir or something, sure. I’m not a baker. I can barely hold my own making dinner. If you want amazing food, you should have Remy cook for you. He’s the master chef in our house.”
“Brent said you’ve been married for a year.”
A soft look crossed Lily’s face. “Best year of my life. He’s amazing. I’m the luckiest woman on the planet.”
Rowan smiled. The operative was so head-over-heels in love with her husband she didn’t have to say a word. The way the Doucets looked at each other said volumes, all of it good. She handed Lily a bottle of vegetable spray. “Spray the muffin tin while I finish mixing.”
A couple minutes later, she popped the pan filled with muffin batter into the preheated oven. Now what? She needed something else to go with the muffins. The men needed protein.
She poured a mug of coffee for Lily and one for herself. After a bracing sip of the steaming brew, she opened the refrigerator and peered inside. Perfect. Eggs, milk, shredded cheese, butter, bread, orange juice, grape juice. Hmm. Someone must have brought supplies because there was also lunch meat in the bin. An omelet sounded good. “Will Brent and Remy wake soon?”
Lily’s lips curved. “Remy’s on watch in the living room. Knowing Brent, he should be here in a few minutes.”
Rowan studied Lily’s smug expression. “What am I missing?”
“You think he’d sleep when you’re awake?”
She blinked. “But he hasn’t been sleeping because he’s protecting me. He can’t function on so little rest.” Rowan paused. “Can he?”
“Rowan, you matter to him. The boss probably woke when he heard you stirring.”
She wasn’t quite sure what to make of that statement, but Rowan knew Brent Maddox mattered to her, too. He had for months. She looked for him every morning and evening at the shop, disappointed when he didn’t walk in her door. When the quiet, confident CEO of Fortress had slipped underneath her barriers during the past year Rowan didn’t know. She only knew if something happened to him, she might never recover. Probably wouldn’t be wise to tell the SEAL she was half in love with him already. “Tell me about him.”
Lily paused with the coffee cup halfway to her mouth. “What kind of things do you want to know?” She sounded cautious.
“How did you meet him?”
The operative smiled and relaxed against the chair. “He found me. Brent has connections everywhere in the military and law enforcement. My commander mentioned me to Brent right before I mustered out of the Army. He thought I’d like working for Fortress. If he hadn’t told me about them, I might never have heard of them. Fortress doesn’t advertise. We don’t need to.”
Rowan frowned. “How do they find business?” She’d advertised when she first opened Coffee House. Once established, she advertised specials with the changing seasons. These days her business was steady with many loyal customers.
“Word of mouth. The military and law enforcement communities are small. Word gets around when you know your stuff and Fortress is the best. Brent hires only the best.”
“What did you do in the military, Lily?”
“Sharpshooter.”
Her eyes widened. Oh, boy. Sounded something like a sniper. “Brent called you for an interview, I guess.”
A sharp nod. “He offered me a job after a few minutes. He said the recommendation of my commander was enough for him.” Lily sipped her coffee. “He’s a good man, Rowan. Any woman would be lucky to have him in her life.”
Rowan reached over and squeezed Lily’s hand briefly. “I know. I don’t take his attention lightly. I won’t intentionally hurt him, Lily.”
“Remy was injured on a mission last year,” Lily said, her voice breaking. “Brent dropped everything to stay with me at his bedside. He took care of me and Remy both. I don’t know many bosses who would do that. He didn’t leave our side until Remy was ready to come home. He even made the company jet available so Remy could travel to his family to recuperate.”
“He was standing watch for you both, wasn’t he?”
Lily nodded. “He could have sent someone else, but he chose to do it himself.”
“You’re not just employees. You’re his friends. Brent wouldn’t hesitate to put his own life on the line to protect you.”
“Just as we would do for him.”
A true friend, indeed. They were family. Rowan’s heart squeezed. She longed for that type of friendship, deep and true. “How did you and Remy meet?”
Lily grinned. “I worked with him on a couple missions before we were paired up to search for a missing woman. Remy is quite the charmer and I never took the light flirting for anything but passing the time until that missing person search. That Cajun charmer captured my heart despite my best intentions.”
“Ah, now, baby, that’s no way to tell the lady I swept you off your feet,” Remy drawled from the doorway, the charm quite evident. His eyes twinkled as he gazed at his wife.
Oh, man. Rowan sighed. She so wanted that kind of relationship with her future husband. Brent’s face popped into her mind and she admitted to herself that she would like for someone like Brent to be the one. Wasn’t up to her alone, though. Would Brent be interested or
