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“You learn pretty quickly not to be tardy in the Navy,” I laugh self-consciously, pulling my leather jacket off and rolling up the sleeves of my plaid shirt. “Have you ever had to clean toilets with a toothbrush? The threat of that job alone made me early for everything.”
Livi scrunches up her nose to show her disgust, and I remember how adorable I find that little habit.
I quickly change the subject and nod toward the box in her hands. “What did you get from Dreams? I swear I used to fantasize about their banana cream pie when I was face down in the dirt during Hell Week.”
Livi grins and lifts the lid, and my mouth immediately begins to water. Inside is one of their famous banana cream pies, drizzled with caramel sauce.
“Mom made sure to order your favorite,” she says sweetly.
“Did I ever tell you that woman is a saint?” I laugh, finding it hard to resist the urge to dip my finger into the cloud of whipped cream piled on top of the pie.
Livi laughs too and snaps the lid shut, obviously seeing the hungry look in my eyes that is only partly to do with the pie she’s holding.
“So this is where you two are hiding!”
Livi and I both turn to find Sheila standing on the porch with her arms crossed, a knowing smile playing on her lips.
“Now bring that pie in here before all that cream spoils!” she scolds, before turning on her heel and heading back inside, leaving the front door open for us.
“I guess we’d better do as she says,” I whisper, winking at Livi and putting my hand on the small of her back to guide her toward the front door. Just the feel of her warm skin under her halter top has me wondering what it would feel like to graze my fingertips down her smooth naked back.
I grab the six-pack of Dave’s favorite pale ale from the box on the back of my bike and follow Livi inside. As I step over the threshold, it’s like going back in time. My senses are overwhelmed by the smoky smell of the barbecue, the family pictures lining the hallway, especially the one of me and Pete taken the day we turned out as Navy SEALs.
I walk slowly and take in pictures of Sheila and Dave’s wedding, pictures of Pete and Olivia as smiling babies and grubby toddlers, Livi smiling with a mouth full of braces and me and Pete in our football jerseys after our senior year homecoming game. So many amazing memories, but they’re all tainted with my failure to protect my best friend.
“You remember that game?” Dave’s deep baritone voice jars me from my guilt trip, and I turn to see Pete’s dad standing beside me wearing his Kiss the Chef apron. “It was the biggest homecoming win in Cougar’s history. If I recall, you boys didn’t pay for another burger or pizza for the rest of your senior year.”
I chuckle at the memory, remembering that Pete and I got more dates after that game than either of us had ever had.
I notice Dave’s Adam’s apple bobbing as he works hard to contain his emotion, so I clap him on the shoulder and try to move the conversation away from his dead son.
“The food smells amazing. Please say you’re making your famous ribs.”
Dave quickly swipes his cheek and turns to me with a smile on his face although his eyes are still glassy with emotion.
“I sure am,” he croaks, clapping me on the shoulder and leading the way through to the kitchen. “I’m also debuting my Buffalo chicken drumsticks, so I need you to be brutally honest.”
Being back in the kitchen where I shared so many meals with this family is like a punch in the gut.
“You know I will.” I choke on the words as I notice Pete’s ceremonial flag sitting right there on the mantle above the fireplace. The same flag that was draped over his coffin, the flag that I helped to fold and present to his heart-broken family. I can feel the sweat sliding down my back like icicles and it’s taking every ounce of self-control to take my seat at the table while Sheila and Dave fuss around getting dinner ready and talking about the fair.
Thankfully they don’t seem to have noticed that I’m about to have a full-blown panic attack.
The same can’t be said for Livi. When I look up, she's staring right at me, her eyes flicking between mine and the flag on the mantle. Her deep blue eyes are staring straight into my soul, and I can tell that sees everything. I feel exposed and vulnerable under her gaze, but I can’t look away. Maybe it’s better that she knows the truth about me because I know at that moment that I’m falling for her, and that’s something that just can’t happen.
Ever.
Chapter 6
Olivia
Jake has the strangest look on his face. I’ve been watching him slowly freak out since he sat down and noticed Pete’s flag on the mantle. He slung his soft leather jacket over the back of the chair and accepted a beer from my dad all without taking his eyes off the flag.
And then his eyes meet mine, and I’m lost in those soulful brown depths that always looked at me so kindly when I was a kid. He never mocked or belittled me even when I was mooning after him like a love sick puppy. But now there’s something else there—something hot and hungry that lights up my lady parts and steals the air from my lungs. I swallow the dry lump in my throat and lick my lips, trying to break the connection before those parts make me clamber into his lap and devour his mouth.
“So Jake, how long are you on leave?” my mom asks as she puts bowls of pasta salad and coleslaw on the table.
Jake blinks several times, and finally I’m released from his stare, and I can breathe again. God damn it, is it hot in here?
