The Officer and the Secret (6 page)

Joyful. She looked truly joyful. And not at all scared.

“Pretty damn beautiful.” Dwayne placed his hands on her shoulders, his calluses feeling decadent on her skin. He leaned over and whispered, “The dress looks good too.”

She could only nod.

“You should smile like that more often.”

I
intend
to.

***

Dwayne shifted back into his own dressing room and shut the curtain tight. The throbbing in his head made him nauseous, and he pressed his thumbs to his eyes to relieve the pressure.

He shouldn’t have gone in there. No ulterior motives his ass. He’d been drawn to the little breathless sounds, the struggles, and he knew damn well it was Veronica, and that she’d be in some form of undress. And despite his better judgment, he’d peeked.

Though startled, he didn’t think Veronica had been scared. No, the way her breath had caught, her face had flushed, she looked almost like she was ready for him to toss her up against the wall, scrunch up her dress, and give her something to really smile about.

And his body was still tight with a desire to do just that. Except he couldn’t, for more reasons than he wanted to think about at the moment. But the most important being… it wouldn’t be fair to Veronica, on many levels.

“Dickweed, you ready yet?” The curtain flew back and Jeremy stood, annoyance on his face. “We’ve been waiting.”

“Yeah.” He shrugged into the suit coat and buttoned it while following Jeremy to the other side of the store, away from the women.

Tim stood, in a matching suit but lighter colored vest, waiting. “Took you long enough. You forget how to dress yourself?”

“Bite me.” Dwayne stepped onto the riser next to Tim, Jeremy taking his place on the other side. Together they spun to face the wall-length mirror.

“Not bad.” Tim adjusted his tie.

“So this is what we look like all cleaned up.” Jeremy brushed imaginary lint off his sleeve and grinned.

“What made you go with suits? Thought we were doing the tux thing?” Not that Dwayne was going to complain. Hell no.

Tim shrugged. “Seems a little more low-key than black tie. Tuxes seemed overkill. Too Bond.”

A saleswoman popped her head in, then another behind her. Their eyes were wide, and Dwayne wasn’t too keen on the jackal-like smiles that stretched their dual bright red lips. “Can we help you gentlemen with anything?”

Given the way their eyes were devouring him and Jeremy, Dwayne wasn’t sure how to avoid that land mine.

“Yeah, you know, is this tie right?” Jeremy, who was busy concentrating on the mirror and not on the predatory looks the women were sending their way, didn’t see the hazard looming. “I’m just not sure; suits and ties aren’t really part of our daily wardrobe.”

“Oh my God,” Dwayne muttered under his breath. “You gotta be shittin’ me.”

“Madison’s gonna kill you,” Tim sang softly.

“What?” Jeremy gave him a confused look.

The girls practically kicked each other trying to get to Jeremy first, but the taller blonde won. She cooed over how cute he looked in his suit, hands busy with his tie, brushing against his chest. Fawning. Straight up fawning. No other word for it.

“Need some help?” The smaller blonde’s hands brushed against the side of Dwayne’s neck in the pretense of fixing his tie.

He took a half-step back, hoping she’d take the subtle hint. “No, I think I’m good.”

“Oh my God, your arms are huge!” the taller one squealed at Jeremy.

“Christ,” Tim muttered. “This has death written all over it.”

“Well, isn’t this just cozy.”

All five turned to see Madison standing at the entrance of the men’s side of the store. Arms crossed over her chest, she tapped one high heel in rapid time. Her face was pinched. And if eyes were laser beams, Jeremy would be smoking. The woman next to him would have been ash.

Death just came knockin’.

“Hey, shouldn’t you be over on the girly side with Skye?” Tim hopped off the riser and came to give her a once-over. “You look pretty good though.”

Madison smacked his chest. “She sent me over here on a little recon mission. Making sure you guys look good in your suits so we don’t have to change up the order. Everything fitting?”

“We’re just double-checking,” Tall Blonde told her. The tone, however, said,
Get
lost; you’re not invited to the party.

“Hey, Mad.” Jeremy took a step away from the saleswoman and shot her a smile. “You look cute.”

“I look sick,” she corrected, brushing a hand down the skirt. “This is so not my color. But you seem to be having… fun.”

Five minutes too late, Jeremy must have registered the picture he was presenting. But rather than a look of guilt, he shot her a grin. “Hey, just getting a little help.”

