Page 8 of Home Town

Felt okay if he ignored the holes in his memory. And the fact his brain seemed to be operating at half throttle.

Then there was that dark spot on the edge of his vision when he got tired. And the muscle relaxers he’d been popping. And the damn vertigo…

But it would all go away as he healed. Right?

It had to or he was royally screwed.

Rest would help. That’s what the upcoming weeks at home would be for. It would all be fine. He had to believe that.

“Medical leave.” Quinn cringed. “Damn. I’m sorry.”

Quinn’s expression and the pity in his tone told Corey the SEAL understood his true feelings about being injured and sidelined. Especially when he wanted to be part of the recovery. There with the team working to clean up the mess he’d been airlifted away from.

US support—Marines, divers, engineers and SEALs like Quinn—had flooded into the region to fill the many needs that arose after the attack. Security, investigation, recovery of human remains…

Those uninjured among the crew had been pressed into service. But not Corey.

Pushing his hatred over that fact out of his mind, he said, “It’s all good.”

Corey shrugged as he said it, as if his future wasn’t up in the air. Like his entire career wasn’t in the hands of the Navy’s doctors and there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

“Just waiting on transport,” Corey continued before a scoff. “My mom will be happy to see me, at least.”

Quinn sniffed out a laugh. “I hear that. My mom would be over the moon if I got put on medical leave and went home, even if it were because I’d been injured.”

Corey joined his old neighbor in a short laugh. “Mothers. Gotta love ’em.”

“Amen to that.” Quinn nodded.

“Your parents seem to be doing good,” Corey said, more than happy to change the subject. “I follow their Insta.”

“That Instagram.” Quinn outright laughed, then shook his head. “Funny thing, now that you brought it up. Josie and I were just talking about you recently.”

“Me?” Corey drew back surprised, but no more so than he was by the memories that Quinn’s mention of his sister Josie brought up.

He hadn’t thought about her in years, but recollections flew back to him now. Odd, given the holes in his memory lately. In fact, he remembered her vividly from ten years ago but he’d be damned if he could remember eating breakfast that morning.

Maybe he hadn’t eaten. He had been pretty ravenous when he’d sat down for lunch.

Unaware of Corey’s worry about his mental acuity, Quinn continued, “Josie was stalking our parents’ social media, ranting about how they’re acting like teenagers—it’s driving her absolutely batty—and then she spotted your name or comment or whatever on one of their posts. Funny, right? Here you are now.”

“Here I am now,” Corey repeated, hoping his self-pity and misery didn’t show through too obviously. “So, what’s Josie up to nowadays anyway? She still in New York?”

Quinn let out a chuckle. “Believe it or not, she’s living in California with me and my fiancée.”

“Fiancée? Wow. Congrats.”

“Thanks. It’s been real cozy, just the three of us. Me, Josie and Bailey in a two-bedroom, one bathroom beach bungalow.”

“I bet.” Corey smiled, remembering a few of the screaming fights between the siblings in the past. He’d been able to hear them fighting from all the way over in his house.

“But actually, Josie’s going to be back in New York this month. Our parents are going on a road trip and she’s housesitting. You’ll probably see her while you’re there. She’ll be right next door.”

Right next door.

Just like she’d been in high school. Just like she’d been that summer he’d come home on bereavement leave when his father had passed away.

When he’d felt completely out of his mind and out of his element knowing his mother would be home alone and there was nothing he could do about it as long as his life was contracted to Uncle Sam.

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