Way of the Warrior (Troubleshooters #17.5)(112)

He was great with kids, women fainted when they met him and…

Oh.

There it was. The reason for HoboMofo’s heartfelt Lopez. Fuck.

“So how’s the school year going?” Izzy asked, trying to sound conversational. “For Brianna. Everything okay? She like her teacher…Missus…or maybe Miz…?”

Hobe was a SEAL, which meant that, even as scary and gene-deficient as he looked, he was far from an idiot. He knew exactly what Izzy was fishing for, and he gave Izzy his famous deadeye look. “Yeah,” he drawled as he pushed his massive frame up and out of his seat. “She likes her teacher just fine.”

As HoboMofo walked away, Izzy reached for his phone. He could at least leave a message for Lopez. Back slowly away from the hot fifth-grade teacher…

But before he could dial, Danny Gillman plopped his lanky frame into ’Fo’s still-warm seat.

“I need you to call Eden,” his teammate, former best-frenemy and still relatively new brother-in-law through Izzy’s marriage to Dan’s little sister announced. “Something weird is up with Jenn.”





CHAPTER 3


    Lopez


Jay Lopez was having a bad week. His injured knee had forced him to remain in San Diego while the rest of his SEAL Team went wheels up.

He worked hard to keep the word hate out of his vocabulary, but he had to admit that he vehemently disliked being left behind at times like these. And it didn’t help his mood this morning when the doctor told him he’d need to keep this brace in place for a few more days, after which We’ll see. In the medical world, We’ll see was code for Yep, you’re going to need surgery, which was disheartening to say the least.

So when Jay walked into the fifth-grade classroom of the daughter of the SEAL known as HoboMofo, and was greeted by a teacher who could’ve played an elf princess in LOTR, he was ready for his luck to change.

“You must be Chief Lopez,” she said, with a warm, wide grin that worked astonishingly well with her elfin features. Pointy chin, freckle-adorned nose, hazel eyes with long, dark lashes… She was alone in a brightly decorated room that was filled with desks.

His first thought was that he was going to be in town for quite a while—a month and a half, maybe two. Surgery, recovery, physical therapy… It was the perfect time to begin a relationship.

“I am,” he told the pretty teacher with his warmest smile, balancing on his crutches so he could hold out his hand to shake. “Although the uniform is probably a pretty large clue.”

Her eyes sparkled. “I’m Carol Redmond.” Her hand was cool and slender, with short-trimmed nails, and just like that, with that otherwise unremarkable skin-to-skin connection, Jay fell completely in love. “Thank you so much for filling in for Hugh today. I can’t tell you how much it means to Brianna to have you here to talk about her dad’s work. What can I get you? Would you like to sit down? Hugh told me you blew out your knee—that sounds terrible.”

Jay winced. It did sound terrible, when put in those words. Especially since a blown-out knee generally required surgery. “No, I’m okay, thanks. It’s easier to stay standing.” His big question, however, had to do with all of those Hughs.

The puzzlement must’ve shown on his face, because she laughed again, even as she gently pulled her hand free. “Hugh told me he had a rather complicated Navy SEAL nickname.” Her eyes actually danced. “But for some reason, he wouldn’t tell me what it is.”

“Bert,” Jay managed. “I’m sorry, but his name is Bert Bickles.” Wasn’t it? “I am in the right place, aren’t I?”

“You are. His full name is Hubert,” she corrected him. “He told me he prefers Hugh.”

“I didn’t know that,” Jay admitted. “I mean, I haven’t worked with him all that much. And even then, we mostly call him…” He stopped himself.

But now Carol’s eyes were lit up in anticipation.

“He really didn’t tell you?” Jay asked.

“He’s a little shy,” the teacher said.

Shy? Mohf? Shy. Huh. “And you couldn’t get it out of Brianna?”

Carol shook her head. “I’m pretty sure she doesn’t know. When I asked, she said she thought it had something to do with…Motown?”

Jay laughed. “That’s, um…correct.”

The elf princess didn’t buy it. But she looked around to make sure the coast was clear and lowered her voice before leaning in to ask, “Mofo?”

Jay lifted both hands in surrender. “You’ve seen him. You really want me to risk his wrath?”

Her smile was genuinely amused. “He’s a marshmallow.”

“Yeah, now I know I’m in the wrong classroom.”

The very lovely Carol Redmond once again laughed, but then a bell rang. “You ready for this?” she asked. “They’re coming in from gym, so there’ll be a lot of extra energy, combined with the fact that it’s the very end of the day. If you want, I can give ’em a spelling test, or maybe a pop quiz on this morning’s math lesson. That’ll put ’em in a stupor…”

She was kidding. “I got this,” Jay said.

“I believe that you do.” Her smile was warm and held promises of many wonderful candlelit dinners over the next few months.