A Soldier's Return

by Judy Christenberry

  “Wouldn’t Vanessa be better at that?”

  “Jim will be shopping on a budget. Besides, Vanessa’s never bought furniture,” Will pointed out.

  If she refused, Will would want to know what was wrong. She hadn’t been able to explain it to Vanessa. With Will it would be even worse. “Yes, of course. I can make a list of good places for you to go to.”

  “Will said I could have the rest of the day off and he’ll wait for the desk. Is that okay?”

  “Of course. It will only take a few minutes to make the list.” She picked up a pen and got out a clean sheet of paper.

  “You know where I can go?”

  “Yes, I know several places. There are some consignment shops in the area. Secondhand furniture is a lot cheaper than brand-new. Is that all right?”

  “Probably, if it looks nice.”

  She nodded and started writing.

  Will interrupted her. “Carrie, I think it would be better if you went with Jim. After all, he doesn’t know the area like you do.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be fine. Right, Jim?” After all, he didn’t appear to want her help.

  Unconvinced, Will replied, “I’d feel better about everything if you’d go with Jim, help him get set up. Is that okay with you, Jim?”

  Carrie felt a sense of doom. Even Jim wouldn’t deny what Will wanted.

  “Sure…if you think you can spare her.”

  “Of course I can. It’s for a good cause. You two go shop and I’ll wait for the deliveries.”

  “Okay. Can you go now, Carrie?” Jim asked.

  “Yes.” She reached down for her purse and then stood. “I’m ready.” What else could she do?

  “Okay. Let’s go. But we’ll take my car so my knees aren’t against the dashboard,” he quickly said.

  She turned to look over her shoulder. “If you prefer.”

  Three hours of intense shopping managed to provide Jim with a leather sofa and love seat, coffee table and end tables, two lamps, a kitchen set and a king-size bedroom suite, without mattress and box springs.

  Carrie had told him he needed to buy those new.

  All of them had been purchased at low prices because they’d been gently used before.

  “Wow!” Jim said as they got back in his car. “That’s incredible. And it didn’t cost nearly as much as I thought it would.”

  “Do you think you’re through?”

  He looked at her in surprise. “There’s more?”

  “You have no dishes, silverware, pots and pans, sheets or towels. I’m afraid they’re all necessary. We can go to Target and get all those things…if you want.” She was offering him a way out, because she didn’t think he’d want her assistance.

  “Yeah, I’m ready. With you for a guide, we’ll be through in no time.”

  “Am I pushing you into making decisions? If it’s too fast, we can quit for tonight.”

  “No, I definitely want to go on, but I do need to eat some dinner. How about you join me? That’s the least I can do for all your time. Then afterward, we can go on with our shopping.”

  “Oh, no, that’s not necessary. I—”

  “Don’t tell me you’ve already made plans. I haven’t given you any time to make plans,” he said, leaning down to see her face since she’d ducked her head.

  “I was just going to say that—that there’s no need to buy me dinner because…”

  “You’ve given up food for Lent? No, it’s not spring, so that can’t be it. You’re like a camel and can go without food for days at a time?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Jim!” she snapped.

  He waited until they were in his car. “I’m going to get Vanessa to go over to my apartment and wait for the deliveries. It’s great that they can deliver this evening, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, as long as you pay extra.”

  He grinned. “I’ve saved so much money, that’s not a problem. In the meantime, I owe you dinner. And I always pay my debts.”

  Carrie was too tired to argue with his firm statement. After he got Vanessa on the phone, he drove both of them to a small Italian restaurant. “I hope you like Italian,” he murmured.

  “Yes, I do. And this is a lovely restaurant.”

  “Good.”

  Once they were seated and had ordered, she said, “Vanessa was okay with waiting for your deliveries?”

  “Yeah. Makes me feel humble, though. She was happy to do something for me.” He shook his head. “I’ve come back into her life after twenty-some-odd years and she thinks it’s an honor to help me out.”

  “It is. Vanessa loves the feel of family around her.”

