Page 43 of Isolated (Harper Security Ops #21)

Iris

Landen was a genius.

I’d hit the jackpot with him, because not only was he handsome, charming, caring, funny, and excellent in bed, but he was also a brilliant man.

So smart.

Where I hadn’t ever really needed to come up with plans to fix problems in my own life—I’d lived a charmed one—Landen excelled at solving problems.

That’s why I was here now, sitting on Walter’s porch after ringing his doorbell and refusing to leave until he came outside. Of all the people who were upset with me for one reason or another, the solution to fix Walter’s issue seemed the easiest.

Landen believed his problem with me stemmed from his loneliness.

I was inclined to agree with him. And if that was the case, Landen believed I could quickly and easily remedy the situation.

So, I was going to wait on this porch until he came outside, and I was going to come right out and talk to him about what was going on.

I wouldn’t go back home until I had answers and a resolution.

Of course, I wasn’t a fool.

I brought lunch.

Walter would have a much more difficult time turning me away if I brought food to share with him.

Landen had gone home not long after we’d finished breakfast, but he would be back in a few hours.

He wanted to give me the time I needed to rectify things with Walter on my own—it was clear Walter was hesitant to talk to me when Landen was around.

Not only that, but Landen hadn’t anticipated spending the night at my place last night, so he didn’t have a change of clothes.

He wanted to go home, grab a shower, and pack a bag before returning later this evening so he could take me out on the date we missed having last night.

After what went down between us this morning, it was a sure bet he’d spend the night again tonight.

And if things went well this afternoon with Walter, I might feel compelled to show Landen how much I appreciated his glorious mind. The man did so well in a crisis, never getting too worked up over anything while being such a solid source of strength and comfort for me.

I really had gotten lucky with him.

I’d been sitting in the rocking chair on Walter’s porch for about a minute when his door finally opened, and he stepped outside.

Slowly, I tipped my chin up in his direction, my eyes meeting his, and I smiled. “Hello, Walter.”

“What are you doing here? ”

I held the wrapped sandwich out to him. “I’m here to have lunch with you.”

His mouth was pinched, but his eyes darted between the sandwich and my face. I knew my chances of success would be far greater if I had offered him some food. “I’m not hungry.”

That was a surprising response. It was also a big lie.

Deciding it was best not to call him out on it, I shrugged and set the sandwich down on the arm of the chair beside me, where he always sat. “Okay. Well, it’s for you, so you can just save it for later if you want.”

Somehow, his expression grew even more annoyed.

I ignored it, focused for a moment on opening the parchment paper surrounding the sandwich I brought for myself, and said, “I’m starving, so I hope you don’t mind if I eat while we talk.”

“Talk? There’s nothing to talk about.”

My teeth bit into the sandwich, and I let out a moan of delight.

Keeping my eyes fixed straight ahead, not even looking in Walter’s direction, I replied, “Maybe you don’t think so, but I’ve got lots to talk about.

I’ll do the talking for both of us. You can just sit there and listen if you don’t have anything to say to me. ”

I took another bite and chanced a glance in his direction. He looked like he was putting massive effort into remaining upset with me. Unwilling to undo any of the progress I made, I schooled my features into neutral. But inside, I was screaming.

Landen knew.

He just knew, based on the way I’d always spoken about Walter, that the man beside me would not be able to hold out .

“It feels a bit strange to be sitting here talking to someone while they’re standing over me. I’d much rather you sit beside me. My neck is going to get a kink if I have to keep looking up like this.”

Walter huffed, but finally took a seat.

I did my very best not to break out into a full-fledged grin.

Instead, I offered an appreciative smile and held my sandwich up between us. “This really is delicious.”

He gripped his tightly in his hand, but he chose to be stubborn and not open it. “What did you want to talk about?”

“You know, it surprises me that you’ve got nothing to say to me when we haven’t spoken to one another in more than a week.”

“Neighbors don’t have to talk to each other every day,” he grumbled.

“I suppose they don’t,” I returned. “But you and I speak to each other just about every day, and it’s one of my favorite things about living where I do. I just really miss our talks.”

Walter let out a snort. “You’ve got plenty of friends and family and visitors to talk to.”

