Broken Together (33 page)

“I
can’t believe you cooked clam linguine.” Kadyn moaned appreciatively. “You need
to teach me how to cook this stuff.”

I
piled a second helping onto both our plates and joined him at the center
island. “Anytime, although I do enjoy cooking this for you.”

Kadyn
reached for another piece of sourdough bread. “Any news on the grant
application?”

“No.”
I frowned. “I was really hoping to hear from them before we leave for Sierra
Leone.”

Kadyn
twirled the noodles around his fork. “When do you leave?”

“Next
Wednesday after work, but I’m flying to Portugal to celebrate Rafael’s birthday
first. We fly out from Lisbon late Saturday night so we can join Shae and the
rest of my team in Sierra Leone Sunday morning.” I shoved another forkful of
linguini into my mouth.

Kadyn
sopped up the sauce from the linguine with his bread. “I’ve always wanted to
visit West Africa.”

I
chased my linguini with Sprite. “You’re welcome to tag along.”

Kadyn’s
eyes widened while he chewed the bread. “Really?”

I
shrugged. “As long as you have the vacation time.”

Kadyn
shook his head. “I have plenty of vacation time but not enough funds. What does
a trip like that run? Five… six thousand dollars?” He gathered another forkful
of linguini.

I
set my napkin on the counter. “I don’t know. Seeds for Peace covers my
expenses.” I studied Kadyn. He seemed genuinely interested in going. “If you
flew to Portugal with Jase and me, you wouldn’t have to pay for a plane ticket.
We’re using Rafael’s jet. Rafael’s flat has two guestrooms, so you and Jase would
have your own rooms. You could tour Lisbon with Jase while Rafael and I meet
with the priest on Thursday and join us for dinner Friday night. I’ve invited some
of Rafael’s friends from Lisbon to join us for dinner since it’s his birthday, but
he doesn’t know that. I’d like to keep that a surprise.”

Kadyn
set his fork down. “Are you taking Rafael’s jet to Sierra Leone and back home?”

I
nodded. “I’m sure Jase wouldn’t mind if you crashed with him in Sierra Leone.
Brogan and Aidan are sharing a room. Jase was the odd man out because Rafael’s
staying with me.” I frowned when I realized Shae was without a roommate. I made
a quick mental note to request adjoining rooms.

Kadyn
leaned against the high back stool.

I
propped my feet on the bottom of his stool as I turned to face him. “Think
about it. If you shared a room with Jase in Sierra Leone, the only expense
you’d have is food.”

His
eyes met mine. “You just made this trip impossible to resist. I’ll see if I can
take leave during that time, but I want you to make sure Rafael and Jase are
okay with this. Is there something I can help with while in Sierra Leone?”

I
patted his knee before grabbing our plates. “You can help keep us safe.”

“That’s
easier said than done,” he groaned in an exaggerated tone. He smirked when I
shot him a dirty look.

I
set our dishes in the sink. “Speaking of flights, I spoke with Kimme last
night. Dan’s not coming to the wedding. He hasn’t been able to board a
commercial flight since meeting us in the Bahamas. His PTSD is too bad, which
is why he drives everywhere.”

Kadyn
joined me at the sink. “I didn’t realize his PTSD was that disabling.”

“Dan
tries to hide it as best he can. He doesn’t want other people thinking he’s
broken. He begged Kimme to come up with some other excuse. He didn’t want me to
know it was the PTSD.” I rinsed the plates and passed them to Kadyn.

He
shoved them inside the dishwasher. “I could get him there.”

I
stilled. “How?”

“I
know a couple of Vietnam vets who serve as volunteer pilots for the Veterans
Airlift Command. The VAC provides free air transportation to wounded veterans
and their families to hospitals and special events.” His eyes glinted with
mischief. “I could chloroform Dan, load him onto the plane, and fly him to
Virginia so he can join us on Rafael’s jet. Do you think he’d be okay on
Rafael’s jet? He’d be surrounded by friends.”

Kadyn
caught the glass I nearly dropped in the sink. “That’s your solution… to
chloroform him?”

