AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Now it just wakes me up.” She grinned, brushing back a curl that seemed to insist on slipping over her eye. “I don’t have regular caffeine if that’s what you’re after.”
She slipped the pod into its chamber and started the brewing anyway.
“The more pick-me-up the better,” he assured her, his deep, dark voice still calm, almost lazy.
She didn’t bother asking if he wanted cream and sugar. Jack was a pretty no-nonsense kind of guy, always had been. And cream and sugar were nonsense when it came to coffee.
Brushing back that wayward curl again, she handed the cup to him as he stepped to the counter.
“You’re lookin’ good, Bridger.” She grinned—she couldn’t help it. “If you’re going to stay more than a day or two, you’ll have the women lining up for your attention.”
He grimaced. “God save me. I’d like to get the house fixed up, and the yard. Enjoy the summer a little maybe.”
She hoped her cup hid her surprise as she sipped at her coffee.
“Staying awhile, are you?” She glanced down at her bare toes.
The sassy toe ring, the chip in her polish. She should have slipped her sneakers on.
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “See how I like retirement.”
There was no hiding her surprise now. “Retirement? What are you, all of thirty-two? Who retires at thirty-two?”
“Me,” he stated without explanation. “It was time.”
She imagined that more than a decade as a Navy SEAL could disillusion a man. She’d always had the feeling Jack had been born disillusioned, though.
“So, you’re home for good?” she asked, ignoring the vibration of her phone in her back pocket.
Her brother was insistent.
“Maybe.” He glanced around the kitchen, then back at her. “How are you doing, Poppy? Good?”
Was she doing good? She had a good job, good friends. A nice house.
She nodded. “I’m doing good, Jack. You?”
“Normal.” His expression didn’t change, but his eyes seemed to soften.
They’d always done that. They were the color of gunmetal and ice normally, but the color would soften, become a little darker whenever she met his gaze.
She’d liked that. It made her feel as though the hard, normally reserved young man he had been thought of her as a friend. As someone special.
“And what’s normal for a retired Jack Bridger?” She smiled back at him, despite the painful thought.
He shrugged, and by the twist of his lips she sensed a bit of discomfort. “Ain’t been retired long enough to find out, I guess.”
He sipped at his coffee, just watching her as though he had nothing better to do, and nowhere to be. For a moment, she was seventeen again, slipping out of her bedroom window to join her friends in late-night teenage fun. And no matter where they went, it seemed Jack was sure to show up. He’d find a beer and a place to sit, and for the most part, just watch.
Until he began fighting.
Before the night was out, he’d end up in a fight, and everyone knew that when that happened the local police or sheriff would be there soon. Her friends would get her out of there, she’d slip back to her room, and the next day she’d go looking for him. Just to be certain he was okay.
Finishing her coffee, she continued to hold the cup, not wanting him to rush away.
“I’ll take another cup of that coffee to go, if you can spare it,” he finally said. “I still have a long day ahead of me before I can crash.”
“Do you have everything you need? Sheets, blankets?” she asked, taking his cup. “Pillows?”