Madison just rolled her eyes, but she smiled a little. These two might kid, but Dwayne knew there was no real heat in their argument. “Dwayne, how about you? Everything fit okay? Need any help?”

“Fits just fine, sweetness.” He took the opportunity to disengage fully from Shorter Blonde and walked over to give her a kiss of gratitude. Not that she knew she’d just saved him. “How are things on the shiny side?”

“Shiny side? Oh, right.” She fingered the wide sash of the mint green dress. “Skye’s dress is perfect. And Veronica is adorable.”

More than adorable. But he wasn’t exactly supposed to know that. So he kept his mouth shut. “Sounds like you ladies are all set.”

“So we can get out of here?” Jeremy materialized by his side, looking anxious to get the hell out of the room suddenly. Whether he wanted to escape the overeager saleswoman or Madison’s narrowed gaze, Dwayne wasn’t sure.

The guys headed back to the dressing area. As he shrugged out of his jacket, he heard Veronica call out.

“Tim, are you in here?”

“Yeah,” he answered from the next stall over.

“Skye’s coming back in, so you can’t come out until she’s secure.”

“What is this—a military operation? Christ, why did I allow my mother to suggest all this?”

Veronica huffed. “Is that a yes?”

Tim sighed. “Yeah. I’ll stay in here ’til someone gives the okay.”

Dwayne poked his head through the curtain. Veronica scowled at him and shooed at him with her hand.

“Go away. You’re not supposed to look.”

“Hey, I’m not the groom. Maybe I just want a little sneak peek of my own.” The peek he wanted was of Veronica.

She was too cute. Her braid was more out than in, her cheeks were flushed with happiness, and despite her stern look, her lips curved into a telltale smile that said she was in too good a mood to bother bickering with him any. The dress, which had gaped earlier, was now tight across her chest and torso, flaring out gently at the hips. But when she turned, he could see the white clips holding it back. Ah, so that’s how they made it work. Just one more female secret.

“You look nice.”

She looked down and smoothed the skirt in an unconscious gesture of pure feminine pleasure. “Thank you.”

“Need any help with the zipper?”

Well, that burst the happiness bubble. She stalked to him, heels thumping on the carpet, and pointed her finger at his nose. “You… you…”

“Me?” He grabbed her finger—so tiny compared to his own hand—turned her wrist gently, and placed a kiss on her palm.

Her annoyance melted away, leaving only confusion. Her lips parted slightly, and he was dying to yank her into his dressing room and see if she tasted as good as she looked. But the moment he started to tug… he was stopped by Skye’s voice.

“Veronica? Is everything okay?”

Wide eyes still staring at him, unblinking, she whispered, “Yeah.”

A moment passed, then another, and Dwayne debated how fast he could toss Veronica over his shoulder and bolt out the front door, when once again Skye’s voice intruded.

“Veronica? Is Tim hiding? Can I come in?”

That broke the spell. She blinked, shook her hand until he loosened his grip, and she scooted to the entrance. “Yes, it’s safe.”

Safe. What a lie. Dwayne slipped back into his room to finish undressing. What the hell was the matter with him? He’d been seconds away from dragging Skye’s cousin to his car for… what? And to what purpose? She was a beautiful woman, sweet, and completely not for him. And that wasn’t because of any deficit on her part. She was a little
too
sweet for him. She’d never be able to hang with his particular brand of clumsy country boy.

Not to mention the fact that he shouldn’t be dating—or seeing—anyone right now. Not while he was still getting his life back in order after a deployment. And his mental health was still up for debate as well. They always warned against huge life changes directly after a deployment. Taking sweetie Veronica into his life wouldn’t benefit either of them.

They were sound, logical reasons. He agreed with every one of them. If he brought it up, Tim and Jeremy would say the same.

So then why was he having to fight so hard to keep his hands off her?

***

Dwayne settled on the couch for a much-needed catch-up of the shows he’d missed while deployed. First up,
The
Walking
Dead
.

But just as he hit play on the DVD, his phone rang. Of course. He sighed and reached for the phone, perfectly content to hit the ignore button and go back to his show. But when the display showed Natalie’s name, he answered without hesitation.

“Hey, sis, what’s up?”

“Deeeeeee!”

Dwayne held the phone away from his ear to save his eardrum from the high-pitched squeal. “Not sis. Hey, button, did you dial Uncle Dwayne all by yourself?”

His fifteen-month-old niece, Suzanna, squealed with delight again.

“Can you go find your mama?”