  “She’s always had family,” Jim pointed out.

  “You never met Vivian’s husband.”

  “You don’t mean Will, do you?”

  “No, Herbert. He was extremely old-fashioned and domineering. I don’t know how Vivian managed to live with him as long as she did.” Carrie shivered. Her father hadn’t had a clue as far as finances went, but he wasn’t cold and domineering like Herbert Shaw.

  “Not like Vivian, I gather,” Jim said wryly, watching her.

  “No. They were opposites.”

  The waiter brought their food. After he left the table, Jim said, “It’s funny how opposites attract. I had several guys under me marry women who were as different from them as night from day.”

  Carrie said, “But you only heard one side of the marriage, right? So you don’t know if that was accurate or not.”

  “True. And I didn’t have any desire to investigate,” he said with a grin. “In spite of their complaints, they seemed happier after marriage than they did before.”

  “And that fact didn’t tempt you to marry?”

  Jim stiffened in his chair. “No. No, that didn’t tempt me. A soldier’s life is hard on women.”

  “Unless she’s a soldier, too?”

  “Don’t try to accuse me of being sexist again, Carrie.” After a moment, he added, “I’ve worked with women soldiers in certain situations and they did a great job.”

  “Good. But I would think a marriage between two soldiers would double the problems in a marriage.”

  “Yeah.”

  They ate for several minutes without talking.

  Finally Jim said, “I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable today.”

  Carrie tensed. Then she drew a deep breath. “Don’t worry. Tomorrow you’ll have your own desk and your computer should be there soon after we open the office.”

  “Good. I’ll have to set up my desk, too.”

  “Yes, and then everything will go back to normal.”

  After studying her silently, he said, “What’s normal?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “Everyone working. We haven’t gotten a lot done, what with your arrival and Jamie’s birth.”

  “Right. The faster I pick things up, the better off we’ll be. I think I can do a lot right away.”

  “And you’ll want to schedule a meeting with Mr. Michaels. He needs to be reassured.”

  “Have you worked with him before?”

  “Yes,” Carrie said, dropping her gaze to her plate. Why tell Jim that Mr. Michaels’s cases were the easy ones? They still needed to be done.

  “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  He was too perceptive for his own good. “There’s a lot I’m not telling you, Jim. I can’t explain everything we’ve done for the past five years. Some things you’ll have to find out for yourself.”

  “Okay, I’m a believer of that philosophy. I think you learn more by doing than listening.”

  They finished their meal and returned to the car, where Jim asked for instructions to find the nearest Target. Carrie gave him the information and then sat back, allowing him to be in charge. It had been a long day and she was tired.

  It was a full two hours later when they finally returned to the apartments. Lugging packages, they walked up to the second floor, to the apartment opposite Carrie’s. Jim knocked on his d
oor and Vanessa opened it.

  “Oh, Jim, the furniture is beautiful! You did a great job. And so fast!” Vanessa said, drawing her brother and Carrie into the apartment. “I arranged it, but you can change it however you want it.”

  Jim stood there surveying the furniture he’d bought. “It looks great the way it is. Good job, Vanessa,” he said, stooping to kiss her cheek. “Now, you and Carrie can start unpacking while I go bring up the rest of our purchases.”

  He disappeared before Carrie could object.

  “What all did you buy?” Vanessa asked, eagerly reaching for one of the sacks.

  “Everything he needs for an apartment. At least I hope so.” She opened a box of dishes, setting out a service for four in cobalt-blue.

  “I like that color,” Vanessa said as she opened the pots and pans.

  “So did Jim. Amazing you’d have the same taste, isn’t it?”

  “I guess so. But I can’t believe he managed to buy so much in such a short space of time. I know I couldn’t do that.”

  Carrie shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe you could if I was helping you—and you didn’t have a place until you did.”

  Vanessa looked at Carrie with a questioning look. “Are you okay?”

  Carrie gave her friend a hug. “Yes, I’m just tired.”

