Page 86 of A Hero Comes Home

And she did. Laura was one of those women who grew into their beauty, and then just went on improving as they grew older. Like the class nerd with dark-framed Coke bottle glasses who showed up at a ten-year class reunion looking sensational, making one wonder how she’d kept all that hotness hidden back in the day or if she was just a late bloomer. Like himself with the big nose he’d grown into, as well. Come to think on it, he’d first fallen in love with Laura in kindergarten when she’d smiled and come to his defense when some of the other kids called him “Nosey Posey” just because his nose took up half his little face back then. Later, the rude nickname became “Schnoz.”

In high school, Laura had been a little bit overweight, not enough that Izzie noticed, but she had always been on one half-assed diet after another and she’d worn clothes that she thought made her invisible. Not to him, though. And her skin hadn’t always been spotless. Whose was, during those zit years? No wonder she’d been a bit on the shy and timid side, not wanting to call attention to herself.

Now she was slim—petite, actually—clear skinned and hot, wearing what she probably thought was a boring gray suit, but she wore no blouse underneath, which he noticed, horndog that he was. The skirt was narrow and short, leading down to a pair of black “fuck me” high heels, the kind that left the toes and heel exposed, which he also took particular notice of, including the pink polish. Her silvery blonde hair, which used to be a mass of untamable curls, now hung straight about her face and onto her shoulders, probably due to one of those crazy ironing devices women used. And, yeah, she might not be wearing much makeup but that siren-red lipstick gave him ideas.

He still felt a little bit tight in the chest just looking at her.

“Save it,” she said, noticing his perusal, and sat down, not waiting for an invitation.

So much for shy and timid!

But, hey, he liked this new Laura.

Since she didn’t say anything right away, he searched his brain for something to fill the awkward silence and came up with, “You must be excited that Wendy moved back in town. You two were always best buddies.”

She nodded, and still said nothing, just gave him the stink eye.

To fill the continuing silence, he babbled on, “She and Ethan finally got their acts together, right?”

Wendy Patterson and Ethan Rutledge had been an item since practically toddlerhood here in Bell Cove, but they broke up before college when he’d gotten another girl pregnant. Wendy had gone off to be a female Navy SEAL, of all things, and Ethan stayed here to run his family’s Christmas tree farm, another huge surprise. But now they’d come full circle.

“I thought you would have been here for the wedding,” she commented.

“Couldn’t. I was in Kabul at the time.”

“You better not be thinking we’ll do the same thing.”

“Huh?” He sat up straighter in his chair. “Why would you think that I would think that?”

She shrugged. “You’re suddenly back in Bell Cove after all these years. You probably heard that I’m practically engaged to Gabe Conti. In case you don’t know, he’s an architect who moved here to take over his family’s Bell Forge factory.” She was the one to look embarrassed now, at her nervous babbling.

“Practically? What does ‘practically engaged’ mean? Is that like ‘sort of pregnant’?” he teased.

“You don’t have to be sarcastic.”

Yeah, I do. Either that or lean over and see if that lipstick tastes as good as it looks. “I thought you were engaged to the Great Dane.”

“Turns out Dane Hollis was marking every tree in the neighborhood.”

“A real dog, huh?”

“Yeah. How did you know about Dane?”

“My parents gave me all the news until they moved last year. And Uncle Abe and Aunt Rachel have made sure I’m up to date on all the Bell Cove gossip since then. But let’s be clear—I’m not here to cause trouble in your love life.” Or not much. “I’m here because of Jake,” he said, before biting his tongue.

“Ah,” she said and laid a cell phone on the table, which he noted had a record button on it. Being in Special Forces, he was accustomed to noticing crap like that. Scan your perimeter. Always be alert. Carelessness is your number one enemy. She sealed the deal when she took a notepad and a pen out of her briefcase, which she laid out before her.

Whaaat? Is that why she wanted to meet with me? Not to return something, like Jake said, or to hook up with me again, but to get a scoop on Jake. Well, shiiiit! She better not think she’s recording me.

He slid her phone across the table toward him and looked at her before he clicked off the record button. “No way, Lois Lane.”

“How do you know I don’t have a recording device planted on me?”

“Do you?”

“No. I don’t need a recorder. I have an excellent memory.”

This was a ridiculous conversation. It was like there was some big elephant in the room they were dancing around, and Izzie wasn’t a very good dancer. “Jake said that you have something to give me.”