Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

Wren waited inside her office building for Bo. He'd sent her a text asking her to please not wait outside, to stay in the lobby until he pulled up. Of course, that had Wren worrying all over again. Her phone had rung once more earlier this afternoon with an unknown number, but she'd chickened out in answering it. She didn't want to deal with neither Matt nor a scammer. She had to hope that Matt, if it was him calling, would eventually get tired of messing with her and simply disappear.

But since the man had been in her apartment—where he'd snapped her work ID in half, while breaking everything else—he obviously knew where her office was located. And the last thing she wanted was to have a confrontation with him on the sidewalk. So she had no problem waiting inside until Bo arrived.

Eventually, after she replaced her car keys, she'd have to start driving herself to and from work, but for now she was perfectly all right with Bo chauffeuring her around.

Their plans for the evening included going to that shop that he and his friend had mentioned, My Sister's Closet, to see if she could find anything appropriate to wear to work. She had to look polished and professional, and the thought of all the clothes she'd painstakingly picked out being shredded on her closet floor made her heart hurt.

Not only that, but she needed everyday clothes as well. Jeans. T-shirts. Fat pants. Underwear. The thought of picking out panties and bras with Bo nearby made her blush. It shouldn't. She was a grown-up. But she couldn't help but be embarrassed. She wasn't well endowed and had always struggled to keep weight on. Most women would love to be in her shoes, but after a lifetime of hearing comments about her being flat as a board, too skinny, not curvy like a real woman, it was hard to think of herself as sexy.

Wait…why was she even thinking about that ? She should be thinking about nothing other than the giant mess her life was right now. She had a potential stalker who wanted to do who-knew-what to her, who'd broken into her apartment and destroyed all her stuff; she was still getting to know the ins and outs of a new job; and she was traveling to a country the State Department had deemed too dangerous to visit. She shouldn't be thinking about the man who'd selflessly taken her under his wing and given her a sanctuary when her life had gone to shit.

But she couldn't help it. Bo was…different. Different from the men she'd known in her past. He was honorable. It was kind of an old-fashioned word, but it was true. Feeling safe ar ound men wasn't something Wren was used to. But with Bo? That's exactly how she'd felt pretty much from the moment they'd met.

The text tone on her phone dinged at the same time she saw Bo's Jeep Wrangler pull up at the curb. She waved at the security guard on duty before heading for the doors. Bo jumped out and ran around his Jeep, opening the passenger door.

Wren smiled at him and climbed in. He held out the seat belt for her before closing the door and running back around to the driver's side.

"How was your day?" he asked.

Wren shrugged. "Fine."

Bo touched her arm briefly, making her look at him. "I wasn't asking to be polite," he told her. "I really want to know. It had to be difficult. Going back right after our conversation and what happened at Aces and your apartment. And I didn't mean to put more worries in your head than you probably already had about your upcoming trip. So…how was your day?"

This man.

Wren swallowed hard, trying to compose herself. In the past, she'd always assumed people really weren't interested in hearing the truth when they asked questions like that. If they asked how she was, she always simply said fine. But it seemed as if Bo truly wanted to know about her day.

"It was…kinda hard. I couldn't stop thinking about all the things I needed to do. All the stuff I need to replace. I also talked to Colby, my boss. He wasn't interested in having you and your friends talk to us about the trip. I'm sorry. "

Bo pressed his lips together before pulling away from the curb. "What else?"

"Well, I did ask him if he would be okay with me and the other guys who will be on the trip meeting with you and talking safety, and he said that would be fine, as long as we didn't do it during work hours."

"Magnanimous of him," Bo muttered.

"I know he sounds like a jerk, but he's actually a good boss," Wren said, eager to defend Colby. "This contract is going to put BT Energy in the big leagues, and it's really important."

"Important enough to cost the lives of possibly himself and his employees?" Bo asked.

Wren looked down at her lap. He was right. While this was an important contract, it wasn't worth anyone getting hurt.

