Wrapped Up In Christmas

“Okay to list you as a reference?” he asked the man on the phone.

“For a job?” Lukas Watts sounded almost as surprised at the request as Bodie was that he was making it. It was no wonder his best friend sounded shocked. A job in Kentucky certainly wasn’t in the cards when he’d left Lukas’s house early that morning.

Bodie had planned to thank Sarah, then hit the road to Texas, not go to work for her. But this wouldn’t require a major change in his plans. From the sound of things, he’d only be here for a few weeks. No problem. He had the time to spare before starting the next phase of his life.

“You’re still coming to work for iSecure?” Lukas continued. Lukas had served in the Army with Bodie for six years and had quickly become Bodie’s best friend. Lukas had opted out rather than reenlisting a few years back and had started the protective services business. They’d stayed in touch on the rare occasion when Bodie had access to communication with the outside world. Lukas and his wife had come to visit him not long after he’d been transferred to a hospital in the states. While he’d been grateful for his friend’s loyalty, he’d still hated anyone seeing him so helpless and dependent upon the nurses and therapists.

His leg and hip still ached and he had some nasty scarring, but he was slowly getting his strength and agility back. To see him now, few would guess that earlier that year he’d been told he’d never walk again. As Lukas and Kelly had taken him in after his discharge from the rehabilitation facility, they’d witnessed how far he’d come, how he’d gone from self-loathing that he’d been

the sole survivor of his unit to determination to live again—thanks to a quilt reminding him of the world beyond his harsh experiences in the Middle East and various medical facilities.

“For some reason, iSecure’s owner doesn’t want me to start until the new year,” he drawled.

“Yeah, for some reason.” Lukas laughed. “Like that busted-up hip and leg of yours and him wanting you to take some time to recharge.”

“My hip and leg are fine.” They both knew that the continued time off Lukas insisted upon had more to do with the things Bodie had seen and felt, rather than his physical injuries. The pain in his left leg and hip was nothing compared to the one in his heart at the far-too-early end to his military career, not to mention the anger that burned at the senseless death of his comrades. “The reference is for a small job I’m taking in the interim.”

“Why take an interim job at all? A few more weeks to recuperate before starting at iSecure will be good for you,” Lukas said. “Besides, you can’t start at iSecure until your official background check is approved.”

Bodie snorted. Lukas knew more about his background than a computer search would reveal. His friend knew what a bad mental place he’d been in, so it was no wonder Lukas was hesitant to put him in a possibly high-stress situation.

But if by “recuperate,” his friend meant “forget what happened,” well, that wasn’t ever going to occur. To the day Bodie died, he’d be reliving that nightmare.

He owed it to his friends not to forget.

“Should I be concerned that one of my competitors is trying to steal you away?” Lukas asked.

How could he explain the position he’d be taking? He hadn’t mentioned the detour to Pine Hill when he’d left Lukas’s that morning. How much did he tell his friend? That he’d gone to tell his quilt maker thank you and he’d gotten sucked into applying for a handyman job?

“This isn’t for a bodyguard position.” Bodie glanced down at Harry as the dog laid his head over Bodie’s thigh. Bodie swapped hands holding the phone and put his hand on the dog’s back. “I’m doing some house repairs and was asked for references. Just keep information minimal.”

“What? Listen, man, if you need money—”

“This isn’t about money.” He’d been in the military since he was eighteen and the Army had covered almost all his expenses. His salary had been auto-deposited, and the money in the account had done nothing but grow over the years, especially thanks to bonuses with each active combat deployment, and his minimalist living. It wasn’t as if he’d had a lot of opportunity to spend where he’d often been.

“Speaking of money, Kelly found what you left on the coffee table. You shouldn’t have.”

“Room and board for the past few months. No big deal.” Scratching Harry, Bodie shrugged, despite the fact that his friend couldn’t see him.

“You didn’t need to do that. iSecure is doing great and even if it wasn’t, you’re always welcome here. You know that.”

“Yeah, well, put it toward the kid’s college fund.” Kelly was due to deliver their first child in a couple of months. Which was the main reason Bodie had headed out that morning. He’d been going to Texas so the couple could have some time to themselves them before their baby arrived.

“A gift from Uncle Bodie?”

Bodie heard a chair squeak and could picture his friend sitting at his desk. Lukas had transitioned into civilian life without issues. Bodie was glad, and hoped he’d be able to find the same sense of peace in the civilian world. At iSecure, he’d start with smaller jobs, mostly guarding celebrities or politicians, as he continued to recover. When Lukas felt he was ready, he’d move to the more secretive jobs the company didn’t advertise. Governments and the mega-wealthy came to them seeking their services for high-risk situations. Bodie could do babysitting bodyguard jobs while he honed his body back to full capacity and placated Lukas. What a joke, when his friend knew the things he’d done and was capable of.

“On the reference you’re needing, this an undercover job?”

Since he hadn’t told Sarah why he was there in case she refused his help under those circumstances, he supposed he was undercover.

“Yes.” His tone warned Lukas not to push. He’d rather his friend not know he’d gone soft and was helping Sarah because she’d once made him a quilt. Lukas had already teased him about the quilt having super healing powers as his friend had witnessed the change in Bodie after its arrival.

Maybe the quilt did have something special in its stitches. Beneath the fabric, he’d felt comfort. No, that wasn’t right. He’d felt the need to do something, to be something. For the first time since his injury, he’d felt he had a reason to heal, spurred by the idea that there was something out there waiting on him.

Seeing the quilt, he’d had flashbacks to when he’d been five years old and taken his only out-of-state trip with his mother. He’d stared out the window in awe at picturesque barns with painted quilts on them surrounded by lush green fields as she’d driven them through Georgia for his grandmother’s funeral. They’d packed a few of his grandmother’s belongings to bring back to Texas, including a raggedy old quilt that Bodie had slept beneath on the drive and countless times thereafter.

Touching the quilt from Sarah had taken him back to when, wrapped in that tattered quilt, he’d watched old war movies while downing a bowl of cereal and dreaming of being a soldier to fight for justice for all.