Now we were getting somewhere. “That’s true. But I’m not sure what any of that has to do with you.”

I took another bite of my sandwich and shot him an expectant look.

He’d have no choice but to come right out with what was really on his mind.

Walter seemed to understand he’d been backed into a corner, that he needed to give me some honesty.

So, to avoid making that happen immediately, he began unwrapping his sandwich.

I turned my head so he couldn’t see me smile .

This was the very best I’d felt about things between Walter and me for more than a week now.

Giving him time to get his sandwich unwrapped, I continued to eat mine. Walter took two bites before I asked, “How is it? Does it taste okay?”

“It’s good.”

He loved it. I knew he did. He just didn’t want to give in.

“I’m glad.”

Walter made no move to speak, losing himself in his lunch.

I gave him a few minutes to enjoy himself before I asked, “So, can you help me out and share why I don’t get to continue having you as my friend if I have other friends and visitors?”

“Why would you want to?” He lowered his sandwich to his lap. “I’m just the grumpy old man who lives next door. You’ve got your sisters and those girls from work.”

“You’ve never been bothered by them before,” I reasoned, needing to steer him in the right direction.

Walter looked away and lifted the sandwich to his mouth again. After he chewed and swallowed, he shared, “Well, you’ve got that guy coming over now, too.”

“Landen?”

Walter waved his hand in the air dismissively. “I guess that’s his name. Anyway, if he’s not a fool, he’ll stick around.”

Tipping my head to the side, I searched his face. “I thought you liked me, Walter.”

“I do. What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well, don’t you want me to have a guy who’s not a fool and will stick around for me? Don’t I deserve that? ”

He tore his attention away from me, and unshed tears filled his eyes. Seeing that emotion from him made my heart break.

“Walter, I want to find someone who will love me the way you loved Gertie. And I think Landen could be that guy. I thought you’d be happy for me.”

A sigh escaped. “I want you to be happy, Iris. I just hate what it means for me.”

“What do you think it means for you?”

Shaking his head, disappointment etched into his weathered features, he said, “You’ll eventually get married and move away. And I’ll be alone again. I’ve spent a little over a week now preparing myself for when that day comes.”

Landen hadn’t been wrong. He’d seen the way Walter reacted every time he had come around and believed Walter needed some reassurance.

“Landen and I just started dating,” I reminded him.

“And while I do really like him a lot, we’re not getting married just yet.

Plus, I love my house. I love where I live.

It’s a bit too early for me to discuss this with him, but I suspect that if the time comes when things progress in our relationship, Landen would take the time to talk to me about what’s important to me.

And if the way he’s been with me to this point is any indication, I suspect he’d bend over backward to make me happy. ”

Walter blinked rapidly, attempting to stave off the tears.

I took off the pressure a bit and added, “Did you know that we’re just two weeks away?”

“Two weeks away from what?”

My mouth curved into a smile. “The two-year anniversary of when I moved into this house and met you. I was thinking about it the other day, and it made me smile. In fact, I was so happy about it, I decided I wanted to celebrate it with you.”

“I don’t celebrate.”

I rolled my eyes. “I know. I know. But it will really mean a lot to me if you’d make an exception. Our friendship is important to me, Walter. And I think it’s worthy of a celebration.”

He shook his head and looked away.

“Why not?” I pressed. “Why are you being a grouch? You know, I thought you cared about me.”

“I do.” His voice was choked, straining. “But I don’t think I can handle losing another person I care about the way I lost Gertie and my Rachel.”

God, I wished I could find a way to get in touch with his daughter. He desperately needed her back in his life.

“You’re not going to lose me, Walter. I promise. Unless, of course, you keep shutting me out.”

He returned his attention to me, and the regret was etched into his features. “What kind of celebration do you want to have? Because I’m not a fan of balloons.”

My lips curved into a smile, tears filling my eyes. “There’s the guy I know and love.”

Walter seemed surprised by my words, and I realized what he was missing more than just company. Reaching my hand out, I curled my fingers around his hand and gave it a squeeze. “I love you, Walter. I love our friendship. And it’d break my heart not to have you in my life.”

His fingers twitched around mine. “I’m not going anywhere, Iris. I’m sorry for being a miserable grump. It just… I’m just?— ”