"Sorry. I'm sorry," Bo said, shaking his head. "I'm still trying to come to terms with you going to freaking South Sudan. So when are we meeting with you and the others?"

"Um…we aren't," Wren told him.

"What? Why?"

"They aren't interested. I think I probably could've talked some of them into it, but Archie got to them first. Made it sound like I was being all girly-girly by being afraid to travel to a foreign country."

"Idiots."

Wren shrugged. She actually liked her coworkers, but she had to agree that going into a situation when you didn't have all the information you could wasn't exactly smart .

"Fine. We'll tell you everything you need to know, and if shit goes south, you can tell them what to do."

"Seriously?" she asked.

"Yeah. They'll be looking to you because you'll have the tools and knowledge to get them out of whatever shitstorm comes your way."

"Um…no, they won't. They already dismiss a lot of things I say, and if something happens, they're definitely not going to suddenly look to me for answers or help."

Bo sighed. "Okay. Then my team and I will focus on your safety. If you can help the others, if they let you help them, great. If not, at least you'll know how to take care of yourself."

"Thank you."

Bo looked over at her. "Don't thank me. I'm being selfish. I want you to come back home safe and sound. Besides, if you think you're taking one step out of this country without me grilling you about what to do and what not to do, you're as crazy as your boss."

For some reason, Wren laughed.

"I'm being serious," he warned.

"I know. And I appreciate it. More than you'll know. I promise to listen to everything you have to say."

"Not just me. The entire team."

"What?"

"We're all going to have a sit-down. Tell you what we know. Talk about different scenarios. It's how we plan for our own missions. We discuss the good, bad, and ugly, and the different ways we might react to any given situation. We're going to do the same with you."

"I don't want to be a bother," Wren said softly .

"You could never be a bother. Oh, and I should probably tell you that there might be one or two of our former SEAL friends there too. Not sure who can make it. It depends on when we set it up. And Tex will probably want to patch in via video or phone as well."

"I…Bo, I don't think all this is necessary for just me."

"You're wrong. I'd call in whoever it took to satisfy myself that you have all the knowledge and tools you need to keep yourself safe. I told you before that I liked you, and being apart from you for the last eight hours hasn't suddenly changed how I feel. I want to see where things between us can go, and that can't happen if you disappear into the wilds of Africa."

"Disappear?" she choked out.

"Yeah."

Wren swallowed hard. She knew what he meant. Kidnappings of foreigners was on the rise in South Sudan. The last thing she wanted was to be one of the unfortunate on that list. "Okay. Since you were brave enough to say it, I can admit that I feel the same. I like you too, Bo."

"Good. I'll set the meeting up with the guys. You hungry?"

Wren's mind spun. How had they gone from talking about the possibility of her being kidnapped, to them liking each other, to food? "Yeah."

"Do you like Mexican?"

"Um…who doesn't like Mexican?" she retorted.

His lips twitched. "Right. So we'll stop at My Sister's Closet and pick up the things Julie put aside for you to try, then we'll go eat. Okay?"

"What things? "

"No clue. I talked to her this morning and told her a little about your situation and gave her your sizes. She said she'd see what she could put together. Got a text from her before I picked you up, saying she was ready for us to come by."

"Julie is who again?" Wren asked.

"She's the former commander's wife. I'd invite her to come to our meeting to talk about your trip, but honestly, she didn't fare well when she was kidnapped in Mexico. So she's probably not the best person to talk to. But, before you get all worried, she's okay now."

"Wait, what ? She was kidnapped?"

"A long story for another time. But I promise to tell you all about her and Fiona's experience at the hands of sex traffickers, and how they were rescued by Cookie and his team. Along with Caroline, Summer, Cheyenne, and Jessyka's stories. Come to think of it, hearing about Tex's wife, and her experience with a stalker, might be good too."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Unfortunately, no. But they're all great now. Happy. Married. With families."

"Holy crap."

