Page 125 of Caged

Chapter 47

Jay

With ten minutes to spare, I parked in the driveway and did two minutes of box breathing to calm my racing heart. There was too much at stake for me to lose control.

I grabbed the bag of takeout, I was hungry and figured they might be too, and the roses, before walking to the door. Balancing everything in my left hand, I wiped my right palm on my jeans before knocking.

The first thing General Maxwell did after opening the door was look at his watch. He smiled. I’d passed his test by showing up with five minutes to spare. The perfect balance of early, but not obnoxiously so.

The second thing he did was nod in approval at the bouquet.

“Sir.” I greeted him with a nod.

“Mr. Sheppard.” He returned the formal greeting. “Please, come in.” He stepped back, holding the door open.

I couldn’t see Cate. “Is this a bad time? Where’s Cate?”

“She’s on the phone.” He tilted his head towards her closed bedroom door. “She won’t be long.”

“Have you eaten?”

“No, I was just getting ready to make lunch,” he answered.

“No need.” I lifted the bag. “Can I put it in the kitchen?”

“Well done. What’d you bring?”

“Chicken sandwiches, fries, and salad.”

He laughed. “If the roses don’t win her over, the food will.”

I couldn’t speak for Cate, but it’d make sense for her to feel as ravenous as I did.

I remembered feeling like I couldn’t get enough food after being rescued the first time, too. Which made sense—my body needed the extra calories to heal. I wasn’t in as bad of shape this time, but Cate was. Actually, she was worse.

After putting the food on the counter and setting the bouquet and chocolates in the middle of the table, I wiped my palms on my jeans before running my hands through my hair. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this nervous about talking to a girl.Because I never have.

Cate was special, and now that I’d accepted my feelings the wait was killing me. I paced back and forth, wearing a path in the black and white checkered tile on the kitchen floor.

“Sit down, Sheppard. You’re making me nervous.”

Without thinking, I obeyed. When my ass hit the chair, I laughed.

“What?”

“Nothing.” When he raised an eyebrow, I admitted, “I don’t know if you meant it as an order, but I obeyed without hesitation.”

“You can take the man out of the Marines,” he said.

“But you can’t take the Marines out of the man,” we finished together.

He asked me about my time in the Corps, and shared a little of his experience while we waited. Before long, the sound of Cate’s door opening interrupted our conversation.If things go well with Cate, I want to sit down with her father and a six-pack of beer so I can hear more.

I stood and waited for Cate.

“Dad, are you ready for…” She turned the corner, her expression quickly turning from shock to stone when she saw me. “Sheppard.”

“Hi Cate. Please don’t kick me out, at least not until I’ve apologized.”

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