A muffled thump, an exasperated groan, and then Natalie was on the phone. “I’m sorry, Dwayne. I swear, this kid grew wheels when she started walking. I turn around and she’s dumped out my purse and dialing you.”

Dwayne stretched out on the couch and settled in. He loved his family more than anything, and missed them like crazy since the day he left for TBS. “Suzanna just wanted to talk to her favorite uncle. There’s no harm in that.”

“You’re her only uncle,” Natalie said dryly.

He wouldn’t have been, if Natalie’s deadbeat ex were in the picture. Guy had more brothers and sisters than Dwayne could remember. But he’d left her high and dry, repeatedly, in the past. The guy couldn’t be counted on for anything. Though Natalie didn’t see it that way, Dwayne saw it as a blessing he was completely out of the picture now.

But it killed him that his sister had taken the same path their mother had. Deadbeat loser boyfriend, who turns into a deadbeat loser dad, which leads to single motherhood and a rough life for everyone.

Something clattered in the background and he winced. “What’d she get into now?”

“Nothing. That was me. I’m putting groceries away.” Her breath huffed out a little. “So how’s the readjustment going?”

Immediately, his back stiffened. “What do you mean?”

“You know, catching up with friends, seeing what you’ve missed, all that. Can’t be easy, being gone for so long and coming home to a brand-new world.”

“Oh. Right.” He scratched his jaw and sat up. “It’s fine. Meeting people who came into town after I was gone.”

“Veronica?”

How the… “How did you—”

“You mentioned her before, in emails.”

“No I didn’t.”

“So I just made up her name?” Natalie laughed. Then a giggle sounded loudly. She must have picked up Suzanna. “You mentioned her at least four times in emails while you were deployed. I saved most of them to read over again later. You made her sound like a good influence.”

He was so not doing this right now. “Suzanna stick anything interesting in her mouth lately?”

Natalie sighed, but moved on with the wisdom that came with twenty-five years of siblinghood. “Nothing new to report.”

He paused, then decided to go for it. “Need help?”

They both knew what he meant. Did she need a check to make up for the lack of any support from Suzanna’s deadbeat dad?

But Natalie wasn’t having any of it. As usual. “Look at the time. Gotta go put missy here down for her nap. Call me later. And don’t scrimp on the details about Veronica.” With that, his sister hung up.

Well, damn. He’d pissed her off and made her curious all in one phone conversation. That was, as Madison would say, an epic fail.

Dwayne tossed his phone on the coffee table. Maybe the delightful image from a zombie apocalypse would cure his need to go find a punching bag and start wailing on it.

***

Veronica was glad she’d asked for the whole day off from the restaurant, rather than just the afternoon as she’d planned. Now she had all the time in the world to hang out with Madison and Skye for a girls night in, or GNI, as Skye liked to call it.

“Let’s talk boys.”

“Oh my God. Really? Five minutes into girls’ night and you’re already bringing a penis into this?” Madison threw a cracker at Skye, who batted it away.

“Yes. We promised we’d take tonight to go over Veronica’s options for men.” Skye glanced at her upside down since she was draped over the armchair with her legs dangling over the back. “You’re still wanting to go through that? Ready to jump into the dating pool?”

Veronica thought back to her reaction to Dwayne’s touch. The way her body had sparked and sang and almost… recognized his touch. That she’d craved more even long after he’d left the formalwear shop. “Yes. I’m ready.”

“Well, then,” Madison said, popping a grape in her mouth. “By all means, let Skye begin.”

“No dating coworkers.”

“Hmm?” She looked at her cousin and saw Skye holding a pad of paper and pen. “What are you doing?”

“Making a list,” she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Dating rules, ideas, preferences. That sort of thing. Something to reference as you toss yourself into the great unknown.”

“You make it sound like I’m about to go backpacking through Alaska.”

“Close enough. Dating is an uphill mountain climb. You must proceed with caution, be ready for a long hike, and bring provisions.”

“Hear, hear!” Madison toasted her with a bottle of beer. “Provisions for everyone.”

Skye tapped her pen on the pad of paper and ignored her sister-in-law. “Nobody needy.”

“Nobody who is emotionally unavailable,” Madison added around another cheese cube.

“Is this your list or mine?” Veronica asked.

She gave Veronica a smug smile. “I don’t need a list anymore.”

Touché. “Nobody too young,” Veronica added.

Skye and Madison both looked up at that.

“If it’s my own list, I should contribute, shouldn’t I?”

