Page 18 of Trust

“She sure does and has an impressive online business. Many people in the know consider her to be an expert on almost every romance genre.” She popped the cheese into her mouth. “If you ever want a tour of our lovely hamlet, I’d be happy to introduce you around.”

He winced, thinking of all the curious stares he’d have to endure. “I’ll keep that in mind.

“Which is man-speak for a big fat no.”

“I’ve only been in residence for two months; it’s not like I need to rush into anything.”

Olivia narrowed her eyes. “I thought you’d only moved in a month ago; how did you evade my superior spy skills for thirty days?”

“Came in the dead of night with enough supplies to make going to town unnecessary.”

“How creepy and disturbing.”

“Thanks,” Zane replied. “I do what I can.” He unwrapped his sandwich, took a big bite, and moaned. The roast beef was rare, the arugula spicy, and the generous layer of mayo was perfection. Maybe bringing the Ferris wheel back to life wouldn’t be a chore after all. “This is damn good.”

“Thanks,” she replied. “I got the idea from Phyllis. She and her wife, Grace, run the coffee shop in town.” She passed over a napkin. “It’s just down from my mom’s health food store and has a red awning.”

“Haven’t spent much time on Main Street,” he commented before wiping his mouth. “The shops look perfect and make me think I’ve stumbled onto a movie set.”

“Haven certainly has all the charm of town featured in a Hallmark movie.”

“A what?”

“Hallmark movies, surely you’ve heard of them.”

“Guess I missed that particular piece of American culture when I was OCONUS for the last several years.”

“O-what?”

“Outside Continental United States Overseas.”

“Very impressive military speak, Mr. Hawker.”

He took a handful of chips out of the bag she offered. “Don’t even realize when I’m using it since I grew up in a Navy family. All four of my brothers and I have served in a military branch, and it’s no small miracle that we can speak civilian at all.”

“I’ll want the full story of the Hawker family history at some point. My goodness, how did your mom survive five boys?”

“With a will of steel and a healthy sense of humor. May Hawker is a force to be reckoned with and never let any of us get away with a thing.”

“You’re kind of your own force, so it makes sense that you’ve got a genetic marker for it.”

Biting back a smile, he concentrated on his sandwich and knew the real force was her. Olivia and a block of C12 had a lot in common, and he would be wise to use the same care with the woman as the deadly explosive.

“So, give me the highlights of the Hawker brothers.”

“Okay, but I’ll give you the abbreviated version.” He brushed his hands off. “Rorke is the oldest and is retired from the Teams. He’s running the SAI office in Virginia Beach. Asher is next and, as you’ve heard, is about to retire from the Navy. Birch is the third in line. He was a PJ for many years and is currently involved with black ops for an off-the-books agency.”

“Wait, what kind of agency?”

“The kind we don’t talk about.”

“That’s disappointing.” She leaned in. “I’m an excellent secret keeper, so if you ever…”

“I won’t,” he finished, telling himself he didn’t want to know how her lips tasted. “Anyway, I’m next, and Colt is the family's baby. He’s on the Teams in San Diego and, by all accounts, having the time of his life.”

“Wow, too bad you’re all such underachievers.”

“Yeah, we’re all waiting for the second act to do something worthwhile.”

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