The quiet didn’t last long before the doorbell echoed through the house. Since he knew his parents had a key and he didn’t expect them for another hour or so, Jonah thought about not answering it. But with the storm raging outside, he knew he had to let them in. “Probably someone looking for your girlfriend,” he said to Magnus as he got up from the chair. “At least I hope it is. Please don’t let it be Ms. Davis.” His mother’s friend meant well, but when she’d come by earlier today she couldn’t stop saying “you poor boy.” It was enough to make any soldier want to go AWOL.
He walked down the hall, grateful his parents didn’t have stairs, or the person at the door would be waiting a lot longer. He opened it with both dogs at his heels. A woman stood in front of him, bundled in a parka, hat, and scarf so only her eyes were visible. She pulled her scarf down. “Hey, Jonah, I’m looking for my dog, Lola. Did she come over here?” She craned her neck, trying to get a look at the dogs that were hiding behind him.
Jonah was battling to hold the door with the wind and snow slamming into them so hard he could barely see the porch stairs. He motioned her inside. Once she was in, she pulled off her hat and scarf. Her short brown hair was sticking up at odd angles, but she didn’t seem to care about anything except her dog.
“Lola, honey! You scared me! Never do that again.” She hugged her dog while she scolded her. Magnus was trying to nose in on the hugging action, too, and got a scratch behind the ears for his trouble.
Jonah looked down at the reunion. She’d started to peel off her coat and gloves, while her dog danced around her. The woman’s heart-shaped face dredged up memories from a lifetime ago.
Cami Jackson. A little zing of awareness skittered up his spine. Her smile was intertwined with so many of his happiest high school memories. Being on the track team together. Star-gazing. Best friends for life. Or so he’d promised. She’d matched him in humor, goals, and ambition, but after graduation, he’d joined the service, she’d fallen off the grid, and he’d let her go. “Hey, Cami.”
She managed to look up at him while her dog finished bathing Cami’s chin. “We haven’t seen each other in nearly six years and all I get is a hey, Cami? Come on, you can do better than that.”
He gave her an impassive stare. He just didn’t have the energy to entertain one more person. And besides, what did she want him to say? “Okay. How about, it looks like you need to get a leash for your dog.”
She frowned up at him and he saw the shadows under her eyes. She looked exhausted and in that moment, he wished he’d said something to make her smile.
“I can see we’re bothering you. I’ll just take Lola and head home.” She stood and both dogs zigzagged around her legs, begging for more attention. “Just give me a second.”
She tried to bend down and grab her gloves and got some more wet doggie kisses for her trouble. Magnus was totally focused on her, but looked back at Jonah every now and then. Would he even come to Jonah’s side if he called? He wasn’t sure. His dog was giving Lola and Cami some pretty adoring looks and Jonah hadn’t been a part of Magnus’s life for a while.
He folded his arms, feeling silly standing there watching her try to put her things back on and keep her balance with two dogs jumping on her. Not that he didn’t have a nice view. Now that he could see her clearly, he was surprised at how different she looked. The thin girl he remembered from high school was still trim, but her jeans and sweater now had curves in all the right places. Yet, her eyes that had always been laughing in high school, weren’t laughing anymore. She had a hollow look in her face, like the people he’d seen visiting their loved ones at the rehab center. Did that have to do with losing her dog? Or seeing him? Probably the latter. Who wouldn’t look like that, seeing him now? He opened the door. “I’m glad you found your dog.”
Cami didn’t say a word to Jonah, just snapped a leash on Lola’s collar. The dog immediately sat down on her haunches in the doorway and began to whine. It did look pretty bad out there. The frigid wind effortlessly pushed the snow into drifts, blasting it sideways across the yard. Jonah turned in time to see Cami square her shoulders, her mouth pulled into a tight line. He sighed inwardly. Okay, his mom had raised him better than this. He was out of line and that wasn’t like him. The old him, anyway. “Hey, that storm’s really picked up. Do you want to wait a bit and warm up at least?”
