Page 13 of Lawson & Jill

“I think if our family had learned how to process bad emotions after dad died, maybe Xavier would have felt comfortable sharing how much pain he was in and wouldn’t have killed himself.”

Her hand tightened on the clenched muscle of his thigh.

“That’s not the kind of thing they teach in school. Yeah, reading, writing and ‘rithmatic, they’ll teach us that,” she said with gentle humor. “But saving for our retirement, or how to figure out how to deal with what we’re feeling? Nope. Then, if our parents don’t show us the way, we’re shoved out of the nest like blind baby birds.”

“I’ve never really looked at it that way. Those of us who join the military right out of high school sure as hell don’t learn much of that stuff. Sometimes your emotional growth is even stunted. At least Ash and I went to college before we enlisted, but Xave went straight in at eighteen. Ash was the one who took the girly psych stuff. I played ball.”

Jill smirked. “Of course you did.”

“Hey. Should I be complimented or offended?”

“Yes,” she answered with a straight face.

He got up from the love seat and held out his hand. “If I have to put up with your smart mouth, I’m going to need more sustenance, woman. Time for dinner.”

* * *

Law had been on a lot of dates, but by far, this was the best. He’d never felt this comfortable just sitting and talking with a woman. It was almost like he was out with one of his friends, not out on a date. Except his body knew for damn sure that she was a woman.

“Come on, you’re kidding me, right?”

“No, for real. They got a camel in the barracks and he spit in the captain’s eye.”

“You are so full of BS.”

“Seriously, it was my friend Clancy who arranged it.”

She picked up her glass of wine and took a dainty sip. Jill arched her eyebrow and grinned at him. “I bet you a hundred dollars if I asked Clancy, on his honor, if this was true, he would say ‘no.’”

Lawson roared with laughter. “How’d you know I was feeding you bullshit? Most people fall for that story.”

“Oh, Law, I believed you, all right. It’s just I worked with so many EMTs, firemen, and policemen who loved to play this game, that I just continued to call BS., and nine times out of ten they fessed up they were pulling my leg.”

“You believed me?” He took another roll and slathered it with butter. “I wouldn’t have guessed.”

“Oh yeah, I believed you. In my house growing up, we were all very serious. Teasing hardly ever happened. Lorraine’s family was much more laid back and joked a lot. It was sad when she first came to live with us. It took a year for her to regain her upbeat nature.” Lawson saw Jill eyeing the empty basket and kicked himself for taking the last roll. He’d have shared his, but he’d wolfed it down.

Just then the entrees were served.

“Is there anything else I can get for you?” the waiter asked.

“Another basket of bread would be good,” Law answered. He loved seeing Jill’s eyes light up.

“This looks wonderful, how did you find this place?” she asked as she cut into her halibut.

“Clancy told me about it.”

“He comes up a lot. I take it he’s a good friend?”

“He’s one of the best. Almost like a brother.” He took a big bite out of his steak, the better way not to talk about brothers.

Jill gave him a wry look. Apparently she realized why his mouth was suddenly full. He watched her take a bite of her fish, and swallow. And savor. And damn near moan her pleasure.

Law grabbed for his water so he could choke down his filet. She was killing him.

“Lawson?”

“Yeah?”