Brianna and Cable looked at each other, then back at Jake.
"Sure,” said Cable.
"For a little while,” Brianna added.
"Great.” Jake winked knowingly. “Save the dishes. Dad'll do them later. Come'n out."
Brianna wiped her hands on a dishtowel and followed them, cursing herself. She didn't want to play Cranium, she wanted to go on this pseudo-date with Cable. But she hadn't wanted to contradict him, when he seemed to be enjoying himself and might see her as being pushy.
Damn it. She had to stop this. She still felt like a teenager, but now in a bad way. She'd smile and play the game for half an hour, then they'd go get their coffee. It was as simple as that.
* * * *
Brianna should have known. Simple was never part of Macgregor family events, not anymore. The game went on for two hours, interrupted by drink runs, bathroom trips, the impossibility of getting her mother to sit still for five minutes, and Joey's interest in Cable's biceps and refusal to nap. By the time the game wrapped up, it was sunset, and Brianna figured Cable wouldn't want to go for their walk now. She was trying to hide her frustration and disappointment as she put the game away, when Kira spoke up.
"Anyone in the mood for appletinis? Brie makes great ones, Cable, though...” She looked him over. “That might not exactly be your kind of drink."
"Actually, Kira, I think we're going to say goodnight."
Silence descended on the living room, except for the burbling noises Joey was making with his lips. Brianna wasn't sure what to say. He'd said “we,” right? Everyone turned to look at her. Yep, he'd said we.
"Um, we were going to go get coffee on the square,” she added.
"I wanna go! I wanna go!” Joey started bouncing at his mother's feet.
"No, sweetie.” Kira bent and hefted him to her hip when he turned on the siren. “I think that's our cue to go home."
"They have a new coffee shop?” Parker asked. He looked at Sophie. “You want—"
"No.” She grabbed his arm. “We have to go home. Boston traffic, you know."
"It's Sunday night. It won't be"—Sophie whacked him on the shoulder—"easy to get through town, you're right, we should leave now.” He led the hugging and kissing goodbye, while Brianna endured the significant looks and smug smiles and Cable's amusement. She wondered if this was even worth it.
A few minutes later, when they were walking in the soft light, with the cool breeze rustling the leaves above them, the dying sun casting that last-ditch, golden glow, she was absolutely certain it was.
They chatted about school a little until they got their coffees, then strolled around the square.
"I don't want to always talk about work with you,” Cable said, sipping his espresso. “So tell me something about Brianna. Tell me about the traveling."
"Geez, you don't want to hear about my piddling travels. You've been all over the world."
"Yeah, well, it's not the same when you're going for the stuff we were going for. I didn't play tourist very much."
Brianna mentally kicked herself. “Sorry. I didn't mean to be glib."
"No, it's okay. No one really understands unless they've lived it. It doesn't bother me. Plus, I want to hear about you, not just about the places you've been. So, what's your goal?"
She looked up at him. God, he had a gorgeous profile. “Goal?"
"Some people travel to learn new cultures. Some want to see the sights. Some want to sample the food. What are you about?"
"Ah. Well, I guess I was looking for adventure.” She waved a hand. “For a while, Brook Hollow felt tame for me. I got restless. It seems to run in the family. My mother kind of had a breakdown a few years ago, took a vacation alone, going where she wanted to go, and it revitalized her and my parents’ marriage. So now she goes every year, making new friends, doing things like white-water rafting.” The breeze blew her hair in her face and as she reached for it, her hand bumped Cable's. He caught the errant strands and tucked them behind her ear. She smiled.
"Sounds like she'd been bottling it up for a while.” He smiled back. Something wiggled happily inside her.
"No doubt. It scared us. But it also taught us something, I think. Kira thought she needed the excitement of Boston, but realized she really needed Jake and Brook Hollow. It was almost too late, but they got through. Sophie hated her job and hated the rich playboys she had to suck up to as investors, so she ended up doing a radio show, then Parker joined her. And guess what he was?"
"A rich playboy."
"Yep. They still do the radio show, Rant and Rave."
"I heard them when I was in Boston. I never caught that it was your sister. They're great."
She beamed. “I know. It's such a bummer that we can't hear them here. Anyway, they found what fulfilled them. I don't think I have yet.” She hesitated, but why bother hiding it? Cable was involved with her family, and he'd get the full picture sooner or later. Or most of it. “I thought it had to be something exciting. First grade is mundane, doing bookkeeping even worse. I watched too many movies,” she confessed, and realized she'd been rattling on forever. She sneaked a glance at Cable and saw he was frowning. She'd bored him to death. Man, this wasn't going well.
"Anyway, I'm over it, back to my little world here in Brook Hollow.” She tried to trill a laugh, but it came out sounding nervous. “You're no stranger to adventure. What made you retire and start teaching?"
"Adventure isn't all it's cracked up to be."
Don't I know it. She didn't say it out loud, but held her breath, hoping he wasn't going to say he loved it anyway.
"I think teaching, besides parenting, is the most important job in the world, and I wanted to do something valuable."