Even to him, his voice didn’t sound very welcoming and Cami’s look of misgiving confirmed it. He was out of practice. Magnus stared up at him, clearly unimpressed at his attempt. The dog darted a glance at Cami as if to say, yeah, my human’s a little rusty at this. Sorry. Jonah straightened. His dog was not going to be embarrassed by his lack of manners. He could fix this.
Cami pulled on the leash. “No, thanks. We’ve bothered you enough. Come on, girl.” She ducked her head, but not before he saw the hurt in her eyes. Guilt welled in him.
Jonah grabbed her arm as she squeezed by. “Hey, I’m sorry about what I said. Give me a chance to make it up to you.” He bent down so she’d be forced to look at him. “I was just about to eat some of my mom’s stew and that would definitely warm you up. Are you hungry?”
She hesitated, pinning him with her gaze as if to gauge his sincerity before she finally relented. “Okay, that would be great, actually.” She didn’t look exactly convinced as she took off her coat and gloves for the second time, but at least she’d agreed to stay.
When she turned, he could see her jeans were soaking wet. How long was she looking for her dog? “You know, I have some sweatpants you could borrow and we could throw your jeans in the dryer.”
She shivered and looked down. “Thanks. I’m freezing.”
He was about to turn down the hall to his room, but his prosthetic foot caught on the rug in the entryway and he stumbled. Biting back a curse, he put his hand on the wall to anchor himself and find his balance. He stood there for a moment, unwilling to meet her gaze. How could he walk in front of the girl who remembered him as a confident track star? He didn’t want her to see what he was now.
When he didn’t move, she stepped forward. “Jonah?” Her cold fingers on his arm jolted him out of his thoughts.
He forced his feet to step forward, hoping all that gait training he’d suffered through to make his walk look normal had worked. “I’ll be right back. You can wait in the kitchen. It’s right through there.”
“I know.” Cami’s voice was warmer now and it helped Jonah to relax a bit. “It felt like we were either here or at the track all through high school.” She looked around and for just a second the exhaustion on her face melted away. “Don’t you wish you could go back sometimes? Everything was simpler then.”
Every day. Jonah still struggled to accept his new reality sometimes. It was too easy to wish for his life before the pain and rehab and managing a prosthetic. “We had some good times.”
The brightness in her eyes faded. “Yeah, we did.”
He waited until she’d started toward the kitchen before he walked down the hall to get the dry clothing for her. Magnus stood beside him and licked his hand as if to ask him if he was okay. That dog still read him like a book. Jonah touched his silky head. “I’m okay.”
When he walked into the kitchen, Cami was hunched over the island, her head in her hands. She looked small and defeated, something he’d never seen on her before. “You okay?” he asked as he joined her.
“Just tired.” She tried to muster up a smile, but it looked more like a grimace.
“You still staying up late star-gazing?” He wanted to see a real smile on her face, one that reached her eyes.
“I wish.” She looked down at her hands, folded in front of her. “Remember how hard I tried to teach you the constellations? You claimed you could never see them, but I always thought you could.”
“I just wanted an excuse to stay out late.” And to be near her. Even with her struggles in her home life she was light and fun, intelligent and driven, and that had drawn him to her. So many times he’d tho
ught about taking it further, but he didn’t want to ruin the friendship. His reaction when he first saw her tonight was telling, though. Those old feelings were still there, but what could he offer her now? His tried and true friend-zone tactics kicked in and he stood to put some distance between them. “I’ll warm up the stew and get the sugar cookies for dessert.” He put his lead foot down carefully and walked slowly to the fridge.
“I love your mom’s cookies. Did you decorate them?”
“She tried to get me to.” It was a Christmas tradition at their house and he’d put a damper on it for his mom. His conscience twinged with guilt. He should have humored her.
“You were just trying to make sure they all stayed edible, I’m sure.” Cami barely held back a grin. “You always did use way too much icing.”
