Page 10 of Deception and New Direction

“Go meet your sister whileIclean this up,”Iordered him.

He grinned at me, knowing this was a tacticIwas using to not only change the subject but remove him from my space.Thankfully, he relented and walked out the door.

After everything was moved into place and unpacked and everyone had left,Ifound a nice bench inJack’sbackyard to sit on.Itfaced a small pond with a beautiful backdrop of the small woods beyond it.Thesun was low in the sky, but it was sixty degrees out, so it felt nice with a light jacket.

I sat there whileDashroamed the fenced in backyard.Hewas getting used to the new yard and being off his leash but still liked to be able to see me and would come over to sit next to me from time to time—until a squirrel or something more exciting came along.

“I’m not much of a cook, butI’ma food delivery pro,”Jacksaid as he made his way over to the bench.

“You don’t need to cook for me,Jack,”Itold him. “I’mcapable of getting food for myself.Idon’t want you treating me like a patient whileI’mhere.Thinkof me more as a temporary roommate—Ican do my own laundry and cook my own meals.”

He sat down, leaned back into the bench, and stretched his right arm over my head and behind me. “Understood, butIfigured since we moved, unpacked, and stayed busy today, it would just be easier to have someone else make the food.”

I sighed, realizingIdefinitely didn’t have the energy to cook. “Okay.Whatdid you have in mind for food?”Iasked.

“Whatever you want.”

I turned to face him and smiled. “Rememberthat answer.It’llsuit you well in life.”

He laughed, andIenjoyed watching the lines around his eyes crinkle as he chuckled freely.Elliementioned he didn’t do it often anymore—not since coming back from his deployment.Forwhatever reason, he seemed to feel comfortable laughing around me.

“Normally my go-to isMexicanfood, because there’s never a bad time forMexicanfood,”Iinformed him. “However, not all restaurants will include the free chips and salsa when you order take out or delivery, and that’s just sacrilege.”

“Well, we can’t have that.”Hislip twitch told me he was teasing me, butIchose to ignore it.

“No, so let’s just stick with some burgers and fries maybe.Isthat okay with you?”

“A woman after my own heart.”Hegrinned at me and put in our order on his phone.

I turned away from him, pretending to look atDashso he couldn’t see my face, which had warmed and was likely turning red.Thatgrin should come with a warning label—and maybe a fire extinguisher.Iwas sure many women had fallen victim to that grin.Ididn’t want to be one of them.

Obviously, feeling like he was missing out on the fun,Dashcame over and sat between our feet, looking back and forth between us.

“I think he’s wondering which one of us is going to feed him,”Isaid, grabbing my crutches soIcould make my way back into the house.

The walkway to the bench was covered in mulch and stones, which was easier than grass when you had crutches but also not as nice as pavement would be, soIhad to be careful.Slowlybut surely,Iwas getting the hang of this whole crutches thing.Nomore near-faceplants.Bytomorrow,Imight even look likeIknew whatIwas doing.

I hated slowing other people down, soItoldJackto go ahead of me and followDash.Hestruggled with this becauseIknew he wanted to stay close in caseIfell, butIneeded this.Ididn’t want people always helping me.Iwanted to do as much asIcould by myself.

By the timeImade it back inside,Dashwas already sitting by his bowl, tail wagging rapidly asJackhoisted a massive bag of dog food like it weighed nothing.Hisbiceps flexed, his navyHenleypulling taut across his broad chest, and for a brief moment,Iwas convinced the seams were about to burst.Itwas like watching a live-action thirst trap.

I might have been staring a little too hard, becauseJacksmirked as he caught my eyes lingering.

“I don’t have a dining table yet,” he said, shaking me from my muscle-induced trance. “Iusually just eat on the couch and watchTV.Thatcool with you?”

I forced myself to focus on his words and not his arms.Orhis shoulders.Orhis chest.

“Yeah, sure,”Isaid, hobbling toward the couch. “It’llbe easier for me to prop my leg up anyway.”

I grabbed a pillow to put on the coffee table in front of me so it was propped up and also more comfortable than just the hard table.

When the food arrived, we settled onto the couch, balancing our plates on our laps while theTVplayed some crime drama in the background.Conversationflowed easily—light, effortless, and surprisingly comfortable.Wediscussed work, a recommendation for a physical therapistJackknew, andDash.

Speak of the devil—at one point,Dashfound his way onto the couch between us and was snuggled up with half his body inJack’slap, demanding belly rubs.

“Traitor,”Imumbled atDash, who had clearly chosen his favorite human of the night.

The night was…nice.Toonice.Thekind of nice that made me hyper-aware of how un-nice things could get ifIlet my guard slip.Beforethat thought could settle too deep,Istretched and faked a yawn.

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