They paused at the short bridge over a stream that went under the road and cut across the square before disappearing underground on the other side. Brianna leaned over and watched the water rush beneath them. She didn't like coming here. It used to make her think of life rushing on by, leaving her stuck where she was. Now it reminded her of the damage that could be done when you sought something you didn't understand.
"You chose that valuable profession, Brianna. That says something about you."
"I wish.” She straightened and set her cup on the ledge in front of her, toying with the lid. Cable leaned next to her and studied her face. “At the time, it was just something I knew I could do."
"At the time?"
She shrugged. “You never know what something is going to be like until you do it. It's my thing, and it's enough for me."
Cable settled next to her, their shoulders brushing as they watched the water. She leaned into him a little, pleased when he didn't shift away. They stood in silence for a minute but it was a full silence that didn't need to be filled with conversation.
Cable turned, still leaning one elbow on the wall, looking up at her now. “So, does ‘it's enough for me’ mean no more adventure?"
She smiled. “I think that's safe to say."
They looked at each other for a moment, letting the electricity between them pop and then grow.
"I've been rambling on all night and you've hardly said anything,” Brianna said after a minute. “What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking about this.” He rested his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her slowly toward him, lifting himself off the rock ledge to meet her mouth halfway.
The kiss was gentle, full of early promise. His lips were firm on hers, confident, tasting of coffee and him. Brianna shifted closer and he immediately released her, sliding his hand from her neck to just above her elbow and putting several inches between them.
"It's getting dark,” he said, his eyes still holding hers. She couldn't be offended that he'd stopped, seeing the look on his face. He was being a gentleman, moving slowly. Most of the women she knew would kill to find a guy who would treat them like this.
"I guess that means we should start heading back."
"Or...” He looked around. “We could catch f
ireflies."
She realized they were surrounded by the flickering green lights. “Really?"
"Really.” He reached up, making a closing motion with his hand, but shook his head. “Missed."
"The females would be easier,” Brianna said. She moved back across the street to the grassy area under the trees. Downtown was nearly deserted now, and the streetlights were just starting to come on. She bent and cupped her hand around a beetle on the ground, lifting it for Cable to see.
"That's lazy,” Cable said. “I thought you were adventurous."
"Ooooh, you're challenging me?” She let the bug go and looked around. “Five minutes. Whoever catches the most wins."
They chased around on the grass, laughing and bumping into each other, jostling for the same bugs, then tumbling in a heap against each other when Cable deemed the time up.
"I caught seven,” he said, peering into his loosely closed hand.
"No way, let me see.” He showed Brianna the group crawling around on his fingers. “Good job,” she praised him. “But I caught nine."
"Yeah, right.” He attacked her, trying to pry her hands apart.
She squealed. “You're going to crush them!” She rolled away and opened her hands, shaking them to encourage the bugs to fly away. Most of them did.
Cable loomed over her. “Cheater.” His features were in shadow with the only light behind him. She wondered what it would be like to witness him in the field, doing his deadly duty. He moved so lightly and easily, even being away from the job for as long as he'd been. She bet he was beautiful to see.
"I didn't cheat."
"Then why didn't you let me count them?” He focused on her mouth.
"I—um—I...” She licked her lips, forgetting what they'd been talking about. Her heart thudded in her chest. Kiss number two, coming up.
His elbows bent and his mouth met hers unerringly, even in the dark. This time his tongue joined in, coaxing, and she welcomed the deepening. It had been a long time since she'd been involved with a man. A long time since anyone had kissed her, or touched her, or held her. With a flash of awareness, she realized this could be what she'd been missing in her life.
Startled, she let her head drop to the ground. Cable eased back.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing.” Her pulse was racing. Her body felt electric, alive in a way she couldn't remember feeling, just from a simple kiss. Hell, she wanted more. “Come here.” She fisted her hand in his shirt and pulled him closer. He didn't resist but slid his arm under her, then rolled them so he cradled her in the crook of his other arm, off the ground. The kiss went on until Brianna lost track of time. Until full dark descended.
Until a siren went off not twenty feet away, and a blinding light landed on them.
Brianna jerked away from Cable and bounced to her feet. He was slower to move, and looked less guilty as a result. She shielded her eyes against the flashlight in her face and the red and blue bar on the car at the curb.
"What's going on here?"
"What did it look like, Officer?” Cable stood on her left and rested his hand on Brie's right shoulder. His words could have been belligerent but came out respectful and polite.
"It looked like—Ms. Macgregor?"
Brie squinted, and the officer lowered the light a little. “Mr. Downey?"
"Uh, yeah. What—what are you doing?"
"Catching fireflies. What are you doing?"
"I thought I was reprimanding a coupla teenagers, but ... you're not who I would have expected."
She smiled sheepishly. “I bet. Um, Cable Addison, this is Bob Downey. His son is in my class. Bob, Caitlyn will be in Cable's class next year. He's the new kindergarten teacher."
"Oh. Okay. Well, nice to meet you.” He released his hand from his gunbelt and lowered the Maglight off his shoulder, reaching to shake Cable's hand.
"You, too, sir. I look forward to teaching your daughter."
"You two need to move along, now. It's getting late."
Brie didn't think it was even much past eight o'clock, but figured it was better to do as he'd asked. Besides, they weren't teenagers. They had better places to make out.