He could feel one of their old debates coming on. Carefully setting down the container of stew, he rested his palms on the counter, facing her. “Hey, I’m an expert at decorating those. And you can never have too much icing.”
“When you can’t tell if the cookie is supposed to be Santa or a stocking, there’s too much icing.” She quirked an eyebrow in challenge.
He shook his head. This was too easy. “Who cares what it’s supposed to be as long as it tastes good?”
She didn’t admit defeat gracefully and merely rolled her eyes. “Because it’s a sugar cookie, and decorating it to look like something is part of the fun.”
“Mine look like something. Something good to eat.” He leaned toward her. “You have to admit, I’ve got you there. I mean, what can you say to that? You know it’s true because you finished off every cookie I ever brought you.”
“How do you know I didn’t give them to my dog?” Cami laughed and Lola pricked up her ears at her mistress, as if she was hoping for that very thing.
Jonah narrowed his eyes and pointed his finger toward her. “My cookies are a work of art. You just don’t want to admit it.”
She held up her hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay, I’ll plead the Fifth.” She looked up at him and, for a moment, it was like they were back in high school again with nothing more to worry about than next week’s math test or tomorrow’s track meet. But Cami dropped her eyes quickly and the moment was gone. She picked up the folded sweatpants from the counter. “Thanks again for letting me borrow these. I’ll just go change out of my wet clothes before I say something that might incriminate me.”
He chuckled as she disappeared into the guest bathroom. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d joked around like that with someone. He’d missed it.
Turning toward the task at hand, he got things ready for their meal, getting out bowls and spoons. Before long, Jonah heard the bathroom door open and the dryer next to the mudroom start running.
When she came back into the kitchen, he noticed she’d smoothed her hair. It was strange not seeing her in the ponytail she’d worn through high school, but he could definitely get used to her short hair and how it drew attention to her eyes. As his gaze traveled downward to the sweatpants she’d borrowed, though, he could hardly smother a laugh. The pants were pulled above her waist and she’d rolled up the pant leg bottoms until it looked like she was wearing fat ankle weights. “Let me guess. The pants didn’t fit?”
She gave him her best are-you-kidding-me look. “Yeah, you’re a bit taller than me.” She turned her ankle to model the uneven rolls for him. “I might start a new fashion, though. Winter Storm Chic. What do you think?”
“It could work.” He gestured to the rolls. “And it has the extra feature of being able to pull them down over your cold feet, which could be a selling point.”
She shook her head. “I think someone already invented something for that. Called socks.” She wiggled her bare toes.
“Do you need some socks? I’ve got extra.” He inwardly winced. Of course with only one foot he’d have lots of extra socks, but he didn’t want to call any attention to his injury if he could help it. Cami didn’t even glance at his feet, though.
“I think I’m good, thanks.” She moved past him and sat down on a stool at the kitchen island. “So, is it weird being home?”
Here it comes. He’d wanted her to be different, but no one could resist fishing for gossip on how the town’s newest amputee was doing. He glanced over at her, disappointed. “Not really.”
But her face was still open and smiling. “It’s all your dad was able to talk about. He’s so glad you’re here.”
Jonah resisted the urge to stare at her. She wasn’t looking for gossip; she was just happy for him and his family. When did I get so suspicious of people’s motives? “My dad loves to talk. Probably because his patients are captive audiences.”
She laughed. “The perk of being a dentist, I guess.”
“Is that where you saw my dad? At his office?” He rubbed his hand over his jaw. He wasn’t surprised his dad had talked about him. His parents had been there for him through every step of his recovery, spending as much time with him as they could while he was at Walter Reed in Bethesda. When they’d asked him to come home for Christmas, he couldn’t say no.
“No.” She shifted in her stool. “He came by the school the other day with his sponsorship banner and we got to talk a bit.” Then, as if she couldn’t sit still, she slid off the stool and came to help him dish up the stew.
“He’s sponsoring something?”
“Harrison Dental proudly supports the Morgan Huskies.” She took the smaller bowl and headed for the microwave.
