More Than a Touch (Snowberry Creek #2) (20 page)

When her eyes filled with tears, Leif slid around the bench to the other side and put his arm around Callie’s shoulders. “It’s easy to forget because he was such a big part of our lives, Callie, and he still is. I see something that he’d get a kick out of and expect to hear him laugh or make some wiseass remark. All I get is silence.”

His own eyes burned now. “Sometimes I miss him so damn much I want to punch something. But even if remembering what happened to him hurts like a bitch, forgetting him would be so much worse.”

The two of them settled into a long silence. Leif cast about for some way to lighten the moment again.

“Let me think of a funny story about Spence. Most of them are R-rated, so it might take me a minute.”

She punched his arm. “Hey, I’m a big girl. I can take it.”

He shot her a quick grin. “Maybe I’m the one with delicate sensibilities.”

Callie rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right.”

“Okay, how about this one. We were in a fine drinking establishment a couple of nights before we were due to be deployed. The place catered to the military, so it was a combo crowd of army, navy, and marines.”

She winced. “I bet that was a volatile mix.”

“Don’t you know it, especially with alcohol flowing freely. Anyway, Spence ended up in a game of darts with some hotshot marine. Someone came up with the brilliant idea that the loser would have to serenade the other guy and his buddies as well as buy them the next round. Nick and I hovered close by because we were sure it was going to end in a brawl.”

He chuckled as he remembered that night. “Sure enough, Spence lost. No surprise there. Sober, I don’t know anyone who could beat him at darts. Two beers, and he was all bluff and blunder. The marine kicked his ass in the game and then ordered Spence to pay up.”

Callie looked far happier than she had a short time ago. “So what song did he sing?”

Leif stared up at the roof overhead and lost himself in the moment. “He sang ‘Call Me Maybe.’ Not only that, he danced around those marines like a lunatic, batting his eyes and holding his hand to his ear as if he really wanted them to call.”

Leif pantomimed a few of Spence’s better moves. “Then he ended his performance by kissing that marine on the cheek.”

“Oh, God, tell me he didn’t!”

By now, Callie was holding her sides as she laughed. The story wasn’t all that funny, but they both needed the release.

As she wiped her eyes, she asked, “So how bad was the ensuing brawl?”

Ah, now that was another fond memory. The two groups had been evenly matched, so bruises and bloody knuckles all around. He played it down for Callie, although she probably saw through his ruse.

“Oh, not too serious. We ended up closing the place down with those guys. Spence and that marine even kept in touch afterward.”

Someone else who had mourned his passing, but Leif didn’t let that thought dampen his good spirits. It was time to move on. He realized he’d been hearing the distant sound of a vacuum cleaner in the background. The kid had really taken him seriously about the chores today.

“I’d better go check on Austin. We were going to do some housecleaning today, and I haven’t lifted a finger to help him. He’s making me look bad.”

Callie followed him toward the house. “When you call Nick back, which you will be doing, be sure to tell him how hard Austin is trying. Maybe he won’t worry so much.”

“I’ll tell him, but his talent for mothering those in his charge is part of what helped Nick earn those stripes he wears on his sleeve.”

“Yeah, I know. I swear he’d wrap me in bubble wrap and keep me in a box if he could.”

She didn’t look at all upset about it, either. “You feel the same way about him.”

“Yeah, well, that holds true for you, too. And speaking about worrying—”

He’d wondered when she would work the conversation back around to last night. “I’m fine, Callie. The woman in question and I came to an agreement on how to proceed from this point, so we’re good. That’s all I’m going to say on the matter.”

Then there was the other thing. “Uh, just so you know, I have business in town this afternoon. Gage is making me attend a veterans’ support group meeting as part of the deal we made the other night when he didn’t throw my ass in a cell. It starts at three and lasts about two hours.”

It was a relief when Callie didn’t follow him up the steps. She stayed down on the ground, shading her eyes from the afternoon sun as she stared up at him.

“You might want to let Nick know what you’re doing. Maybe he’d like to go, too, when he gets back, if you find it worthwhile. Either way, neither one of us wants to see you get hurt, Leif. I know you can take care of yourself, but that doesn’t stop me from caring about what’s going on in your life.”

