Page 36 of Heart of a Hero

“Oh, that smells good,” she said. She picked up the discarded apron that had been lying on the counter. The front said,No bitchin’ in my kitchen!“I like your apron.” She laughed.

He grinned. “My dad and son got that for me last Christmas. It may have been a joke, but I use it.” Slipping on oven mitts, he bent to pull a pan from the oven. “I made a homemade chicken potpie. I hope that’s okay.”

“Absolutely. It sounds perfect and smells amazing.”

He placed a tray of rolls in the oven after setting the potpie on a hot pad on the counter. He glanced around the kitchen, finding her perusing the pictures of Benji on the refrigerator, along with a calendar. It only took a glance to see most date boxes were filled with scribbles of their activities.

“I have a refrigerator calendar, too,” she admitted.

He chuckled. “I know everyone uses their phone calendars. I have one, too, but remember, my dad is always around. There’s no way he could get used to using a digital calendar. And Benji doesn’t have a cell phone yet, so we’re old-fashioned with the paper calendar.” He shrugged and smiled. “If it works, then that’s all that matters.”

“I think there’s a comfort in seeing a calendar hanging on the refrigerator.” She shook her head. “I realize that sounds silly.”

“Not at all.”

“I know when Laura goes to college, I’ll have to go to the digital ones so when she schedules something I need to know about, I’ll have it.”

He turned and took the rolls out of the oven, and she moved over to place them in a basket. He noticed how natural it felt to have her in the kitchen and was glad she felt at home.

“God, the idea that she’ll be in college in four years makes me nuts,” she said, looking up at him.

“I can only imagine,” he said, thinking of Benji at that age.

He pulled a salad bowl from the refrigerator and placed it on the counter. “We’ll serve ourselves here if that’s okay.”

“Whatever is easiest. This dinner is a treat, no matter how it’s served. And God knows, we are anything but fancy at my house!”

“Same here,” he agreed.

Looking over her shoulder, she grinned. “Oh, a house filled with bachelors.”

“And you’ve got a house full of… um…” He suddenly stumbled on how to describe them. “Girls, women?”

Her smile widened. “Females. That’s probably the safest word.”

He dropped his chin and shook his head. “I guess you can tell I was searching for the most appropriate word.”

“Well, as long as you didn’t say a house full of broads, I think we’re good.”

He laughed and stepped closer, dropping a kiss on her lips once more. Only this time, he kept it light, not wanting to delay their dinner.

“Mmm,” she said, sucking in a deep breath before turning back to the counter. “You’re making it hard to think about food.”

He remained quiet, afraid to tell her what he was thinking about… and it wasn’t dinner. Blowing out a breath, he turned to the refrigerator. “What would you like to drink? I have tea, water, beer, and wine.”

“Wine, please.”

He poured her a glass of wine, then grabbed a beer for himself. They were soon seated at the table, and the conversation rolled along effortlessly, as it had every time he’d been with her. They talked about their kids, living on the shore, hobbies, and jobs. They even talked about their time in the military.

“Your job must be so different from working in a hospital,” he said as he leaned forward, enthralled with everything she had to say.

She nodded and smiled. “In the Army, I was assigned to a surgical team. I didn’t have a chance to connect with the patients very much. They were often anesthetized by the time they came into where I was.” She held his gaze. “I thought about working with Dr. Judith Coates in the Baytown Clinic. We had spoken, but then the ESHH job came open. I liked that it was a job where I could travel around the county. It is busy at times but also has a more laid-back feel to it. I like connecting with the patients and assessing what they need.”

“What kind of patients do you see?”

“Mostly patients who are referred coming out of the hospital or rehab. I assess their needs along with the doctor’s recommendations. Then I help coordinate the services that can be provided at their home.”

“Are you the only one who makes the home visits?”

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