“Are you a sponsor, too?” He was trying to connect the dots, but something wasn’t clicking. She’d always wanted to be an Olympic runner. What was she doing back in Morgan, anyway?
“I’m the new track coach at Morgan High.” She leaned in and he caught the faint, flowery scent of her shampoo. “I finally replaced Coach Stubbs. After thirty years of coaching, though, he can’t leave it alone and still comes out to watch my practices.”
“You replaced Coach Stubbs?” he repeated. Jonah had never thought that man would retire. Coach Stubbs lived and breathed the track team. He was the most intense man Jonah had ever met before he joined the Marines. Even then, he could only think of one or two drill sergeants that were more intense than Coach Stubbs. “That’s got to be intimidating, having your old coach watch you be the coach.”
“It is. I keep thinking he’s going to give me critique notes or something, but so far he hasn’t said a word. In a way, that’s kind of worse. I mean, what if he hasn’t said anything because he thinks I’m doing it all wrong?” She took the second bowl of stew from him and queued it up for the microwave.
“I’m sure you’re doing great.” And he meant it. She would be a great track coach.
He leaned against the counter and watched her punch in some numbers and press start to warm up the stew. Since the accident he’d always felt tense when he was in public or around people who weren’t family, but that had evaporated with Cami. Their easy camaraderie had returned, like they’d never been apart, and for the first time since he’d woken up in the hospital, he felt normal. But the best part was, there wasn’t a trace of pity in her eyes when she talked to him.
He hadn’t expected that, but he liked it. A lot.
Chapter Two
Cami kept her back turned as the microwave warmed the food. She needed to keep herself standing and busy or she’d fall asleep. What a day this had been. One she never wanted to repeat. The nurses had forced her home for some rest, but then she’d realized Lola had gotten out somehow. Everything had gone wrong. But her worry over having to leave Ben in the nurses’ care and panic at finding Lola missing were finally wearing off, replaced by memories of Jonah. He’d always been the rock that steadied and grounded her. With everything that had happened to her in the last seventy-two hours, she’d sorely needed his presence and hadn’t even recognized it. Being here brought back so many warm memories for her, like sunshine chasing away all her shadows. The reality was, though some things seemed the same, their lives
were very different than what they had been. She needed to keep that in mind.
Cami ran a hand through her damp hair and suppressed another shiver. She caught chills easily; that hadn’t changed. Back in the day, no matter what season it was Jonah would be hot and she’d always be cold. He usually had his arm around her to warm her up, though. That was one thing she wished hadn’t changed, even if it was just for tonight.
She stole a peek behind her. The military had been good to Jonah. He’d always been athletic and good-looking, but now he was powerful and had a ruggedness to him. His blond hair was cropped, military-style, but the short-sleeved T-shirt he wore that proudly said Marines on it pulled across a broad chest and showed off some muscular arms. On the outside, he seemed more like his old self, but every now and then his change in demeanor told her he was struggling with some inner demons. She wasn’t sure how to handle that. The Jonah she’d known had been so easy-going about most everything. She’d never seen him withdraw into himself before.
The microwave beeped and she pulled out the bowl and replaced it with the second one. Turn around and face him; you’re not some shy teenager. It’s Jonah, she scolded herself. “So, have you done anything fun since you’ve gotten home? Been over to the Movie Festival yet? They’re showing Christmas classics from the 30s and 40s this year with a live band playing Christmas carols in the lobby.”
He watched her with such a serious look on his face, she couldn’t help wishing he’d stayed easy to read. “No. I’ve been getting settled at home.”
There it was again. The withdrawal. His voice sounded so flat, like she shouldn’t have even suggested he go out. Maybe I shouldn’t have. Maybe it’s too hard for him to leave the house. But he seemed to get around just fine. She shrugged her shoulders. “Well, you probably had a lot of visitors. Once your dad let the cat out of the bag that you were coming home for Christmas, it spread like wildfire.”
Under the Mistletoe Collection Page 11
