Page 10 of Watch Over Me

"Lily has a programming class, have I told you that?" Rebecca asked after the silence stretched for too long.

If he'd been waiting for an apology, he'd be disappointed, but since he knew better, he took the olive branch.

"No." He glanced back at her. "Does she like it?"

"She loves it. I only understand half of what she's talking about, but the enthusiasm is definitely there."

"If she ever needs any help, she should call. I'll be happy to answer any questions. At least until she's running circles around us all," Eddie added with a small smile. Lily definitely got the Bailey ambition genes, but in the nine-year-old, it was adorable instead of stressful.

"I wouldn't be too surprised if I come home one day and there's an AI running everything according to Lily's specifications."

Eddie chuckled. "Seems likely."

Before either of them could say anything more, the back door opened to reveal Peter, Rebecca's husband, standing in the doorway.

"Sorry to interrupt, but the Millers are asking about you, and I think Weller wants a word, too."

Rebecca put her glass away and stood up, already a politician again instead of just his older sister. Eddie nodded at her and watched them go before turning to stare ahead again. Rebecca and Peter were the couple that fit together perfectly. He'd supported her from the start and helped her along the way, never once appearing threatened by his wife's successes and aspirations. If Eddie had ever been jealous of something his sister had, aside from their parents' approval, it was a partnerlike Peter—a person ready to be there for her no matter what, who cared for her and wasn't afraid to show it. Who loved her and created a family with her.

Eddie's longest relationship had been in college, and even that hadn't lasted half as long as his current crush on a man who would probably never look at him as anything other than a friend and a co-worker.

Eddie reached for the bottle again. There was nothing in this house that made him want to get back inside, so he might as well drink another glass, watch the sunset, and not think about what-might-have-been.

CHAPTER FIVE

Monday morning meant a company-wide meeting on the cases currently on the roster or the new ones that needed to get assigned. James hadn't been fond of these meetings at first, feeling it was a waste of time to sit around and listen to other people's cases that had nothing to do with him, but over time, he'd come to appreciate them. Staying informed meant it was easier to be brought on an assignment when additional personnel was needed, and, having experienced both sides of the issue, James had changed his tune.

Once they'd switched from the conference room that was always packed to the brim to the big auditorium room, the meetings also became much more comfortable.

Coffee in hand, he walked in there with Ryan, and sat behind Eddie, who, along with other comms specialists, always took over the first row to have more room for all the equipment in case it was needed.

"Hey." And here it was, the smile James had been looking forward to. Eddie's obvious pleasure at seeing him made responding in kind easy—natural, even.

James leaned on his elbows. "Hey. Did you get some rest yesterday?"

"Yeah, I didn't leave the bed until noon." Eddie sighed dreamily and James had to fight hard not to let his mind wander in directions it wasn't allowed to go. "This morning's alarm was hell, though."

"I hear you."

Even though James was more of a morning person, there were still days when leaving the bed early was a struggle. He liked to go for a run before work, so he usually got up an hourearlier than he absolutely had to, and while he allowed himself a cheat day every once in a while, today wasn't it. After foregoing a run yesterday, he'd needed to get one in.

"At least we have an unlimited supply of coffee," Eddie said, then narrowed his eyes at Todd sitting next to him. "Unless someone forgets to stock the right kind after finishing it off again."

"I told you I was sorry!" Todd put a hand to his chest. "I solemnly swear I'll never do that again."

Ryan snorted next to James, but Eddie stared at Todd for another few seconds before nodding.

"Fine. See that you don't."

"Bossy," Ryan muttered, earning himself a glare from Eddie.

"Don't push me. I know how to hack into your phone."

Before anyone could say anything else, Kalei tapped his microphone, pulling their attention to himself.

After his short intro, all the teams currently working on something gave their brief reports. Thankfully, there were no major issues, so they moved swiftly through those.

"Next up, we have a new assignment. CyberMode wants short-term coverage as they're in town for meetings with DoD about some kind of new long-distance communication technology."

---