  “Sit down while I unpack. It’s like Christmas, isn’t it?” Vanessa enthused as she returned to the table where the bags had been dropped. Just then the door opened again and Jim returned with more boxes and packages.

  “This is it,” he announced, taking deep breaths. “Those stairs are going to keep me in shape.” After a quick glance at Carrie, he added, “Like your friend there.”

  Carrie ignored the implied compliment. “I’m glad we were able to do so much, but if you don’t mind, I’m going to bed now. It’s been a long day.” With a nod she slipped from the room.

  Vanessa looked at her brother. “Did you do something to Carrie?”

  “Nothing more than wear her out trying to find everything I need.”

  “Except a mattress. Where are you going to sleep?”

  “Tonight on the sofa. I’ll get a mattress tomorrow.”

  “But you haven’t even bought any food. How will you manage breakfast in the morning? Promise you’ll come to our house for breakfast. Please?”

  “Okay, if you’re sure Betty won’t mind.”

  “You could come spend the night, too. It would save your trying to make sense of all this tonight.”

  “No, Vanessa, I’m staying here tonight, but I’ll be over in the morning. What time?”

  “Eight-thirty? You could bring Carrie, too. She hasn’t come to breakfast in a while.”

  “I’m not sure she’ll come, but I’ll try,” he promised and hugged his sister good-bye. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  CARRIE WAS UP at her usual time the next morning. She’d had no trouble going to sleep last night. This morning, after stretching, she almost felt normal.

  Until she remembered that Jim was just across the hall. She thought she’d had herself under control. Until yesterday. She’d gotten way too involved in his life. But that was over, she vowed. He had what he needed.

  Jim was all set up in a nice apartment, albeit in the wrong place, with everything he needed. Today things would return to normal.

  A knock on the door startled her. She put down the skim milk she was drinking and walked over to peer through the peephole.

  Swinging open the door, she tried for a pleasant tone. “Good morning.”

  “Morning,” Jim replied, adding a lazy smile. “Vanessa invited us both over for breakfast this morning. I didn’t know how early you’d be up, so I—”

  “Thanks, but I just finished my breakfast.”

  He looked over her shoulder, as if trying to verify her words. “A glass of milk?”

  “I have skim milk in the morning along with toast.” Then Carrie got angry with herself for giving him those details.

  “Come with me. You’ve got room for a little more breakfast, and Vanessa will be disappointed if you’re not there.”

  “No, she won’t, as long as you’re there,” Carrie snapped.

  Jim’s eyes narrowed. “Is that what’s wrong? Are you jealous of the attention Vanessa’s been showing me?”

  Carrie drew a deep breath. “No, I’m not jealous at all. I’m thrilled for Vanessa that you’ve finally come home. But I have already had my breakfast and I’m going to work.”

  “You’ll be the only one there. Will will be having breakfast with all of us. He’ll be expecting you, too.”

  “He’ll survive. Thank you for stopping by. I’ll see you at the office.” She started closing the door, thinking she’d ended the conversation.

  Jim put his foot in the door, stopping her. “You’re going to upset everyone if you don’t come. Is that what you want? To create a stir?”

  Carrie dropped her head. She couldn’t win! “No, that’s not what I want,” she muttered in a low voice, “but—”

  “Come and have a cup of coffee at least. You can slip out early if you think it’s necessary.”

  His suggestion made sense, but she hated going along with him. After a moment of silent debate, she lifted her chin. “Fine, I’ll come for a few minutes. Then I’ll go on to the office.”

  “Good. Want to share a car?”

  “How would I go to the office early if we only have one car?”

  “I could come later with Will.”

  “Fine. Let me get my purse.”

  Jim stood there, his face showing no emotion. What did he have to frown about? He’d won the argument, Carrie reminded herself.

  After getting her purse and keys, she locked her door and led the way down the stairs. When they reached the parking lot, she headed to her own car.

  “Wait a minute,” Jim called. “Let’s take my rental car.”