Bo just smiled as he drove.

My Sister's Closet turned out to be a cute little storefront tucked into the heart of the old-fashioned downtown area of Riverton. Bo found a parking spot on the street and took Wren's hand as they walked to the front door of the store.

It felt natural and right to hold his hand. Wren had held hands with men before, but with Bo, it felt like something they'd done every day for the last ten years. She'd just met the man. How she could feel so at ease with him after everything that had happened was a mystery. But for once, she refused to question it. Her life felt a little out of control at the moment, and she'd learned long ago when to just go with the flow and do what she could to keep her head above water.

A bell tinkled as Bo pushed open the door and Wren stepped into an adorable little shop. There were racks of clothes everywhere, and the store was bright and cheery. Nothing like any secondhand thrift store she'd ever been in. She expected it to smell musty and have items haphazardly stacked on shelves or jumbled on racks. But My Sister's Closet looked like any other high-end women's clothing shop. Not that she'd seen too many in person, but still.

"Safe!" a woman exclaimed as she came out from a room in the back.

"It's good to see you, Julie," Bo said. He stepped away from Wren and greeted the woman with a kiss on the cheek before he came back to Wren's side and took her hand once more.

Julie was shorter than Wren, and slight. She was a tiny thing, actually, but she seemed to have a huge personality.

"And you must be Wren!" she exclaimed.

"I am," Wren agreed.

"You're just as pretty as Safe said you were. He also said you and I had about the same build, except you were taller, which isn't surprising as almost everyone is taller than me. I hope you don't mind, but he also told me you were a PR rep, so you needed classy clothes that would look good not only on your frame, but on TV and in pictures too. So I went through what we had, and I think I found some good stuff. It's in the back. I'll have Safe grab it for you. Take it home, see what works and what doesn't. You can bring back anything you don't want or that doesn't fit."

"Oh, thank you," Wren said in surprise. "I can just look through it here…"

"No, no, no. Take it all with you. Take your time. Sometimes things look and feel different in a store than when you're at home. It's not a big deal, really."

It was a big deal, and Wren wasn't sure what to say. She was shocked by the woman's kindness.

"Did you put in some casual stuff as well as work clothes?" Bo asked, preventing Wren from having to say anything. Not that she could in her sudden emotional state.

"Yup. Jeans are harder to size without trying them on, but I put in a few pairs. Along with T-shirts, and some pants and shorts to lounge in. Oh! And I probably overstepped, but after Safe told me what happened to your apartment, I figured you probably needed some underthings too? On my lunch break, I went to the lingerie store down the street and picked up some underwear and a few bras. I got two sports bras, because they're easier to size, but I did get you a T-shirt bra too…I think that's what they're called? I have a few and they're super comfortable."

"Thanks, Julie," Bo said.

"Of course! If you want to go and start grabbing the bags from the back, I'll wait here with Wren. They're the ones just to the right of the door."

"Will do," Bo said. He squeezed Wren's hand, then he was striding toward the door Julie had appeared from.

Wren wasn't sure what to say. This woman had gone above and beyond for a stranger. She hadn't been the recipient of such generosity very often in her life. "Thank you so much for everything," she managed to say.

"Of course," Julie repeated. "Anything for a friend of Safe's. He's amazing. As are all his friends. Patrick, my husband, talks about them all the time. He's retired now, but I know he sometimes misses it. The camaraderie. Once a SEAL, always a SEAL. And Wolf and his team saved my life, even though I was a complete bitch to them. I'm grateful they gave me a chance to apologize for my behavior. I've made it my mission in life to give back ever since. Not only to them, but to anyone who's down on their luck. I mean, I would've helped you even if you hadn't had your apartment broken into, but…shoot. I'm saying this all wrong," Julie said, suddenly sounding miserable.

"No, you aren't," Wren said quickly. "I understand." Looking around, she scrambled for something else to say to put Julie at ease. She spotted a poster on the wall. "Oh, you donate dresses to high schoolers who don't have anything to wear to their formal dances?"

