Chapter 2
The only coffee shop with decent coffee and good pastries that Law knew about nearby was a place that Sophia Gault used to work at. Her husband was a lieutenant of a Navy SEAL team called Midnight Delta. Law drove slowly so that Jill wouldn’t have any trouble following him, and she didn’t. He parked his car near another empty spot so she could park next to him. He was beside her door when she shut off her engine.
“I’ve driven past here a bunch of times, but I’ve never been in. Is it good?”
“Yep. Doesn’t matter what dessert you choose, you can’t go wrong,” Law said as he opened the door for her.
He wasn’t surprised when he saw a couple of guys he knew. He gave a head tilt, and they responded in kind. They caught on quick that he wasn’t up for any other conversation tonight except with the pretty brunette.
The teenage hostess sat them in a booth near the back and had coffee in front of them before they could ask.
“I love it when I immediately get coffee,” Jill said as she poured in a little cream.
“Do you want anything more than coffee and dessert?” Law asked. “They’re still serving dinner.” He nodded to some of the other diners.
“No, I’m good. I had something before the session. Yoga was next on my plans, and if I’d gone like usual, I’d have eaten a protein bar in my car.”
Law grimaced.
“What, you have something against protein bars?” her eyes twinkled.
“I like real food when I can get it. There are plenty of times I’m stuck eating bars and stuff, but whenever I’m in a spot that I can get real food, that’s my go-to, unless I’m in a real pinch.”
“Do you cook?” She took a delicate sip of coffee. She had great lips. He also liked the fact that she asked if he cooked. A lot of women just assumed because he was a Marine he couldn’t or wouldn’t.
“Yep. My mother wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s great in the kitchen. She taught all of her boys how to cook.”
“How many of you are there?”
“There were three of us. Xavier, Asher, and me. I’m the baby of the family.”
“Were?” she asked gently.
“We lost Xavier a year ago.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said sincerely. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Law set down his mug of coffee. He considered how to explain. But she must have seen something in his eyes.
Jill gave a wry grin. “That was stupid. If you’d wanted to talk, you would have about an hour ago.”
“Shit, I don’t know what I was doing there. It was kind of a last-ditch effort. I’m blaming it squarely on Ash’s head, and that asshole is going to hear about it, mark my words.” Law gave a feral grin at the thought of what he’d say to his brother.
Jill put her elbow on the table and propped her chin on her fist. “So, you’re going to tell your brother about going to the Grief Session? I’m impressed. I thought that would go against the macho code or something.”
“Marine code,” he smiled. “Not macho code, Marine code.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
“Bite your tongue. Marines are in a class of their own.”
Before Jill could flip him more guff, the middle-aged waitress appeared.
“What can I get you two?” she asked gruffly. Law felt for her, it looked like she’d put in a long day. Before he could say anything, Jill gave her a big grin.
“How are you doing? I love your nails.” Just that little question and compliment put a smile on the woman’s face. Jill had nice instincts when dealing with people. He liked it.
“Thanks. It’s a new color my daughter talked me into. What can I get for you two kids?”
“Do you feel like surprising me, or would you prefer I choose?” Jill asked.
“Do you like creamy or tart?” The waitress was clearly getting into the game.
“Creamy.”
“I’ve got you covered.” She turned to Law. “How about you? Want me to set you up, or do you have your heart set on something?”
“I’m with Jill; I trust your judgment. I’m in the mood for pie.”
“Well, you came to the right place. Are you out of Camp Pendleton?”
Law nodded.
“You had the look. It was either that or we get some of the guys from San Diego. I’ll bring it out to you and top off your coffee.” She left with a spring in her step that wasn’t there before.
“So, do you live at Camp Pendleton?”
“I’m too old for that. I have a house off base. What about you, where do you call home?”
He watched as Jill’s face clouded. “I inherited a house in Laguna Niguel from my cousin less than a year ago.”
“Now it’s my turn to ask, do you want to talk about it?”
“To tell you the truth, I’m kind of talked out,” she said as she took another sip of her coffee. Headlights flashed from outside through the diner window and glinted on her hair. The shiny black strands looked rich and silky and he wondered how they would feel running through his fingers. It took a moment for him to catch onto what she was saying.
“I’ve gone to the group sessions on and off for five months. I talked a little, but mostly just listened. I took a job transfer out here so I could move in with Lorraine and be with her while she needed me. After she passed, I realized that besides the people at work, I didn’t know anyone but Lorraine, so I thought the grief counseling sessions might help me as well as let me meet some folks who would be on the same page.”
“How’d that work out?”
“After the first three months, I’d pretty much come to the conclusion it’s not my thing. What about you? I saw you on the stairs with that boy Kevin from the art class. He’s always making a run for it.”
Law chuckled. “His name is Kenny. He’s a hoot. I swear, he almost had me convinced to go to his mother for comfort. He was telling me how unloading on her always made him feel better, and he offered her services to me.”
Jill let out a shout of laughter, then immediately covered her mouth and looked around to see if anyone else had heard.
“Oh. My. God. That’s priceless. I want him to come to the next Grief Session. He’d be perfect. But I’m not sure that I’m going again.” Jill sighed.
