Initiative (Suncoast Society #31)(56)

That had been bad.

This was manageable and looked like they’d have the initial repairs completed by late the next morning.

Kristin, Grant, and Darryl flanked Susie as she surveyed the damage outside. Carl, her parts department manager, looked like he was working on a good migraine.

“I don’t know how much stuff we lost, Susan,” he said as he stood there. “Once our guys realized what was going on and sounded the alarm, we started moving stuff as fast as we could. The place is a mess in there.” Susie hadn’t even made it in there yet to look.

“Just do the best you can,” she assured him. “We’ll file an insurance claim. Anyone from any department who wants to volunteer for overtime to help do the inventory and the recovery work, let them. It’s worth it.”

There’d be more repairs to do inside the parts department, mostly cosmetic, as long as the structural integrity of the outside wall was preserved.

“Thanks. So, hey, I saw Jack was looking for boxes a little while ago so he could clear out his office?”

“What?”

“Yeah.” He tipped his head to the side. She turned to see Jack heading out with a box of stuff in his arms. Fortunately, he was walking away from them and she didn’t think he’d seen them.

Shit. She realized she was standing there with Grant and Darryl. Not that it mattered much, in the grand scheme of things, but the less Jack knew about her personal life, the better.

“We came to an amicable agreement and he’s moving on,” Susie explained, leaving it at that.

“Thank Christ,” Carl muttered. “I hated that smarmy little sonofabitch. I don’t know how you tolerated having him around. You are a far better person than I am.”

She winced. Yes, Jack might be a damaged tool, but he’d made a lot of people miserable over the past couple of years. About the only people he didn’t manage to piss off—that she was aware of—were customers. She’d never heard a bad word about him in that respect.

It was the only other reason she hadn’t figured out how to get rid of him earlier.

Two hours later and they were eating Chinese take-out with Kristin, sitting around the table in the corner of Susie’s office.

“Thanks for getting this, guys,” Susie said. “I appreciate it.”

“No worries, babe,” Grant said, leaning in to give her a peck on the lips.

Kristin studied them. “Oookaaay,” she finally said. “This is between me and you three, but spill it already. I’m dying to know what’s going on.”

Susie blushed and looked to Grant, who seemed to be waiting to see if she’d hand it off to him or not.

He arched an eyebrow at her.

That’s when Kristin giggled. “Holy crap, you found yourself another one, didn’t you? Or two of them, I should say.”

All three of them stared at Kristin. “What?” Susan managed to squeak.

“Oh, please. I’m not blind. You and John were doing that…whatever it’s called. That Fifty Shades kind of stuff. I heard the way you talked to him, and how he talked to you. Saw you two together every day, for chrissake. And outside of work. Puh-lease.” She smiled. “If these two guys are the reason you’re finally living and smiling again, they have my vote and I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

Darryl chuckled. “Busted. How much do you want to know?”

“It’s none of my business, so I guess as much as you think I should.”

Grant gave her the short and quick version, that yes, he was in charge of Susan and Darryl, but for obvious reasons, they couldn’t let that get out, and it was easier for Susie to pretend to be dating Darryl.

“My mouth is sealed,” Kristin said, her smile fading. “However, you should be aware that, a few weeks back, Jack asked me what I knew about you two guys. I told him that I knew he should mind his own business, that you were friends from high school and had reconnected at your reunion.”

Susan paled. “Why didn’t you tell me that?”

“I honestly forgot about it until just now. You know how Jack is. He’s like that with everyone, trying to be snoopy. It’d be like, ‘Hey, Jack’s being nosy again, Episode 9,842.’” She motioned with her chopsticks. “FYI, news flash—the sky’s blue and grass is green.”

“Oh. True.” How sad was it that she’d lived with that for so long, it’d become the norm? “Do you think anyone else suspects?”

“If they do, they couldn’t care less. All I’ve been hearing is how happy they are to see you finally smiling again.” She studied Susan. “You don’t understand how loyal these people are to you, do you? Most of them, anyways. The ones who were here with John from the start, and hell, anyone who was here long enough to get to know John before we lost him. They’re loyal to you. Their hearts broke for you when you lost John, because they lost him, too. To see you finally smiling again is…Well, it’s a damn good thing.”

Susie laid her head on Grant’s shoulder. Even tonight, the men had sat on either side of her, as they always did.

As natural as anything.

“I love them,” she softly admitted. “We just have to keep things quiet for obvious reasons.”

“Then consider me an accomplice,” Kristin said. “Whatever story you want told, that’s what’ll get told. Didn’t you think it’d be easier having me help you control the message?”