"Yes! It's awesome. You wouldn't believe how the girls light up when they see themselves in a dress they wouldn't otherwise be able to afford."

"Actually, I would. I could've used a program like that when I was in high school," Wren admitted.

"Yeah?"

"I was in the foster program, and the family I was living with during high school couldn't afford dresses for their foster kids to attend big events like that."

"Did you get to go to a formal dance?" Julie asked.

Wren shrugged. She hadn't thought through to the end of the story when she'd brought up the topic. "I went to one. In the badly fitting hand-me-down dress of one of the daughters who'd graduated five years before."

Julie winced. "Ouch."

"Yeah. It wasn't great." That was an understatement, but Julie didn't need to hear the story about how her date had ditched her at the dance to go drinking with his buddies because he was embarrassed to be seen with her.

"Well, that's one of the original reasons why I started my store. To help out the kids. But it's become much more than that. I only accept gently used designer clothes and useful household items. Not the junk that people want to get rid of when they're moving and wonder why they bought it in the first place."

Both women laughed just as Bo stepped back into the store. His arms were full of at least half a dozen shopping bags.

"Oh crap," Wren breathed at seeing all the clothes overflowing in the bags.

"I know it's not as much as you need, but when I get more donations in your size, I can let you have first dibs," Julie said, misinterpreting Wren's exclamation.

"I'll come back and grab the others when I get these in the Jeep," Bo told her.

"There's more?" Wren gasped.

"Just a few bags," Julie said. "I wanted to make sure you had plenty to choose from and you didn't have to settle for something you didn't love."

Wren was literally speechless. She figured Julie might have found a few outfits, but by the looks of the overflowing bags, she'd included enough to completely replace Wren's entire closet, plus some.

"I'll be right back," Bo told them as he backed out the front door.

"You want a snack?" Julie asked. "I have some stuff in the back I can get. I keep finger foods on hand for people who might be hungry while they shop."

"Bo and I are going out to eat when we leave here," Wren said.

"Oh, cool."

Wren wasn't sure what else to say. She wasn't good at small talk. But luckily she didn't have much time to stress about it because Bo returned quickly. He smiled at her, then headed to the back room. He returned much quicker this time, and only had one arm loaded with a handful of bags. He walked toward Wren and took her hand in his free one. "Thanks again, Julie. You're a lifesaver."

"If you need anything else, just let me know. I'll see what I can do."

"I appreciate it," Wren told her before Bo could.

Julie smiled. "I hope to see you again. Maybe at one of the SEAL beach barbeques. They're awesome."

"Maybe," Wren hedged.

"I'll be sure to bring her to the next one," Bo told her. Then he pulled Wren toward the door. "Gotta go. I'm starving," he called out to Julie.

The other woman laughed. The last thing Wren saw when she turned back right before the door closed was Julie smiling as she typed something on her phone.

"She's texting Caroline and the others," Bo told her .

"Why?"

"To gloat that she got to meet you first."

"Um…not sure that's gloat-worthy."

"Sure it is," Bo said with a smile. "She knows you're special to me. And she wants to spread the gossip that I've got a girl."

"You have a girl?" Wren repeated, feeling as if she was in the twilight zone.

"Yeah. You think I hold hands with every woman I meet in a bar, take home, infiltrate her apartment via covert means, and invite to live with me for the indefinite future?"

Wren couldn't help but smile at that. "Um, I'd hope so?"

Bo chuckled. "Yeah, okay, when I say it out loud, I'd hope so too. But trust me when I say I don't usually do any of those things. So you're special, and Julie knows it. And soon, all the others will know it too. Come on, I really am hungry. Kevlar kicked our butts today on the beach, and then I did some research into things you could bring with you on your trip."

Wren couldn't keep the small smile off her face as Bo towed her toward his Jeep. Her life had taken the weirdest turn, but it certainly didn't suck.