Page 57 of Long Hard Fall

“I didn’t eat breakfast.”

Regret flashed through his gaze. He dropped a kiss on her forehead. She shut her eyes and let his heat soothe her raw nerves.

“Brunch it is.” When he left the room, she immediately wanted him back.

She’d almost lost him, and it had disturbed her. Before Ellis, her long-term relationships had been shallow. With Ellis, it’d been one-sided, with her giving him all the power. But she and Cash were on equal footing, like partners should be.

She cleaned up her paint supplies. Cash’s voice drifted in; he must be on the phone.

Wandering through the rooms, she mentally tallied what she’d need if Cash gave her free rein to dress them all up. Only she couldn’t stop at paint colors. Window dressings danced across her mind and she ran a finger along the trim. It could use a good overhaul, too. Her creative side luxuriated in the possibilities. To go from paper to an actual, real-life canvas was heaven. At home, she’d always helped Mom and Dad, but decor had been their decision. Abbi and Perry had followed their commands.

Finishing her daydreams in the living room, she stayed out of the kitchen. From his even tone, Cash must be talking to his family. What was he saving them from now?

No wonder he and Perry had gotten along. She’d told herself she was coming here for closure, for answers even, but she hadn’t known about what. She’d overheard Mom often crying to Dad. Why had it just been Perry killed? Of course, Mom hadn’t wanted anyone else to lose a loved one, but there’d been no other injuries. Just Perry.

Abbi’s eyes burned and she swallowed hard. During the dark days after recovering from their loss, Mom had gone into tirades about a mistake the army must’ve made that had led to Perry’s death. It had been covered up, hush-hush. Abbi had listened to several discussions about what could’ve happened, what might’ve been left unsaid. They’d even demanded answers but had been told the same story over and over again.

She picked up the corner of the curtains and let the worn, old material slide through her fingers. Cash and Dillon had come back to their own lives, like everyone else who’d served with Perry. Could she blame them? Maybe a little, but no longer. In the end, her brother was gone and never coming back.

A hot tear slid down her cheek. She hastily wiped it away as Cash said good-bye to whoever was on the phone.

He stayed in the kitchen, but a pan banged louder than normal. She didn’t go in. Her eyes were probably a bit bloodshot. She had no wish to discuss what she’d been thinking about.

“Everything okay?” she called.

“For me, yeah. For my mom that just called and asked why I didn’t try to talk Sissy out of joining the navy, no. And not for my dad, who asked why my mom couldn’t call and tell him herself and who was the guy she moved in with.”

Ugh. Why did they have to go through him for all their drama? “Sounds like a delightful conversation.” Squinting, she looked for any reflection for herself in the window, but no luck. She went to the kitchen anyway, following the smell of bacon and eggs. “But Hannah called your mom at least.”

“More like Mom got it out of her.”

“Did you tell your dad to ask for himself who the new dude was?”

He grimaced. “No, because I don’t even want to know.” Her face must’ve registered surprise because he added, “I want her happy. I don’t want specifics. Besides, it’s just weird.”

“I understand. But they’re all adults and you don’t need to be protecting them.”

He shrugged noncommittally and dished up their plates. “The sun’s out and for once, the wind hasn’t picked up. Want to sit on the back deck?”

She went outside with him and over breakfast she mentioned some of her ideas for paint colors and home improvements.

“Knock yourself out.”

A warm glow ignited in her belly. “But was there anything you didn’t like?”

He shook his head. “What do I know about any of it? You’d do better than me. And it needs it.”

“You have to live in it every day, though.”

They both fell silent. Her statement highlighted the unknown at the end of her vacation.

He spoke first. “What’s going to happen after you go home?”

“I’ll tolerate my parents’ intrusion into my life until I can find my own place. Then work at the bank until I can find something that doesn’t kill my soul.”

She’d said it with a smile, but Cash’s expression remained introspective. “And we keep seeing each other?”

“It’s only an eight-hour drive.” Her voice sounded empty. Only eight hours.

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