Page 27 of Corey
“So, Sera,” Lottie began innocently, “you’re single?”
“Eternally single,” she answered bluntly.
“Oh? How interesting,” Ellie commented, exchanging a look with Lottie.
“It just so happens that Corey is very single, too.” Lottie sent her a big smile.
Julia walked over and laid a sweatshirt on the bed. “Fair warning, this is where we start being completely inappropriate, slightly pushy, and unabashedly play matchmaker. If you’re not into Corey, tell us now. Otherwise, it’s full steam ahead.”
The other two nodded.
Sera pressed her lips together. They certainly didn’t mess around, and even though she felt attracted to Corey, she didn’t think it was necessarily reciprocated. Letting herself fall for him and then being rejected would be awful.
“I, um, don’t know if I’m ready for all that.” A lame excuse, but she couldn’t admit the truth to these women—that she was forty-five and had never put herself out there when it came to men. And then time had caught up, and she sadly realized her best years were long gone. Wasted.
And, of course, she was only passing through Cielo Springs because she was running. It’s not like she was looking to settle there. Well, unless she had a very good reason to stay.
Sure, she’d had a good time running around the world and even dated here and there. But no one had held her attention for longer than a date or two. It had all felt superficial. She’d enjoyedthe chase and flirting and flitting around while guys pursued her. It had been fun and easy. She’d even slept with a couple. But she’d always been the one to leave before morning. To ghost them when and if they reached out. Any time a guy tried to get serious, she’d bolted.
Guess it explained why she was still alone. While other people got married and started families, she’d traveled and explored the world in her twenties and thirties, blogging about her adventures. Traveling and sharing her stories had given her a purpose. Something she’d lost when she’d returned home. But she didn’t regret those last few months with her parents. They’d shared some very special times together, and she treasured those moments in her heart.
“Not ready for a gorgeous, sweet, sensitive, very protective former Navy SEAL with a heart of gold?” Lottie asked coyly.
Okay, so maybe Sera was starting to wonder things. To maybe daydream a little about what it might be like to kiss a certain glacier-eyed mountain man.
She blew out a low breath. “My track record for relationships is really sad. I guess I just thought marriage was never in the cards for me.”
“Maybe it’s time to rethink things,” Ellie said gently. “If you’re interested, that is.”
Sera looked from Ellie to Julia to Lottie. “What if he isn’t interested in me?”
“That’s certainly a fair question,” Julia began delicately, “but you have to understand Corey is a bit of a loner. He doesn’t come around as much as everyone would like and he disappears for extended periods of time. He’s certainly never brought awoman here. Or anywhere. And I think we all noticed the way he was looking at you.”
“Like he wanted to eat you up,” Lottie declared, and Sera blushed.
Had he looked at her like that? She hadn’t noticed, being more concerned about staying alive and all. But was it too much to hope so?
“We don’t want to say too much,” Ellie said carefully, “but Corey is a sensitive soul. He and Wes are best friends and, although he never talks about it, Corey has been through a lot. It’s not always easy for them to readjust to civilian life, no matter how much time goes by. Guilt and PTSD are heavy burdens to bear.”
Sera’s chest tightened. She understood that better than anyone. “Oh,” she whispered, feeling that instant kinship with Corey again. Recognizing a fellow tortured soul. Maybe they had more in common than she realized. “That isn’t easy.”
“No,” Ellie agreed. “It’s why we all look out for him.”
“And we want him to find someone special,” Lottie added.
“Someone who can help keep the demons at bay,” Julia murmured.
Sera knew all about the demons and how hard it could be to quiet them, much less vanquish them.
“I do like him,” she admitted softly, and the women all grinned knowingly.
“Sorry for being pushy, but, no offense, we’re not twenty-five anymore. There’s no time to fool around,” Julia said. “To put it bluntly, he looks at you like…”
Her voice trailed off, trying to find the perfect analogy, and Ellie finished, “Like you could hang the stars in his sky.”
Sera’s heart swelled at her beautiful words. Maybe Coreywasinterested in her, but even more than that, she now knew he still carried guilt around from some past trauma. Like her, it sounded like he hadn’t truly allowed himself to live in a very long time. The idea that they could possibly help each other find some sort of peace made her weary soul soar with hope.
“And if he makes your clitterbell ring? Then all the better,” Lottie declared with a mischievous grin, and they all burst out laughing.