The waitress approached the table, carrying a tray with two plates. She slid a slice of pie in front of Jill. Law had no idea what in the hell it was, because it was completely blanketed with whipped cream. As a matter of fact, it could be just whipped cream. Jill cooed. She looked up in delight. “Doris, what is this? I’m in heaven.” Law noticed Doris’ nametag for the first time.
Doris preened at Jill’s words. “Banana cream pie. It doesn’t happen often, but Sophia, she owns a catering company now, brought this by this morning. I got you the last piece. You’re going to think you died and went to heaven when you try this. This is homemade whip cream, too. None of that canned stuff.”
Jill dipped her finger into the cream and swirled it around, then licked it. “You’re right, this is heavenly.”
“Told you.” She set the second plate in front of Law. “As for you, young man. You get a hot apple pie ala mode.”
Law grew up with a mother who made French pastries, so this was a treat. “Apple pie. You nailed it, Doris.”
“That makes my night. Let me know if I can get you anything else,” she said as she topped off their coffee.
As much as the pie interested him, Law was still more enthralled with Jill’s reaction to the whipped cream. Thank God she wasn’t making any more moaning noises because then he would really be having a hard time. Literally. As it was, just watching the euphoric expression on her face made his blood hum. He picked up his fork, looked down at his pie, and took a big bite.
“This is wonderful,” Jill said around a mouthful of cream. “However, I’m going to have to go to yoga at least three times this week to make up for the splurge.” Her voice melted over his senses like the ice cream melted over his tongue.
/> Law took a sip of coffee so he could clear his throat. “So, you know that I’m a Marine and grew up with two brothers. What do you do for a living?”
“It’s boring. I’m a clinical services trainer for systems that do remote heart monitoring.”
“Like RF cardiac equipment?”
She cocked her head sideways. “Yes, just like that. How’d you know?”
“Sometimes I’m involved in medivac extractions. I’d say your job is pretty important.”
“Nah, it’s mostly just creating training manuals and procedures so that the real folks can do their job.”
“Jill, don’t bullshit a bullshitter. You had to do the job before you could train others to do the job. So, how much hands-on experience do you have?”
“I worked down in Houston in a hospital for two years, and also as an EMT. That allowed me to really get into the nitty-gritty. I saw just how important it was to have the right equipment to assess and immediately communicate with the physicians. For a heart attack patient, it could make the difference between life and death.”
He liked that.
He liked her.
“Do you really think your current job is boring?”
“I really don’t know what I think. I’m antsy. I can do my job in my sleep. I came here from Texas for Lorraine. I could move back to Houston, but it seems like all of my friends have moved on. Ellie got married, and Troy and his wife just had twins. Tonight’s the most excitement I’ve had in months.”
Law considered her expression. He recognized parts of it. Definite sadness and a lack of direction. She looked like the rug had been pulled out from under her.
“When was the last time you took a vacation?” he asked.
Jill didn’t immediately answer. She continued to eat bite after bite of pie. Law didn’t push her, he could see that she was thinking.
“I took time off to take care of Lorraine, and one short trip with my parents. Other than that, nothing. We had a home health care worker come in a lot, she had good insurance and money to augment what wasn’t covered. But still, I wanted to be there for her, especially in the end.”
“Cancer?”
She put down her fork and nodded. “Pancreatic. It was her third bout. I visited the other two times, but we both knew this was going to be the last time, so I came to stay.”
Lawson covered her hand. Jill turned her palm upwards so that she could tangle her fingers with his.
“She’d kick my ass if she could see me right now. We discussed this. She knew I had hermit tendencies.”
“Siblings? Parents?”
“No siblings. My parents still have the same house where I grew up in Florida, but they both retired about six years ago and Dad talked mom into an RV.” Jill shuddered. “They now spend six months a year on the road in really, really, close quarters.”
Law grinned. “And that’s a bad thing?”
“Dad can’t hear and refuses to get hearing aids, and Mom loves to talk. So he can’t hear her, and she gets her feelings hurt. It’s kind of a mess. Then let’s add in the fact that they have three cats in the RV.”
Three cats?
Jill glared at him. “Don’t even try to deny it, I see you trying not to laugh. Yes, the darn thing smells like a litter box. Mom uses Febreeze and burns incense. Patchouli. I think Dad might have also lost his sense of smell along with his hearing.”
“Do they ask you to go RV’ing with them?” Law managed to ask with a blank expression on his face.
“Fortunately, I had a late-onset allergy to cats. At least, that’s what I told them. I met up with them in Deadwood, South Dakota. I had my own hotel room. We had fun for three days before I needed to get back to the office. How about you? Are you a hermit, or do you do a lot with friends and family?”
Lawson flipped his hand over so that hers was resting on top of his. Her hands were pretty and dainty. “I should probably release you so you can eat more of your pie,” he admitted.
“I’m thinking you should quit side-stepping questions,” Jill teased with a smile. “You know, sharing easy conversation and inconsequential personal information are things you do the first time you go out with someone. If you’re interested in having pie with them again, that is. But maybe I’m reading this situation wrong.”
Jill tried to pull her hand out of Law’s before it turned into a sweaty mess.
