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16
Everleigh grinned, then swallowed the delicious bite of cookie in her mouth. "You were right. Are right. You are right."
Sipping from her water bottle, she bit into her cookie once again. Henry watched her. His lips turned up at the corners and it was hard to look away from him. The man was positively enticing.
He nodded and bit into his cookie. His eyes stared into hers and she couldn't look away.
He swallowed the last bite of his cookie, washed it down with water then his lips spread open into a breathtaking smile. "Well?"
"Well, what?" She responded.
"Eating cookies or baking them?"
"Oh." She chuckled and took a drink of water. "Eating them. To be honest, I don't know how to cook. I guess I'd be a pathetic housemate or wife. I've lived most of my adult life on military bases or in hotel rooms. So, I eat what is available at the local grocery stores or when all else fails, I'll stop at a diner."
He stared at her a moment and she thought he'd be a great poker player, because she couldn't guess the direction of his thoughts.
"That's sad. Honey, you haven't had an actual life."
The heat crawled up her chest, it burned her cheeks and her ears. Her breathing caught in her throat. Words escaped her. A slight panic crawled through her body. He thought she was pathetic.
His right hand stretched across the table and wrapped her left hand in its warmth. His fingers squeezed gently. His voice was soft when he said, "Maybe to some I haven't had an actual life either. I grew up playing war games, served in the military, and now work for GHOST. You may well think my life has been weird. But I have friends I've known and trusted for my entire life. I feel like you've never had the opportunity to stay in one place long enough to make friends. Is that a fair assessment?"
A knot the size of a watermelon grew in her throat, and she swallowed several times to loosen it enough to eradicate it.
"That's fair." His fingers lifted her chin so her eyes looked into his. And they were stunning. Deep blue eyes surrounded by dark lashes. His dark hair and olive coloring made the blue look unearthly.
"I didn't say that to embarrass you. I'm trying to understand you. What your life has been and what you want it to be moving forward."
Her lips trembled into a soft smile. "Okay."
"We have to ask the hard questions to find out the truth. Isn't that what you told Simek today when he balked at your questions?"
She chuckled remembering her own words. His hand left her chin and she felt the loss. "Yes. Touché."
He chuckled slightly and finished the last of his water. She watched his throat move as he swallowed the cool liquid. Then she asked, "But why do you care?"
He twisted the plastic cap onto his empty water bottle and stared into her eyes. "I care. I want you to be happy. I sense you aren't." His right shoulder lifted and fell.
She finished her water and Henry stood. He gathered their plates and water bottles and tossed them in the wastebasket near the door. He called out, "See you later, Lara."
She poked her head out of the kitchen, "Bye, Henry. Nice to meet you, Everleigh."
Henry pulled his truck from the parking lot at Lara's and turned them toward her hotel. He seemed contemplative. She was perplexed. To say no one ever cared this much about her life, besides her, was an understatement. To know Henry cared was overwhelming. It was also exciting. He truly was the total package.
She turned to stare at his profile. It was strong and handsome. "But, WHY do you care?"
His head twisted and their eyes met. "I do the job I do because I care about others. I protect those who can't protect themselves. I cause pain, sometimes physical, sometimes legally, to those who hurt others. I care about people."
She swallowed and stared out the windshield. "Oh."
He pulled them into the parking lot of her hotel. She unfastened her seatbelt. "You don't have to walk me in. I'll see you in a little while?"
"Yes, ma'am. I'll be here at five forty-five."
"See you then."
She exited and as she reached the door of the hotel, she turned to see him watching her. Butterflies spun around in her tummy as she saw the intensity of his gaze. She smiled and waved and he waved in return. She stepped through the door of the hotel and a plethora of emotions assaulted her at once. Her stomach flipped and fluttered. Her eyes watered. Her knees - where had they gone? She worried if she took a step forward, she’d surely fall flat on her face. She stood stock-still for a moment. Silent counts to ten to settle herself before moving forward.
