“Nah, that’s your expense voucher.”
Shane opened the file and stared at the pages. He had a check coming his way. Yeah, so what? It didn’t mean much to him. “Okay.”
Connor leaned back in his chair at the head of the table and grabbed a thick stack of folders off the long desk in front of the line of monitors. “I actually wanted you to look through these.”
The pile landed on the table with a thud. Shane had no idea what he was looking at or why. He could scan every page or he could just ask. “What’s going on?”
“Potential candidates.”
“For?” Shane opened the cover of the top one and glanced inside.
“To be Corcoran Team members.” Connor folded his arms in front of him and leaned against the table. “It’s time.”
They’d been so insular for so long. Connor rarely added new people. He talked about the need for camaraderie and joked that with too many members he risked being overruled. As if that would ever happen. He had their loyalty and trust, and they were not men who gave either easily.
Just so he was clear, he tried again. “We’re hiring?”
“I’m thinking we need a West Coast office.” Connor shrugged. “That will allow all of you room to pick and choose cases and spend some more time closer to home.”
That didn’t sound like the tough sharpshooter Shane knew. Sure, Connor had been married to Jana for years and spent his days protecting others and loving her. But making sure the rest of them had stable home lives? Interesting.
“Are you matchmaking?” Shane couldn’t even make the idea make sense in his head.
“Blame my wife.”
That, Shane got. Something about keeping Makena happy appealed to him. He hated when she so much as frowned. Shane didn’t mind the travel or the work. Still, the idea of spending most nights by her side in their big bed didn’t exactly stink.
Thank you, Jana. “I love your wife.”
Connor did what he always did. Spun his wedding ring around on his finger without even realizing he did it. “You are not alone.”
“It won’t be easy to find qualified men and women who fit in around here.” Shane tried to imagine interviewing people and putting them through a series of tests. A daunting but interesting task.
“It takes a certain kind of crazy, I agree.”
No question about that. “Do you have people in mind?”
Shane could think of a few. There were folks he’d worked with over the years whom he could see stepping up and assuming the kinds of risks they took for granted. Strong and decent people who needed to find a purpose, which was exactly what he had been. Lost and wandering. Now he had the best friends of his life, a woman he loved and a team that meant everything to him.
Connor nodded in the direction of the high stack. “Right there. I want you all to take a look and offer feedback. Take your time. There’s no rush. This is about finding the right people, not speed.”
And that summed up why Connor was in charge. Why he inspired so much loyalty. “Sounds good to me.”
“Besides that, we need a few bachelors around here.” Connor leaned back in his chair. “I thought you’d never go down. And so easy? Man, you’re lucky.”
He’d never thought so before, but Shane sure thought so now. “Easy?”
“She should have made you beg.”
Shane couldn’t help smiling. “She does...sometimes.”
Connor leaned forward and the legs of his chair hit the floor. “That’s probably too much information.”
“I’m happy.”
“And I’m happy for you.” Connor got up and walked around the table. “Now get ready so you can get home to Makena.”
Shane would never tire of hearing that. “You got it, boss.”