We belong together [Rewriting]

08 [Rewritten]

~Harry Stiles

Leaning against the window, I watched buildings pass by in a blur, lost in thoughts. Tim was driving me to Jane's offices after she invited me to lunch. Thoughts riddled my mind, weighing heavy on me, pulling me down. It was good to get away from the office for a while to get a breath of fresh air. Lately everything felt smothering, the job I started on my own accord felt heavier and Salvador was breathing down my neck. "How are the new recruits?" I asked Tim looking at him through the review mirror, trying to distract my wandering mind.

Surprisingly, Tim chuckled, a flash of something flashed in his eyes but I couldn't tell what because his eyes were focused on the road ahead. "They're doing better I guess. A lot less mistakes but nothing that could jeopardize your reputation at least. Although one of them still brought their personal phones with them a few times."

"That's good to hear." I murmured, my mind drifting further and further away from the conversation even after I started the conversation to distract myself.

"Boss, are you okay? You seem worried about something, anything I can do to help." Tim asked, bringing my concentration back to him. He wore a concerned look on his face. Sitting up straight, I pushed the phone call from my mother out of my head, although it was still nagging me at the back of my mind.

What did that woman want from me?

"I'm alright Tim. I was going over something in my head." I said, focussing my own eyes upfront. Tim nodded. "You said something about personal phones?" Tin chuckled, wiping his concerned look from his face.

"Yeah but it doesn't happen as much now as it used to. It takes getting used to I guess, being away from your personal phone I mean. Your phone is so much a part of you that you have to make a conscious decision to leave it behind." Tim explained, stopping at a red light only after driving less than a minute, the lunch rush hour traffic always making a ten minute drive way longer than it should.

"I guess so but it is protocol." I said reminding him. He nodded repeatedly.

"That's what I tell them." Tim agreed, the light turning green and we started moving again. "One recruit is excelling in every department though."

I raised my eyebrows, my interest peaked. "Oh yeah, who?" I asked.

"Samantha Valdez. She's scary excellent in every department. It freaks me out." Tim said, visibly shuddering but I suspect it was not the entire reason. Valdez is good and the men feel threatened by her since she is a woman. "It makes me wonder why you chose a woman to join our ranks because I thought you were building something more than a security agency."

With a frown on my face, I tried to read Tim but a blank expression was displayed on his features, not betraying any of his thoughts. "Why, because she is a woman?" I asked, disappointed in him if that was the reason. "She has all the qualities I look for in a potential recruit regardless of the gender and everyone I chose before her just so happens to be a man. You know I look beyond the military qualifications, I look into their personal lives and choices they've made so far. Sure, it's good to have an exceptional military background but that's hardly impressive to me."

"I know that," Tim started, hesitant to continue, to question me but I didn't mind Tim questioning me, I could say that him questioning me is how I resolve shit in my head when I can't do it on my own. He gives me perspective, a second opinion when I can't trust my own. "I thought her personal life would disqualify her because she's involved in a custody battle at the moment"

"The workplace needed a woman's touch other than Wendy. Too much testosterone." I said, chuckling as a confused look morphed into Tim's face. Sobering up, I locked gaze with Tim through the rearview mirror, my eyes firm. "It's because she's involved in that custodial battle that I gave her a second look. She's fighting for her son which makes her tenacious and strong willed. She left the military, a few months and she would've been promoted. She left that and came back for her son, to raise him which means she's looking for something stable, I gave her that, I gave her a stable job which helps her in her case, stability, she won't betray the stability I offer not when that would give her ex ammunition against her in court and she didn't hide that during her interview with me, she considered all her options and came honest with me which is more than I can say for most men. She keeps me updated about her court dates instead of asking for a day off like most would."