The Second Chance Hero by Jeannie Moon Page B

more, but the satisfaction of leaving Harper speechless was shadowed by his concern for Kim.
    “All right, then.” She stood, straightened her skirt, and smoothed her hair. “I’d better get back to my office. Kim is bringing Anna in so I can have lunch with her.”
    Thank God he had a good poker face. Just knowing Kim was going to be in the building made his heart twitch.
    Harper was almost to the door of his office when she turned and tipped her head to the side. “You should really check out the gym we put in. It’s got everything.”
    “I heard. I’ll go later.” He returned to his papers, pretty much ending the conversation. He hadn’t realized how pissed he was.
    He heard a yap from outside his office and Casey ran toward Harper, who gasped when she saw her. It was love at first sight. “Okay, she’s cute as hell.” The dog sat, but not still. Her tail was thumping and she was scooting around on her butt. “Hello, baby girl,” Harper cooed. “How are you?”
    “Everyone loves her.”
    When the dog had received sufficient attention and flopped on her bed in the corner, Harper directed her attention back to Owen.
    She snapped her fingers. “Now I remember why I came down here. You distracted me,” Harper said flatly, remembering she was pissed. “I thought you might be able to help.”
    “What is it?”
    He leaned back in his chair and motioned for Harper to sit down, which annoyed her even more.
    “There have been some issues with the veterans we’ve hired. We’re up to almost thirty now, and as a rule, they’ve been great additions to their respective departments. You know that HR tries to be proactive with regard to mental health issues, stress reduction, substance abuse, and even some of the financial and family problems. The vets, however, have issues and benefits unique to them.”
    “Right. There’s a problem?”
    “Helen, the social worker who’s handled this kind of thing in the past, is a little overwhelmed. It’s not that she doesn’t want to help, she doesn’t have the contacts she needs to provide the services our employees require.”
    Helen was a lovely Danish lady of seventy-five who worked part-time making sure the company’s employees were tended to emotionally. Everyone was always so worried about physical fitness, they tended to forget about everything else. Owen, of all people, knew if your head wasn’t screwed on right, your body didn’t matter much. Still, even he hadn’t thought about the very specific problems that the veterans would have, and that Helen would be overwhelmed.
    The issues were different. More and more vets came home, but those who returned often came with multiple physical or emotional issues. More than most health care professionals would be able to handle.
    “We need to find a liaison, someone who can connect us with people through the VA. They have programs, but getting through the maze requires someone who knows the system.”
    “That’s a good idea,” Harper said, making a note in her tablet. “I’ll see if there’s anything I can do, but in the meantime, we have to figure something out. One of our new hires, great guy, is a below-the- leg amputee. He has a new prosthetic he wants to work with and he’s having trouble getting therapy services.”
    That didn’t sound right to Owen. He didn’t need to use the VA, and he wasn’t going to clog up the system when he could take care of himself, but the guys coming home were supposed to be priorities.
    “Helen doesn’t know who to contact. She’s trying to act as an advocate, but she’s hitting a wall.”
    “All right. Let me think about this and see what I can find out.”
    Nothing made his blood boil more than when veterans needed help and couldn’t get it. He flexed the hand he’d injured a year ago, feeling the tension rise through his body. Pretty soon he’d have a rip-roarin’ good headache.
    “Why don’t you go work out or something?” Harper suggested.
    “Yeah,