“No young ’uns,” Skye said while scratching on the pad. “That’s a good point. And no oldies either.”

“What are we defining as oldies, and young ’uns for that matter?” Madison asked, leaning over to read the list.

“I don’t think I’d like anyone younger than me. As for older…” She shrugged, not sure.

“Mid-thirties, I’d say.” As if agreeing with herself, Skye nodded. “Yep, mid-thirties it is. Any older and I think you’ll start feeling intimidated.”

Veronica felt the stirring of annoyance. But she tamped it down. Skye was helping, and it was kind of her to do so. Even so, she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d said she wanted a guy in his forties if these two would have talked her out of it.

Not that she did. Principle of the thing.

“Veronica?”

“Yes?” Glancing over, she realized both Madison and Skye were staring at her. “I’m sorry. I think my mind drifted again. What did you say?”

Skye smiled gently. “I was just asking if you had any ideas of specific men. Someone you found attractive, that met your ideals, so on. A starting point.”

“Well,” she began, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “I was thinking about David.”

“David who?” Madison asked.

“Oh, he’s perfect!” Skye cried at the same time. To Madison, she said, “David was a server at Fletchers, but his class schedule and work weren’t compatible so he had to give notice. He’s a grad student now. Cute, nice, polite, not a coworker anymore. And a sweetheart. In other words, a great choice.”

“Sounds like a paragon of virtue,” Madison joked as she took a sip of her beer.

“I think he’s nice, so leave him alone,” Veronica shot back, then covered her mouth. Oh, no. She’d snapped. That was rude.

Madison laughed. “That was awesome! You really need to get pissy more often. It’s fun.”

Skye just grinned and shook her head.

What a reminder. That she could have a negative thought, say a cutting remark, and wouldn’t be struck down for it. That she could be sarcastic, or even rude, and the world wouldn’t come to an end. A smile tugged at her lips, and she couldn’t hold back the giggle that escaped.

After she and Madison calmed down, Skye asked, “So what’s your plan with David?”

Veronica paused for a moment, grabbing a cube of cheese from the tray and chewing slowly. She already knew, of course. But the reaction from her cousin and friend was what worried her. “I think… I think that I will just ask him out.”

Skye and Madison stared at her, unblinking.

“Is that wrong? Did I mess something up?”

“Nope. I’m just surprised. It’s good. Gutsy.” Madison grabbed a handful of grapes and tossed one in the air, catching it in her mouth. “Way better than playing coy and doing something weird like stalking him and showing up wherever he is.” Madison smirked. “Not that I’d ever do anything like that…”

“Moving on,” Skye interjected.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll email David and ask him out for coffee.” It sounded so bizarre to hear herself say it, but the thrill of anticipation excited her.

“Here’s to your training wheels,” Mad toasted her with a mock salute. “May you have a lot of fun, get in a little trouble, and live a little. Time to break free from the shy-girl routine, sweetie.”

Routine? Did they think this was an act? She nibbled on a cracker while pondering that.

Maybe Madison was right. She didn’t often feel shy, just unsure. After years of having every action, every word scrutinized by parents who thought she could do nothing right, she’d lost any semblance of who she really could have been.

Well, she could be that woman now. There was nothing stopping her from doing—or saying—whatever she wanted any longer. And it was time to get living.

***

Dwayne shifted on the cushion, trying to find a comfortable spot while maintaining posture. The room was quiet, so much that he could hear the clock ticking out every second. Every awkward, silent second of every torturous, agonizing minute. Maybe this was a bad idea. Horrible, actually. He should excuse himself and just—

“Captain, why don’t we get started?” The chaplain sat back, relaxed, in his office recliner. He was a few years older than Dwayne, likely just on the other side of forty. Old, by military standards. Gray colored his temples, lines etched around his eyes and mouth. But despite the rank and extra years, Dwayne still felt like he was looking at a contemporary instead of a superior.

He’d never been in the chaplain’s office before, but it wasn’t what he expected. An overstuffed couch with wild floral print sat facing a La-Z-Boy recliner. The sitting area was completely separate from the more businesslike side with the man’s desk and bookshelves. Homier, more relaxed.

“I was referred, sir.” Not with an ultimatum, but close enough. “A friend suggested I come speak with you.” Because talking to the chaplain was a better idea than seeing a shrink. At least for now.

Major Dunham waited patiently, not saying a word. To fill the silence, Dwayne went on. “I’m having… a few problems. Minor ones.”

“Reintegrating to daily life.”