I didn’t really say that, did I?
Jill watched as Law’s dimples deepened and his eyes sparkled. His grip turned firmer. “Are you asking me out on a date, Ms. Keiler?”
Her cheeks heated.
“Ah, God, you’re blushing. Please say you’re not second-guessing yourself, because I really want to see you again.”
Jill’s lips curved into a slow grin. “Then I guess you’ll have to start participating a little more in the answer part of our conversation,” she teased as she blew out a sigh of relief.
“You mean inconsequential personal information? I’m good at that. Let’s see. I once grew a moustache on a dare.”
She curled her lip, then pulled her hand out of his and picked up her fork and took another bite of her pie. Lawson sighed. “That didn’t count, did it?”
“Ya think?”
“Let’s try this instead. I’m part of a team of twelve other Marine Raiders. When we’re on deployment we’re even closer than your parents are in their RV. When I’m stateside I’m a normal guy. I go to Belgium at least once a year to visit my mother, and Virginia to visit my brother, Ash. My brother Xave was stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Not a lot to do there, so he used to come out here.”
“Xavier died, right?” Jill asked gently. “When?”
Law put down his fork and his hand bunched into a fist.
“He killed himself thirteen months ago. Lucky thirteen.”
He kept a passive expression, but behind it, Jill could see the aching pain and anger swirling in his eyes.
“I’m so sorry. For you. For him. For your brother and mother.”
It wasn’t until Law looked down at the table that she realized she’d covered his clenched fist with her hand. He didn’t pull away. Instead, he looked back up at her, his expression confused.
“You know, I almost never tell people he committed suicide.”
She didn’t say anything, just waited. Hoping that if he needed to talk, she might be able to ease his burden.
“Most people just assume he died on a mission or in a training accident, and I just let them go with that. They offer their sympathy and move on when they get the hint that I don’t want to talk about it.”
She saw Doris walking toward them with the coffee pot and pause. She must have gotten the vibe coming from the table because she turned and walked away.
When Jill realized Law wasn’t going to say anything else, she asked a question.
“What was he like?”
“He was a genuine hero. People use that term too loosely in my opinion, but for Xavier it was true. He was awarded a Bronze Star for heroism. He—” Law shook his head like he was coming out of a trance.
“He sounds amazing.”
“He is. Was.” Law’s breath shuddered out of him and he relaxed his hand. “I have trouble thinking of him in the past tense.”
“I feel the same way about Lorraine. She and I were as close as sisters. My aunt and uncle died in a car wreck when she was fourteen and she came to live with us. She’d think it was pretty pathetic that I was trying to find friends at the grief counseling sessions.” Jill grinned. “But going out for coffee with you, that she would approve of.”
“Xavier would feel the same way. He’d be hip-checking me to get a chance to take you out.”
“Yeah sure,” Jill scoffed.
“It’s true. A beautiful woman who used to be an EMT, he would’ve had your phone number by now.”
“I don’t know about him, but I’m willing to give you my number.”
Law’s blue eyes darkened, and his smile turned wicked. �
�Hallelujah, I get to exchange numbers with the beautiful girl.” Law laughed out loud.
Jill was entranced. “What are you laughing about?”
Nothing’s really changed, Xavier is still a fantastic wingman.”
Chapter 3
“Did you go?”
“Really, that’s how you’re going to answer the phone?” Law grimaced as he turned the wrench on a stubborn bolt. “No, ‘Hi, how are you?’ How’s Eden, by the way? Can I talk to her, she has better people skills.”
“No, you can’t talk to her,” his brother growled. “Tell me if you went to counseling.”
Law would’ve been pissed if he didn’t hear the worry in Ash’s voice. Ever since Xavier’s suicide, they’d been putting each other under a microscope. Then Ash found Eden and Law was finally able to breathe again. Somehow, after the hell they’d gone through, and the way the couple communicated, Ash was finally at peace. So, Law didn’t worry about his older brother anymore.
“Law, answer me.”
“Dammit.”
The bolt came loose, but he’d stripped it.
“What’s wrong?” Ash demanded.
“I’m trying to work on my motorcycle and I stripped a bolt. It pissed me off. Yes, I went to a grief counseling session. It was a total bust. Except for meeting another escapee.”
Lawson wiped his hands on one of his garage towels, then picked up his phone and carried it out of the garage and into his house. He sighed with relief as he was hit with air conditioning.
“You can’t just go one time and call it a day. Dammit, Law, you didn’t even go to Maman’s sixty-fifth birthday party.”
“It was in Belgium and I was in Yemen so just how in the hell was I supposed to manage that?” Law set down his phone and put it on speaker so he could rifle through his fridge. Nothing, absolutely nothing. When was the last time he’d gone to the store? Shit, he had to settle on a protein drink, even though the beer was calling his name.
“She was disappointed.”
“Ash, I already told her I’d be there to celebrate Thanksgiving. I don’t know what else to tell you.” He took a chug of the drink straight out of the bottle and winced. Geez, just how old was this? He checked the expiration date. Ew.
Lawson & Jill: Romantic Suspense (Night Storm Legacy Book 1) Page 2