When he didn’t immediately respond, she kept talking. “If you ever need to talk, I’m your gal. If you need someone to track this woman down and knock some sense into her, let me know. You don’t want to wait until Nick’s back to take care of that little chore. He lacks a certain talent for subtlety.”

“You think?”

The image of Nick trying to be subtle wouldn’t even begin to come into focus, but at least their conversation was ending with a laugh.

“Seriously, I’ll keep all of that in mind. Now I think I’d better get to work. Gotta set a good example for the kid, you know.”

Callie was already walking away. “Have fun with that.”

Then she turned back. “I knew I was forgetting something. With the folks gone, I’m tired of cooking for one, so I’m going to bring over dinner tonight. Say about six?”

Leif countered her offer. “Better yet, let’s go out. My treat and your choice of places. I’ll pick you up at six.”

“See you then.”

C
hapter 21

H
e liked that the sign marking the entrance to the church parking lot read
ALL
ARE
WELCOME
HERE
. He hoped that was true.

As soon as he got out of the truck, he spotted a familiar figure. Damn it, he should’ve known Gage would be there to make sure he showed up. Leif hadn’t called ahead to tell him because he’d been waffling right up to the last minute. He’d spent almost an hour trying to decide what to wear, worrying about his wardrobe decision like a teenage girl about to go on her first date.

A full uniform had seemed over the top, but he hadn’t wanted to go completely civilian, either. He’d finally settled on jeans with one of his army T-shirts worn under a short-sleeved sport shirt. His combat boots provided one more connection to his other life, the one he hoped to get back to as soon as possible. The tops of his boots were hidden by his jeans, so there was nothing showing that said “soldier.”

In the end, he’d left the shirt unbuttoned with his dog tags hanging out where they could be seen. When he checked his image one last time, it had still looked wrong, out of focus somehow. Finally, after meeting his own frustrated gaze in the mirror, he decided his unkempt hair had to go. A quick buzz cut fixed the problem, leaving him running late but definitely feeling more like himself.

While it was a relief not to have to walk into the meeting alone, Gage’s presence also eliminated any possibility of making a run for it. He slowly walked over to where the other man stood by a set of steps that led down to the basement of the small church. His speed had nothing to do with his injured leg and everything to do with how much he didn’t want to do this.

Gage knew it, too. “Glad you came.”

Leif shrugged. “It was even money that I wouldn’t.”

Instead of getting mad, Gage laughed. “Yeah, I felt that same way the first time I dragged my sorry ass down those steps.”

Interesting. “So why did you?”

Gage stared past him. “Because my late wife offered me pretty much the same deal I offered you: Either I got help or else. Period. End of discussion.”

He shook his head and smiled again. “For such a little thing, my wife sure could sure play hardball, but then she was right. I needed to talk to somebody who’d been there. She offered to listen herself, but she didn’t need all that ugliness in her head, too. It was bad enough that I did. Still do, for that matter, but at least it’s manageable now. Most of the time, anyway.”

That wasn’t exactly what Leif wanted to hear, but he should’ve known there were no easy fixes. His guilt over Spence’s death coupled with the ongoing problems with his leg added up to a tangled mess that was bound to take a while to unravel. That is, if it could be done at all.

Three more vehicles pulled into the parking lot. Leif shifted restlessly. He’d have to meet the other members of the group eventually, but standing out here in the parking lot had him feeling exposed.

“Should we go in?”

Gage clapped him on the shoulder. “Yeah, let’s. Jack Haliday, the pastor I told you about, prefers to meet with new members in his office before most of the others arrive.”

Leif followed Gage down the steps and into a brightly lit room. It resembled one of the rooms at his mom’s church, the kind of space that was used for everything from sleepovers for kids to meetings like the one he was heading into. The sense of familiarity helped ease some of his jitters.

Just after they walked through the door, a tall man with salt-and-pepper hair came into the room carrying a large coffee urn. As soon as he spotted Gage, he set it down and headed straight for them.