He
laughed. “Sure. Why not?”

I
just shook my head. Knowing Dan, he’d probably admire Kadyn’s strategy and his stealth.
“Why don’t we see if he’s willing to board the VAC plane and Rafael’s jet on
his own steam before we start talking chloroform?” I washed the pan and handed
it to Kadyn.

“Where’s
the fun in that?” Kadyn tossed the towel on the counter and followed me into
the family room.

I
took a deep breath before sitting next to him on the couch. “Are you still
dating Brianna?”

He
shook his head. “Technically, we weren’t dating.”

I
chuckled. Kadyn and I used to deny the fact that we were dating even though we
were. “That was quite the kiss on New Year’s Eve for two strictly platonic
friends.”

He
grinned. “She’s a contractor. We decided to dial it back a notch since she’s arguably
working for me.”

I
swallowed. Hard. “Are you dating anyone else?”

Kadyn
looked amused. “No. Why?”

I
bit my lip while trying to suppress an audible groan. “Oni is interested in
you.”

His
eyes widened. “Oni?”

I
nodded.

Kadyn
frowned. “I can’t date Oni.”

I
didn’t bother hiding my surprise. “Why?”

“She’s
a foreign national. That could mess up my security clearance. I’m already
required to report my interactions with Konstantin and Maxim. Trust me, that’s
bad enough.”

I
released a long overdue sigh. “I don’t think I should reveal that. I’ll just
tell Oni you’re dating someone.”

He
eyed me curiously. “Wouldn’t that violate the girlfriend code?”

“The
girlfriend code?”
What girlfriend code?

Kadyn
rolled his eyes. “You know. Girlfriends aren’t supposed to date a man their
friend has dated. I thought that rule was etched in stone.”

My
brow furrowed. “Isn’t there some sort of expiration date on that? We haven’t
dated for two years.”

Kadyn
chuckled. “Do I look like a carton of milk?”

“Maybe,
chocolate milk,” I teased.

He
shoved me off the couch.

I
ignored his hand as I pushed off the floor. “Jeesh! I was just trying to hook
you up.”

He
patted the cushion next to him. “So you really wouldn’t mind if I dated one of
your friends?”

I
sank onto the far end of the couch instead. “Honestly? I doubt there’s a woman
on this planet who’s good enough for you, but I’d never stand in the way of
your happiness, Kadyn. You, more than anyone I know, deserve to be happy.
Friend or not, as long as that woman treated you like gold, I’d support your
decision to date her.”

Kadyn
studied the coffee table.

My
breath caught. “Who? Who are you interested in dating?”

“Shae,”
he admitted softly.

My
heart battled a confusing array of emotions. “How long?”

He
met my gaze. “Since we fled Ukraine.”

I
scooted closer to him. “That was nine months ago. Does Shae know?”

He
shook his head. “I haven’t breathed a word. I… I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“If
there was a woman who I thought
might
be good enough, it would be Shae,”
I confessed. “She’s beautiful, intelligent, witty, and she has a very kind
heart. Better still, she respects and admires you.”

Kadyn
shrugged. “She’s dating Konstantin, so it’s a moot point.”

I
took a deep breath and blew it out. “That relationship isn’t going as well as
you might think.”

He
lifted an inquisitive brow.

“Shae’s
questioning whether Konstantin has severed ties with the mafia. He’s gone most
evenings and refuses to discuss what he’s doing. Unless he’s working a second
job so he can save for an engagement ring, I’m afraid she may be right.”

“I
knew that relationship would put her in danger,” Kadyn gritted.

“I’ve
never been too keen on that relationship,” I agreed. Early on, I’d been nudging
her toward Chance. He had a major crush on her.

“Do
you think Konstantin will return to Ukraine if Maxim’s elected president?”
Kadyn asked.

“I
don’t know.” I looked him square in the eyes. “What I do know is that I’d fully
support you in pursuing Shae. Can I tell her you’re interested?”

Kadyn
shook his head. “Absolutely not.”

