5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

E llie entered the serial number into their system, along with the information of when they acquired it and from whom, and then tagged the gun with an inventory number. She thought she knew everything about guns and gun ranges, but there was a whole lot more involved in it.

She was surprised at how busy the gun range and shop were. Considering they were located in a small town in Kansas, they did a brisk business. The tactical course that Cannon taught always had a waiting list.

Her phone beeped with a text. She smiled. Since she’d left Dodge City, Hennessy had been sending her cute memes, texts, and even a couple songs.

She clicked on what he’d sent today. It was a video. The music started playing, and she closed her eyes, listening to the words. Did he really mean what it said? It seemed like this song wasn’t what a man would send to just a friend.

She listened to the lyrics of Charlie Puth’s One Call Away and tried to understand what Hennessy was trying to say. A couple times while she’d stayed there, she’d thought he was considering kissing her the way he stared at her lips, but then nothing.

She was so confused, but it wasn’t surprising. Sure, she was almost forty, but she wasn’t super experienced. She’d lost her virginity in college because she’d wondered what the big fuss was about. It had been horrible. She’d been so tense that she hadn’t enjoyed it. She’d always wondered if the person mattered to you, if it would have been different. She’d liked the guy, and they’d been dating for about three months, but it hadn’t been that sweep-you-away feeling she read about.

When she’d been recruited to the FBI, she’d faced what she could only term the good ol’ boys network. The lead agent in charge when she’d finally gotten into the field was a jerk. She’d also wondered at times if he was on the take because there were a couple times that they’d missed their target by minutes or hours. And yeah, she had been aiming at that guy’s dick on her last case. She’d walked by a room where there was a six-year-old girl that he’d been selling to men. He was freakin’ lucky she hadn’t shot him a couple more times. She hadn’t been able to control her anger. The absolute depravity had appalled her, and she’d known the louse would probably roll on the men higher up than him for a lighter sentence.

She didn’t know how to reply to Hennessy. What was he saying with the video? Her phone beeped with another notification. She looked, then chuckled. Oh my! He’d made himself into a meme to send her.

“What are you giggling about?”

Ellie screamed because Cannon had snuck up behind her and whispered that close to her ear.

“You jerk! You scared me.”

“Ellie, you’re blushing. I may have scared you, but I think you’re embarrassed. Did someone send you a naughty text message?” Cannon asked.

“No,” she said. It was in no way naughty, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to show it.

“Who sent a naughty text? I want to see,” Dex said, walking in.

Sheesh, it was like having two protective, nosy older brothers. Her own older brother had in no way been protective. This is what family was supposed to be, not like how she’d grown up.

“It’s not a naughty text,” Ellie growled.

“Let’s see for ourselves,” Dex said, grabbing her phone out of her hand. He showed Cannon the text, then they both turned and smiled at her.

“You had to know that man had game,” Cannon said.

“I know, right. I would never have thought to send the woman I liked a picture of myself. Hey, what’s this?” Dex said, clicking on the video. The guys listened for a couple seconds before stopping the video.

“Holy moly, when I find my one, I am going to take lessons from Hennessy,” Dex said.

Ellie stared at Dex, wondering what he meant.

“Dex, you might explain that. Ellie’s looking a little confused,” Cannon said.

Dex handed the phone back. “He’s gone for you, Ellie. No guy is going to send that song for a woman he’s just friends with. I wondered when he’d finally get the nerve to tell you.”

Ellie stared at the guys. They were obviously joking. “Tell me what?” she asked.

“That he wants to be more than friends. A man doesn’t send that stuff to his best friend unless she’s also the woman he wants to be his one,” Cannon said. Cannon laid his hand on her shoulder.

“Ellie, you are a beautiful, fierce woman who has handled everything thrown at her with grace and perseverance. Let the man in because, as someone who recently pulled his head out of his ass, I can tell you that being with the one you love is a beautiful thing,” Cannon said.

Ellie stared at the guys. Cannon was looking at her earnestly, and Dex was nodding his head. The door to the shop rang. Dex turned to go but then turned back toward her.

“I’m by no means an expert in relationships, but if some woman I was interested in texted me what he’s been sending you, I’d find some song that said what I was feeling or text her back exactly what I was thinking. Sometimes you have to take a chance,” Dex said, then walked out front.

Cannon winked at her, then headed out front.

She wasn’t sure she was ready to put herself out there enough to send a song that expressed her feelings yet. But she wanted Hennessy to know how much she enjoyed them. She hearted the song and the video, then texted him back.

Ellie: I love the Santa hat, and I adore all things Christmas. Looking forward to random memes and texts.

Hennessy: Do you have a favorite Christmas food? Or candy? Or Christmas movie?

Ellie tried to think. Christmas hadn’t been big when she was younger. Once she was on her own, she’d put up a small tree because she did like decorating. With the boys with her, she had a list for presents, and they’d put up a small tree at their place. She hadn’t decorated near what the Nelsons had done at the bar.