“Gage! It’s been a while since we’ve had the pleasure of your company at a meeting.”

Although he didn’t phrase it as a question, Gage answered as if it had been. “I’ve been doing better lately, Jack. I’m really here to introduce my friend to you and some of the other guys. Reverend Jack Haliday, this is Corporal Leif Brevik.”

The older man smiled and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Corporal. I’m glad you’re here.”

What could Leif say to that? He didn’t want to lie, but neither was he happy to be there. He shook the man’s hand and simply said, “Nice to meet you, sir.”

To his surprise, the pastor laughed. “I’m pretty sure you don’t really mean that, son, but that’s okay.”

His smile faded as more men filed into the room. He lowered his voice. “Few of our members are here because they want to be, Corporal. They are here because they need to be. That’s true for me as well. And please call me Jack. I’m not wearing just my pastor hat at these meetings.”

Leif found himself warming to the minister. “I’m Leif.”

“Well, Leif, let’s grab a cup of coffee and then head into my office for a few minutes so I can get just a little information from you. It won’t take long.”

Gage rejoined the conversation. “I’ll save you a seat next to me if you’d like.”

Leif nodded, grateful for the lifeline Gage was offering him. “I’d appreciate that.”

As he followed Jack down the hall, he couldn’t resist one last look back to make sure Gage was still there. The lawman waved before turning away to talk to someone else. Leif hesitated outside the doorway to Jack’s office, still not sure he wanted to do this.

The pastor didn’t pressure him, but instead took a seat at his desk and gave Leif all the time he needed to decide for himself whether to come in. That little bit of control over the decision was enough to persuade him to move forward instead of retreating. One deep breath and he took that next step.

•   •   •

As Leif pulled out of the church parking lot, he waved back at several of the men who had been at the meeting. It had been a pleasant surprise to find out that he already had at least a nodding acquaintance with several of the members before the meeting.

Running into Clarence Reed had come as a bit of a surprise. Although Clarence’s sweater vest, neatly ironed shirt, and bow tie didn’t exactly fit the usual image of a marine, that’s what he’d been. Then there were the two guys who’d vouched for Leif and Mitch’s story after the fight at the bar. Leif had known they were former military but hadn’t even considered the possibility that they’d be part of the group.

All in all, the experience wasn’t nearly as painful as he’d expected. No one put any pressure on him to talk about his deployments other than to ask where he’d served. He’d gotten quite a kick out of listening to two old codgers who’d served in World War II. Despite some good-natured bickering over which one had seen more action, it was obvious the two shared a strong bond, forged in the hell they’d both lived through. He knew just how they felt. He’d enjoyed the same kind of ironclad connection with Nick. Well, and with Spence.

There’d been a moment when one of the old warriors had mentioned a friend who’d died in the war. He’d paused to look around at the group with his faded blue eyes and a sad smile. “Damned if I don’t miss his laugh even after all these years. Old Will was one helluva marine and a good friend. That’s why I come here week after week. No one else understands, not like all of you do.”

For a minute, the room had gone silent. Leif had no doubt that every man and woman in the place was thinking about someone in their own lives like Old Will. As sad as thinking about Spence made him feel, sharing that moment with the others had somehow lifted a little of the weight off of Leif’s heart and let him smile at the memory of his lost friend.

As he drove down Main Street on his way back to the house, he recognized several people, who waved as he passed by. Bridey was standing outside her shop talking to a couple of older women, and Frannie was changing the list of specials on the chalkboard that hung outside the Creek Café. It occurred to him that, adding in the men at the meeting, somehow he’d started forging the kinds of personal connections that definitely made Snowberry Creek feel a bit like home. It had been years since he’d had any strong sense of belonging to any place or anyone outside of the military. He’d always kept his visits to his parents and their families blessedly brief. Other than them, there was very little that tied him to his hometown.

But when it came time to leave Snowberry Creek, he would miss both the town and the friends he’d made there. Speaking of whom, Callie would be waiting for him. He’d also forgotten all about Austin. He should probably invite the kid to tag along. He made a quick call and told Austin to wait for him at Callie’s. He didn’t know where Callie was thinking about going, but he’d have to remember to mention to Nick how much fun they’d had the next time he talked to him. Yeah, maybe that would be mean of him, but then what were friends for if not to give each other a hard time?

