Page 55 of Lorenzo & Lily

“Did you start a happy hour at the MARC?”

Lorenzo grinned. “No. Alcohol doesn’t usually mix well with meds or depression. I meant we’ll go out. There’s a pub down the road a ways, if you think you can handle the walk. If not, you could always use a wheelchair.”

“No.” Another quick, short answer. “I mean, no, I can walk. I’ll be fine.”

“Ask your doctor if you drink with the meds you’re on. If you can’t, we’ll get virgin drinks instead.”

“Sounds lame.”

Lorenzo laughed. “It’ll be fun, I promise. I’ll see you tomorrow, in any case.” When he reached the door, Hector called his name and he turned back.

“Listen, Cap, I, um, just wanted to say thanks. I know you pulled some strings to get me a bed here, and I appreciate it.”

Lorenzo walked back and curled a hand around Hector’s nape. “We don’t leave a man behind, if we can help it. Got it?”

“Got it, Cap,” he said softly.

“There’s no shame in taking your time with recovery. We both fell back after we thought we’d got up. Now we’re both going to stand, and stay up. I have faith in you, you got me?”

“Yes, Cap.”

He gave his neck another squeeze, then let go. “Good. See you soon, yeah?”

“Yeah, Cap.”

He walked out and through the halls, greeting people as he did. By the time he reached his offices several minutes later, Rio was already hard at work.

“Captain.”

“Rio. We all set with the press release?”

“Yes, Sir. I also checked in with the movers and they arrived on time and packing is currently in progress.”

Lorenzo checked his watch; barely eight-thirty. He’d likely win the bet and, regardless of their fight this morning, he’d collect his kiss from Lily. “Good. Come into my office for a minute. There’s something else I’d like to discuss with you, but I didn’t have time to do this on the phone last night.”

Rio’s brows drew together, but he nodded. “Of course. Your brothers are set to arrive soon, Cap.”

“This shouldn’t take long.” They entered his office and Lorenzo gestured for him to take a seat. As he took his own, he wasted no time laying it out. “You avoided this question yesterday, but you can’t avoid it anymore. Are you overworked, Rio?”

Rio opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again. He shifted in his chair before saying, “No, Cap. I love my job. I’m quite happy here.”

“Bullshit.” Lorenzo grinned. “You’re a fucking fantastic employee, but you’re doing too much. Don’t worry, I’m not firing you, I’m hiring someone else to share the load.”

Rio relaxed in his chair. “Oh, I see. When will they start?”

“So, here’s the thing: Lily will be taking over management of the conference center and event space. She’s done event planning for years, so has tons of experience for it. I know it’s also nepotism, but I don’t really care how that’s perceived. You’ll get a title and pay bump, and take on more responsibilities for the MARC. There’s a new program I’d like to launch, and I want you to oversee it.”

Rio’s mouth dropped open. “Lily? Your Lily, Cap?”

He felt a pang, wondering if she’d ever really be his. “Yes. She recently lost her job and was looking for another. We’ve been doing well here financially, and I can bring on more staff.”

He gave Rio an assessing look. “You’ve told me in the past you wanted to work more on MARC-related projects, and that you preferred that over event planning. Is that still the case? If not, we can revisit and revise. I’m sure Lily would be happy to–”

“Cap, if I may? I very much appreciate all of this. What I’ve said in the past is still relevant. I would like to spend more time working with fellow soldiers, even if that’s administratively.”

“You’ll be doing more than that. Now that I’ve got a daughter, I want to spend time with her. I’ll still be involved in the day-to-day, but for the short-term I’d like someone to help shoulder a good brunt of the load. Are you up for that?”

Rio sat taller in his chair. “Yes, Cap.”

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