Dirty Secrets

Crumbling Defenses

She inhaled deeply. Her face relaxed, and she held up her hand like a stop signal. "No. No, you don't."

"No, I do. I thought it was better to listen to what our parents wanted back then and have no contact with you because I was going into the Marines. I guess I wanted to save you from heartbreak in case I died in war or something. I don't know. I was young and stupid."

My words were only partially true. I didn't want to explain the entire truth about what happened. It felt like too much of a downer. Especially now that her mother was gone.

"You don't owe me anything, Leo. Truly. We were young. We were kids. Let's not dredge up the past. That's silly. I don't hold any resentment or bad feelings. Really."

I nodded and stepped back, my heart sinking. She didn't want anything to do with me. Maybe our time together all those years ago hadn't meant anything to her. Maybe she'd found hotter sex and a more amazing connection with someone else. Hell, maybe she hadn't even cared that I disappeared from her life so abruptly. The thought jabbed at my heart, but I pressed on, unable to contain my curiosity about the gorgeous woman standing in front of me.

"'Kay. So, we'll stay away from the past from now on. How's the present treating you?"

She cocked an eyebrow and stiffened, and I winced, cursing myself for choosing wrong again. I leaned against a stainless-steel counter and splayed my arms, my hands skimming the cool surface. "Are you in school? Do you have a boyfriend? Do you live at the hotel still?"

Jessica nodded. "I do live at the hotel. Graduated last May from a college in Fort Myers. Got degrees in business and hospitality. And I'm single."

"Congratulations. And...that's good to know."

So. Maybe I did stand a chance. My old natural optimism bubbled through the recent fog of self-doubt.

What was I thinking? Why would she want a guy who had not only probably done something horrible, but who sleepwalked in a near-comatose state when he took medicine and had screaming nightmares when he didn't? She needed a normal guy. Deserved one.

Anger boiled hot inside my chest. I hated what the war had done to me. Fucking hated it.

Jessica's lips quirked upward for a brief second and she caught my eye before glancing away. "Anyway...um, welcome to the island. I'm sure you'll be a great addition here. It's a really friendly group of people. A lot of younger business owners like us are moving in. So, yeah."

And yet, I couldn't resist flirting with her. She was too adorable.

"So, maybe you can be my own personal welcoming committee. You know, introduce me around to the other business owners, give me the inside scoop on things...?"

She gave me a wary glance. "I can do that," she said, leaning against a large refrigerator on her left. "There's a happy hour tomorrow, in fact. For local business owners. It's at the one cool bar in town, The Sloppy Iguana. If you think you can make it."