Page 54

“Oh, it is,” she answers smiling and taking a sip from her mug.
The pit’s back in my stomach and I feel queasy. She’s just not the girl Rog spent his life protecting, she’s my brother’s wife.
My hands shake as I bring my mug to my lips.
“I hear you’re working at my bar.”
I nod, still sipping, needing the caffeine to sooth my nerves.
“I practically grew up in those walls, until they all burned down, and Duke and Roger re-built them for me.”
“I heard about the fire. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It was the best thing that could’ve happened. Listen, Roger is like a father to me. Especially now that my dad’s gone,” she breaks off swiping a tear, “if he gets hurt…,” she breaks off in a warning.
“Who’s to say he won’t be the one to hurt me?”
She swallows, looking out at the water. “Duke and I hurt each other. There were so many times I thought we’d never happen, there were too many roadblocks in our way. But he proved me wrong, loved me when I thought he didn’t. I thank God every day for bringing him into my life. He’s been hurt. His family was shit to him and he left Springdale at eighteen and enlisted. He served a few tours in Iraq. It fucked him up more than his family did.”
“Why are you telling me all this? When I barely know you?”
“Because… Roger’s been in my life since before I was even born. He helped raise me when my mother left. I don’t remember a day in my life where he wasn’t in it. And in all those years, I’ve never seen him look or touch a woman the way he did with you last night.”
“My mother left me too. I’m adopted,” I whisper holding back from spilling everything. I’m panicked feeling like a liar. Betraying the man who almost gave me his heart last night along with his body. “I never want to hurt, Rog. He’s the most unexpected surprise, meeting and falling for him was so unplanned.”
“Is it his age?”
“No. I’m almost thirty-one. What’s twenty years in the scope of time? It’s nothing but a particle of dust.”
She grins, “I’m twenty-five and Duke’s forty-one. But I always felt old. Probably because I started working at the bar so young.”
“I know what you mean. My best friend Luce, she should be around here somewhere, always said I had an ‘old soul’.”
“I saw her coming out of Smith’s cabin,” she grins.
We sit in silence drinking our coffee until it’s time to get a refill.
“This was nice.”
“It was,” she replies.
“There you are,” Roger breathes into my hair, hugging me from behind, “is Shanna bothering ya’ with all the bad stories about me?”
“Actually, no. She was telling me what an old softie you are.”
“There’s nothing soft about me, sugar. You know that.” He winks lifting up his shirt and showing us his six-pack abs.
“Ugh,” Shanna turns away, “didn’t need to see that.”
“That’s ‘cause you know I’ve got the hardest body, right babe?” Duke kisses the top of her head.
He looks over and nods his head at me, “Good morning.”
“Morning,” I croak out, stunned every time he’s near. Knowing I’m the bomb he dodged in Iraq, ready to explode in his face.
“I meant to mention it yesterday, but have we met before? You seem familiar?”
“No. We’ve never met,” I answer softly looking anywhere but in his eyes.