They said goodnight to Officer Downey and started walking back toward her parents’ house, where their cars were parked. They didn't talk, but Cable laced his fingers through hers, letting their hands sway between them. Brianna felt a contentment she would have denied being capable of just yesterday.
When they got back to the house, Cable kissed her briefly at her car, holding the door while she climbed in.
"I'll see you at school tomorrow,” he said, leaning down.
"Oh.” Brianna concentrated on buckling her belt so he wouldn't see her disappointment. “Right. At school."
"Yeah. And maybe you can come over for dinner tomorrow night?"
She grinned. “Sounds good, if you can cook."
"Of course I can cook. I was a SEAL.” He leaned further into the car. “Thanks for a nice night, Brie."
"No, thank you.” She stretched the few inches between them and kissed him a final, decisive kiss. “Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow."
Driving away, knowing he was behind her, Brianna thought maybe tomorrow was all she needed, after all.
CHAPTER 3
Cable slowed his truck as the flagman in the middle of the road ahead of him spun his sign from “Slow” to “Stop.” He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel while a crew offloaded a backhoe from a flatbed. Or rather, while six guys stood around watching the driver maneuver the machine off the truck. It took long enough to back up a dozen cars in each direction. In Brook Hollow, that was a lot at six in the morning.
He wondered if Brie was on her way in yet, and if she ever stopped at the coffee shop on the square before school for a decent coffee before settling for the bitter, watery stuff that was all they seemed capable of at school. He liked the idea of sharing a routine. Or building one together, if they didn't already have the same habits. But when he finally made it past the corner—he hoped they weren't starting a major project that would foul traffic every damned morning—he didn't see Brianna's Jetta anywhere on the road or parked near the café.
The little business was packed full, and he was glad he'd come early. He had to be at school by seven, and if the line moved slowly, he'd just make it. He waved back at the paint guy and the lady from the education store, both of whom looked delighted to see him. He hoped the paint guy's sister wasn't here. It was far too early for fending off predatory females.
Glancing around, he grabbed a newspaper and got in line. No familiar blond head, though he did see several other faces he knew. Maybe he'd just invite Brianna to join him tomorrow, instead of hoping like some teenaged geek that she'd be here.
The headlines were the usual dire predictions and references to the world's hot spots. Cable often read those articles and imagined his teammates there, remembering old ops and planning what he'd do if he was leading a team now. Today, though, he wasn't interested. He felt further removed from all of that than he had in the years since he'd retired, and he took that as a good sign. A lot of guys didn't take to civilian life very well. He flipped to the local section and looked for more pertinent stories.
"Well, I think it's just plain wrong of the town council to allow her to start digging. They should have a community meeting to discuss whether or not we even want one, for goodness sake."
The woman's strident tone had Cable looking up and assessing the situation. Several people surrounding one mousy-looking woman in a gray cardigan were nodding, and no one but her looked upset, so he figured it wouldn't turn into a problem. Local politics heated tempers, but didn't usually generate violence.
He looked back at his paper, but the group was close enough that he had trouble tuning out their conversation now that he'd tuned in.
"She's been trying for years to get approval. The council will just say we had plenty of time to offer our opinions,” said an older man.
"W
hy'd she come back, anyway?” a younger man asked, sounding like he was scowling. His back was to Cable.
The line moved forward a couple of feet. The scrawny balding guy who'd come in behind Cable coughed and shuffled his feet.
"Dunno. Maybe she wants another try at Jake McKenna,” someone said, and a few people laughed.
"It's not funny,” said the cardigan woman. “She almost ruined his life."
"Yeah, Karen, with your help."
Cable glanced over as he flipped the page of his paper, and the woman's face looked pinched and rueful. “Well, I was as duped by her as the rest of you. We just don't need her kind in Brook Hollow.” She caught Cable's eyes as she said that, and blanched. He smiled, wondering if she thought they didn't need his kind, either.
"Ignore her,” said the guy behind him. Cable turned. “She's a busybody. Everyone knows it.” He held out his hand and said his name, or so Cable thought, but the sudden roar of the bean grinder drowned him out. He shook his hand, then looked, bemused, at the business card the guy had slipped him.
"Taxes, bookkeeping, some financial planning, investment management, you know, a little of all of it.” He leaned back and forth, pointing repeatedly at the card as he talked in a patter that reminded Cable of an instructor he'd had while getting his teaching certificate. “So anything you need, I can do."
"Thanks,” Cable said, pocketing the card. “I do my own. But I'll keep you in mind.” Before the guy could continue trying to sell him, Cable reached the counter and ordered his coffee, their robust blend. Large.
And smiled the evidence surrounding him that he was, as he'd intended, planted firmly in the center of what he'd once fought to protect.
* * * *
"Most guys never get a taste of this, you know?” He was trying out something else new for him later that day, actually talking about the things he thought and felt but never articulated. He'd brought a book he'd borrowed for his advanced reading group back to Brianna, then helped her get her room in order, moving chairs back to the tables and putting away pillows and blocks. And somehow, he started talking about that morning in the coffee shop.
Brianna's Navy SEAL Page 3