  “No, I have to have my car if I’m going to leave for the office before you do.” She opened the door and slid behind the wheel, waiting for him to follow.

  Jim crawled into the passenger seat with a frown on his face. “I don’t know why you couldn’t drive my car to the office.”

  “Because I’m not listed as a driver on your rental. If something happened, your insurance wouldn’t pay.”

  “I need to get my own car,” he muttered.

  “Probably. Will knows a lot about the local dealers. He can help you.” She didn’t want him involving her in that process. She was going to work today.

  He was more perceptive than she’d thought. “So I’ve worn out your generosity with all our shopping yesterday?”

  “No, I didn’t mean that. I just thought you should use Will’s experience.”

  Nothing more was said until they reached the Greenfield house. When she got out of her car, Jim had already circled the vehicle to help her out. As they walked to the door, he put his hand on her back, a typical male gesture to guide the woman in his charge.

  Only she wasn’t in his care. She was independent. She sped up to put some distance between them.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, catching up to her as she waited for the front door to open.

  She pretended she didn’t know what he was talking about. Giving him a quizzical look over her shoulder, she swung back around as Peter, Betty’s husband, answered the door.

  “Good morning, Peter. I hope you’re expecting us,” she said, smiling at the man.

  “’Course we are, Miss Carrie. Come right in. They’re all at the table already, but there’s plenty left for the two of you.”

  “I’m sure,” Carrie said. “With Betty cooking, there’s always plenty of food.”

  Jim offered Peter his hand. Then he followed Carrie to the dining room.

  Will stood as they came in. “We’re glad you made it. Vanessa was getting antsy. She kept wanting to call both of you, but I told her you’d get here.” He beamed at both of them.

  Carrie took a deep breath, hiding her relief that she’d
decided to come. It was so easy to fall into the warm embrace of this loving family. She’d have to be careful.

  “I had to twist Carrie’s arm,” Jim drawled, and Carrie wanted to stomp on his toes. “She thought she needed to be at the office early today.”

  “We don’t have anything early today, do we, honey?” Will asked, looking at her.

  “No, of course not, but I didn’t get much work done yesterday.”

  “She spent all her time helping me get set up,” Jim pointed out.

  Vanessa spoke. “You’d be amazed, Mom. They managed to do so much in one day.”

  “I can’t wait to see. What do you want for a house-warming gift, Jim?” Vivian asked, taking Jim by surprise.

  “Uh, nothing. That’s not necessary.”

  “He doesn’t have a coffeemaker yet, Vivian,” Carrie said, avoiding Jim’s gaze.

  “Wonderful, Carrie. We’ll get you that, Jim. Do you prefer a certain kind?”

  “No. But really, Vivian, that’s not necessary.”

  Will stopped the argument. “You might as well graciously accept, Jim. Vivian won’t be deterred. Here, have some eggs,” Will said, passing a platter.

  Betty entered at that moment. “Don’t you be offering him those cold eggs! I have some hot ones right here,” she assured Will. She immediately circled the table to serve both Carrie and Jim.

  Carrie just took a spoonful, determined to eat and get out as quickly as possible. When Jim did the same, Betty spooned more onto his plate. Carrie couldn’t hold back a smile.

  Next Peter entered the room with warm cinnamon rolls. Carrie’s mouth watered just from their aroma. She took one, bit it and closed her eyes to enjoy its sweet flavor.

  Jim leaned over and whispered, “Glad you came?”

  Her eyes popped open and she glared at him. “Of course, but my hips aren’t.”

  She felt the heat from Jim’s eyes scorch her skin as they made their way down from her face over her neck, where her pulse beat suddenly faster. They lingered on the curves of her breasts and finally landed on her hips. By the time he raised his head to her, she felt as if she’d spontaneously combust. Then, leaning in close, so close she could smell the musk of his aftershave, he whispered in a husky voice, “I don’t see a problem.”

  Carrie nearly choked on her cinnamon roll. Problem? Her pulse still raced. They had a problem, all right.