Page 10 of A Soldier's Destiny
“I don’t get freaked out.” At Lily’s look, she amended her last statement. “Okay, so maybe I get a little freaked out. But I’m not the one who thinks someone is out to get me. It’s the rest of you.”
“C’mon, it’s not normal for bricks to go sailing through plate glass windows. And especially not here.”
Rori shook her head in frustration as she plated the strudel. Since she’d come back to Willow Haven, she’d caught up with some of her old friends. Anna Taggert had been one of her best friends in high school and if it weren’t for her she wouldn’t have been able to buy the building and open the bakery. But there were lots of new friends too. Like Lily, Chloe, and Beth. But when they hovered over her, like now, it drove her a bit crazy. She’d been on her own too long, and it made her feel claustrophobic.
“After dessert, I need to get home. I’m exhausted, and I still have to get Jasper settled.” She hadn’t heard him and Alex come into the kitchen, and his voice startled her. If it hadn’t been for his quick reflexes the plate of strudel would have landed on the floor.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay. I’m just not used to people sneaking up on me.”
“I’ll try to behave, but it’s kind of second nature for me after so many years in the military.”
“And I’ll try not to freak out when you do,” Rori said with a smile trying to ease the tension that returned.
Jasper took the plate of pastries and placed them on the island. “How about we take a couple of these for the road.”
“It’s okay, we can have coffee then leave.”
“I didn’t realize how early you started until Steele filled me in. You need your rest.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Of course not. It’s my job, remember? To keep you safe that is.” Rori’s yawn was the icing on the cake, and there was no changing his mind.
“Okay, you win.”
“Here you go,” Lily said as she handed Jasper the foil-wrapped package filled with strudel.
“I hope you kept some for you guys?”
“Are you kidding? No way would she give them all away,” Alex said with a chuckle. “My wife won’t pass up anything that Rori makes.”
After saying their goodbyes, they loaded Jasper’s gear into the bakery’s delivery van.
“I’ll stop by tomorrow to see how things are going,” Alex said and tilted his chin toward Jasper. Ugh, there was way too much testosterone.
“C’mon, bodyguard, let’s get a move on. I have to get up in four hours.”
“Yes, boss,” Jasper answered with a big grin. He needed to stop looking at her like he wanted to eat her. She’d melt like buttercream if he kept it up. “I can drive.”
“It’ll be faster for me to do it than have to give you directions.”
“I do know my way around Willow Haven. But fine, if you insist.”
“I do,” Rori said as she climbed into the driver seat. Jasper handed her the seatbelt and then shut her door.
“They sound like a married couple already.” Lily giggled. Married? The woman had clearly lost her mind.
“Keep it up, and all the eclairs will be going to Alex.”
“Yikes.” Lily leaned in the window and whispered, “just give it a chance.”
Rori was too tired to argue that this was just a job for Jasper, they’d only met a few hours earlier, and she wasn’t on the market anyway. She shouldn’t be surprised that Lily was pushing so hard. They’d had this conversation or a variation of it several times over the last six months.
