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“I get it.” I nod my head. “That’s exactly what I need right now. There’s a—”
A knock on the door cuts into our conversation, and Patrick glances at the door, his brows arched. “Come in.”
The door opens, and I hear footsteps as someone approaches the table. Patrick’s face lights up, and he greets who it is.
“Kieran.” Patrick and Kieran shake hands. This must be Kieran Mitchell, the owner of BattleBron Tech.
“Patrick, how are you?”
“I’m good. It's so great to see you,” Patrick gestures. “I take it you haven’t officially met Liam O’Connell.”
Kieran turns to me with wide eyes. “Liam? Sean’s brother?”
“Yes.” I nod, standing with my hand outstretched. “It’s so nice to meet you, Kieran. Thank you for recommending me to Patrick.”
Kieran swats my arm away and pulls me into a hug. “Sean speaks about you so much, I feel like I know you already. How are you?”
“Some days are better than others, but overall I’m doing good.”
His eyes stray to Tex, sitting quietly like a good boy, and he chuckles. “Is that Tex? Can I touch him?”
“He would be insulted if you didn’t,” I laugh.
Tex runs over to Kieran and throws his body against his legs. I watch Kieran give Tex a good rub down before pulling away. “He's such a good boy.”
“Highly trained, too.” At that moment, Tex comes back to my side and lays down as if trying to prove my words true.
“I’m glad to hear that. The organizations we work with do a wonderful job. Tex is the second dog I’ve met due to the service dog grant Lane and I started.” Kieran sits on the chair beside me. “I’m glad you brought him so that I could meet him. ”
“Tex has been a huge help with reacclimating to civilian life. I never thought having a dog could help me as much as Tex has. He keeps me pretty active, with all the exercise he needs.”
“Exercise is good for your mental health, so it’s a win-win.” Kieran nods and smiles. “Are you here for a job at Wilderness Warriors?”
I look back at Patrick. “I am hoping, yes. We’re still talking about it.”
“Liam arrived a few minutes before you got here. By the way, what are you doing on this side of the country?”
“When Sean told me that you and Liam were meeting today, I figured I’d stop by to say hello,” Kieran explains. “Being able to meet the soldiers we are helping is why Lane and I formed our company. It was also a great excuse to get my wife Maya away for the weekend.” He winks.
“That’s wonderful!” Patrick says. “I was just telling him how the camp was founded. It was the same year you created BattleBron Tech, right?”
I can see Kieran counting the years in his head before he nods. “Yes. The same year, but a few months apart.” He turns to me. “Did you know Patrick and I were on the same team when we served in the military?”
“No, I didn’t know that. I’m glad you’ve retained a friendship in the real world.”
The men smile at each other, and then Kieran glances at me again. “I thought you would prefer the coding job,” he says. “The pay is high, and you wouldn’t have to leave your house. Sean told me you’ve been hiding at home since returning.”
“That’s the thing.” I sit up straight and meet his gaze directly. “I don’t want to hide anymore; it’s the opposite of who I was before I joined the Army. Now, I have all this pent-up energy inside me, and I feel like I might break or explode. The other day, I almost punched the wall, which reminded me how close I am to my breaking point.”
The men just listen, and it feels good to talk to people who understand where I’m coming from. Feeling a sense of ease I continue. “I have always wanted to work with kids.” My mind drifts to Penny, and this time, I smile. “When I was younger, my girlfriend and I planned to start our survival camp for kids, just like this one. We had planned on calling it Zombie Apocalypse Survival Camp ”
“That’s quite a name.” The men laugh. “I remember all my plans from when I was younger,” Kieran shakes his head beaming at me. “The military put me on a completely different path. One I never dreamed of. Thankfully it’s been an amazing adventure.”
“I hope I can say the same in a few years,” I smile, for the first time feeling hope as I talk to these men who’ve been where I am. “Serving and helping people is all I’ve ever wanted to do. It’s one of the reasons I joined the military in the first place.”
“If working with kids is what you’ve always wanted, then you’re in the right place,” Patrick says. “Here, we teach kids everything they need to know to survive if they ever get stuck in the wild. We work with the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts while having our classes for kids not involved in either organization.”
“That sounds perfect.” The smile that stretches my face is genuine. My excitement about this opportunity has me ready to burst.