I
opened my mouth to object.

He
leveled me with a fiercely determined look. “Trust me, I got this.”

*
* * * *

I
filled my coffee cup before claiming the chair next to Shae. I was still having
a hard time looking her in the eyes. Like one secret wasn’t bad enough. Now I
was keeping two secrets from her. “I purchased forty bags of snack sized candy
last night: Skittles, Starburst, Tootsie Pops, and Sour Patch Kids.”

Sammi’s
eyes widened. “Why so many?”

“I
figured ten bags for our students and twenty bags for the orphanage. I thought
we could hand the remaining candy out to street kids when we’re out in public.
Did you know that most children in Sierra Leone have never even tasted candy?”
I would have preferred to bring chocolate but I was worried it might melt.
Electricity and air conditioning were unreliable, even in Freetown.

Cory
strode into the breakroom and joined us at the table. “The printer called. The
training manuals should be completed by the end of the day.” He looked at Shae.
“Did you get the pens?” She was purchasing touristy pens depicting the
monuments in DC as a parting gift for our students.

She
took a swig of diet coke. “I have thirty pens, thirty key chains, and thirty
gift bags.”

Sammi
eyed me over the top of her coffee. “What time do you expect to fly in?”

“Sometime
around six o’clock in the morning,” I estimated.

“I’ll
make sure one of our drivers is waiting for you at the airport,” Cory promised.
Public transportation was extremely limited. Taxis were so poorly maintained,
they were discouraged by the Department of State. It wasn’t all that uncommon
for tourists to be attacked and robbed in taxis, so as pretentious as it
seemed, we needed reputable drivers to help ensure our security.

I
warmed my hands on my coffee mug. “Kadyn is coming so there’ll be four of us.”

Shae
smiled. “Good. I’m happy to hear he secured the time off.”

“I
reserved SUVs, so there should be plenty of room,” Cory assured me.

“Rafael
and Kadyn have offered to help Brogan and Aidan with their portion of the
training. They’re still flying in with you on Saturday?”

“Yep.
Should be fun,” Shae chirped.

“Yeah.
Like Brogan clearing out public bathrooms so you can pee qualifies as fun,”
Sammi grumbled irritably.

Shae’s
brow furrowed. “Speaking of bathrooms, does anyone know what the toilet
situation is there? Are we squatting over holes again?”

“I
don’t think so,” Cory answered. “While Freetown still lacks plumbing and proper
sanitation in impoverished areas, the hotel and the university have modern
toilets. Oh! Everyone should bring bottled water. I don’t want to take any
chances with that Cholera outbreak.” He glanced at me. “Make sure Kadyn,
Rafael, and Jase bring water and know to avoid ice, fresh fruit, and vegetables.
You guys should brush your teeth with bottled water and keep your mouths closed
in the shower.”

“Did
you complete all your travel vaccines?” Sammi interjected.

Shae
and I nodded.

“Have
you started the antimalarial medicine?” Cory prodded.

“Yes.”
I smiled, anticipating his next question. “Kadyn, Rafael, and Jase have also started.”

Cory
stood. “I think we’re set, then.”

 I
rose from the table as well. “I’m worried about Shae staying in a room by
herself. I’m going to call the hotel to see if they offer adjoining rooms, so
she can be close to us.”

Sammi
frowned. “What if they don’t offer adjoining rooms?”

I
glanced at Shae. “You can sleep in our room. It’s not like we’ll be using the
other bed.” Each of the rooms we’d reserved was supposed to include two beds.

Shae
looked appalled. “I do not want to be all up in your business when the two of
you start feeling amorous.”

I
laughed. “I’m sure we can manage to keep our hands off one another. We’re only
there for a week. If you prefer, I could ask Kadyn to sleep with you.” I patted
myself on the back for planting that tasty little morsel in her brain.

Her
eyes widened even more. “I… I’ll sleep with you… if they don’t have adjoining
rooms.”

I
smiled. “I’ll let you know what I find out.” I walked back to my office so I
could call the hotel.