Page 5 of Leo

“What’s up Tillie-Willie?” laughed Mav.

“Oh my gosh! What are you guys doing here?” she said, running to hug each one. When she got to the fifth unknown man, she laughed and hugged him as well. “Sorry. I’m a hugger. Hello, I’m Tillie.”

“Leo. Leo Tilbury, ma’am.”

“Ma’am? Who is he?” The others laughed, shaking their heads.

“Leo is a new member of our team. He works mostly in the shop but wanted to come along on this op,” said Brax.

“And what is this op?” asked Tillie.

“Nothing too serious,” smirked Saint. “We were meeting with the Botswanan government about protecting natural resources. Some of which we need at G.R.I.P.”

“Wow, that’s cool,” she smiled. “Can you stay?”

“We can stay the night, but then we have to get back. Do you have a place for us?” asked Mav.

“Definitely.”

Once the team was settled and found a place to bunk, Tillie was happy to show them around so that they could see all that her team had accomplished. She noticed that Leo was exceptionally quiet, but then again, the rest of them were not so quiet.

“So, Leo. How did you end up with our team?” she said, smiling at him over dinner around the fire.

“Oh, I was at a tradeshow to pick up a bike I bought from Patriot Cycles. While I was there, there was a bit of drama coming from a particular biker gang. I decided to stay and join the fun.”

“He’s being modest,” smirked Mav. “He’s been a great addition. Dude outswims Luke and Skull, which is saying a helluva lot.”

“Were you Navy? Coast Guard?”

“Yes,” he grinned. “Both.”

“I see. Very nice. Well, there’s not a lot of places to have a swim around here. At least none that are void of crocodiles or snakes.”

“Nice try,” he chuckled. “Botswana is land-locked, so very few, if any, crocodiles.”

“Oh, he’s smart as well as cute. Nice,” laughed Tillie. The others chuckled with her but noticed that Leo just blushed, shaking his head at the brazen young woman.

Leo struggled to fall asleep that night, and he wasn’t sure why. The young woman had definitely caught his attention. Beautiful, smart, funny, knowledgeable about many different topics, and she seemed almost dangerously fearless.

After a fast breakfast in the morning, Tillie hugged each man, ending with a hug for Leo.

“I hope I see you again, Leo,” she smiled.

“Yes, ma’am. I’m sure we will.”

Tillie waved at her friends as they left, promising that she would be home within the next two months for a visit and then hopefully be home for a longer stay. Once their replacements arrived, their entire team would be going home.

For Tillie, she was convinced she would be returning home permanently. She’d loved her time serving others in countries that desperately needed the help. But being without her family, her friends, all of it, was more than she’d bargained for.

On her thirty-fourth birthday, she headed toward the airport to board a plane bound for the United States. Now, all she had to figure out was what was next in her life and what it would look like moving forward.

Easy.

CHAPTER THREE

“Tillie comes home today,” said Mav at breakfast. The others all nodded, but he noticed that it was Leo whose head popped up and then back down. “She should be here by dinner with any luck.”

“That’s cool,” said Leo calmly.

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