Past the outskirts of town, he gunned the big engine and hauled ass for the house. He found himself singing along with the song on the radio. As the song wound down, his smile faded a bit. He’d gone into the meeting expecting to hate it. There had definitely been some tough moments, like when a couple of the members had shared memories or the problems they were having coping with civilian life. But there was comfort in knowing there were others like him, especially ones who had made the journey and come out on the other side relatively whole. Hope was a precious gift.

Granted, it would be stupid to think that a single meeting would have a long-term effect on the problems he was having. He glanced at himself in the rearview mirror. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to hit a few more of them as long as he was around.

At least it was worth a shot. Maybe.

•   •   •

Zoe reluctantly followed Brandi into the crowded dining room at the Trillium Creek Lodge Although she had tried hard to come up with a believable reason that she needed to stay home alone on a Saturday night, her brain had fired nothing but blanks.

Clearly Brandi had been confident that she’d be able to coax her into going because she’d issued the invitation from the parking lot of Zoe’s apartment complex. At least she’d given Zoe time to change clothes and put on a little makeup. An hour later, here they were, standing in a long line waiting for a table. Obviously, they weren’t the only ones who hadn’t wanted to cook tonight.

While they waited, Brandi indulged in her favorite hobby of people watching and making snide comments that kept Zoe laughing. They’d been there only a few minutes when Brandi went on point. Zoe looked around to see who had captured her attention. She had her answer when a deep voice said, “Hey, Brandi. How’s it going?”

“Much better now that you’re here, Corporal Brevik. Don’t you think so, Zoe?”

God, she wanted to kill the woman. “Hi, Leif.”

Brandi’s enthusiasm faded a bit when she realized that he wasn’t alone and that his companion was female. It was tempting to let her matchmaking friend think Leif was on a date, but that would be mean. “Hey, Callie, I don’t believe you’ve met Brandi. She and I work together.”

The two women shook hands. “It’s nice to meet you, Brandi. I’ve heard a lot of good things about you.”

Before her friend could respond, Zoe asked, “So, have you heard from Nick? How is that handsome guy of yours doing?”

Callie’s smile faded just a bit. “Fine. The army is keeping him really busy, but at least he’ll be back home to stay soon.”

“That’s really great. I know you’re both counting the days.”

Zoe hadn’t noticed that there was a third member in their party until Callie completed the introductions. “Gosh, where are my manners? Zoe and Brandi, this is Austin Locke. He’s recently hired on to work for Nick’s new remodeling business.”

The younger man nodded in Zoe’s direction, but his focus was totally on Brandi. His interest was clearly not one-sided, either; her smile had brightened about two hundred percent. “Hey, why don’t we see if we can’t get a table big enough for all of us?”

Zoe knew all kinds of reasons why that wouldn’t be a good idea, but Brandi didn’t wait for anyone to express an opinion. She grabbed Austin’s hand and dragged him with her to tell the hostess that they’d be needing a bigger table.

While Zoe chatted with Callie, she could feel Leif watching her every move. When their names were finally called, he followed close on her heels to the large circular booth in the distant corner of the restaurant. He stood back to let her slide in first, but then sat down right next to her, blocking the way for the others.

He gave everyone an apologetic look. “Sorry, but I need to be on this end to have room to stretch my leg out.”

Callie had already entered the booth from the other end of the curved bench, effectively trapping Zoe next to Leif. Brandi sat on Callie’s other side, and Austin took the other end position. Well, weren’t they all one big happy family? With a barrage of conflicting emotions battling in her head, Zoe clutched the menu in her hands like a shield in the hope that no one, especially Leif, sensed how upset she was by this chance encounter.

How badly was he hurting? Had he had any further problems with his leg after last night? This wasn’t the time or the place to be asking, but she couldn’t help but worry. She certainly hadn’t expected to run into him again so soon, especially when she still felt raw over everything that had happened between them.