Page 56 of The Matchmaker and the Marine

“That stinks.” Adam said.

The women looked at each other. Stacey said, “I’ll give her a call tomorrow.”

“Let me know if I can help.” Melinda picked up her bag. “You’re tired. I’m going to take off, but I can stop over tomorrow to help out if you need something.”

“Nah. Will can be my slave for the next few days.” He inched forward and plucked Skye from his lap, setting her on the arm of his chair. “I’ll walk you out.”

Melinda gave him a gentle shove backward. “You’ll do no such thing.” She looked at Will. “I’ll call you tomorrow to see how our patient is doing.”

Stacey said, “I’ll go down with you. The guys want to watch the game and I’m not a huge fan of baseball.”

“Good night, Adam.” Melinda’s fingers grazed his shoulder. “If you need something, remember, I’m just a phone call away.”

“Thanks, Mel.” He looked up at her. “For everything.”

After the door closed behind the ladies, Adam let out a groan and slumped back in the chair. He had wanted to tell Melinda he appreciated her trust in sharing with him the pain of losing her husband. In addition to the fact that she’d sucked it up and gone with him to the hospital. What kind of woman did that? Walked bravely into the one place that held the most sorrow, and then stayed by his side despite the memories that couldn’t be ignored. Mel was an amazingly strong woman.

“So what was up with that comment?” Will asked. “I know you, and there was way more subtext there.”

Adam gave a one-shoulder shrug. “Mel shared some very personal details of her past with me today and it was extremely painful for her.”

Will raised an eyebrow. “And did you share your past with Melinda?”

He noticed the strong emphasis on the word your. With a sharp look, Adam said, “No.”

“Why not?”

“I was caught up in what she told me. I didn’t want to add to her burden by sharing something small by comparison.”

“Dude, what you endured was far from minor. When the IED exploded and tore the unit apart, you lost good people under your command, not to mention your injuries. That is a lot for any man to deal with. Even a tough guy like you.”

“I don’t like to talk about it.” Adam could barely croak out the words. The helplessness that had engulfed him after the accident caused him shame. He hadn’t protected his team. That’s what a good leader was supposed to do. Protect his team at all costs.

Will slammed his fist on the couch. “I get it. I was there too. I know what it was like, seeing your friends, your brothers and sisters come home in a box.”

A shadowy memory flashed through his mind. “You don’t understand. This was different. I was hurt and…I couldn’t help anyone. I was weak, defenseless. I needed people to come to my aid.” His voice rose as he continued. “That’s not how it’s supposed to be. My job was to take care of my people and I couldn’t.”

Adam heaved himself up from the chair. Holding his arm close to his body, he walked to the front window and looked out over the quiet street. His voice was low. “I understand Mel so much better now. Why she holds herself back. In some ways, we’re a lot alike.”

“She’s your friend. I get that. Stacey and I love Melinda. And you’re like a brother to me.”

“What if Mel reacts like Anita did? Sees me as less than a man?” He stared into the growing darkness. “I don’t want her to pity me or see a look of disgust on her face.”

“If you think that’s Melinda, then you have no idea what makes that woman tick. She is compassionate and caring and is nonjudgmental.”

Adam tapped his chest. “I know that in here.” Then he tapped his forehead. “But not here.”

“She’s not Anita.”

With a slow shake of his head, Adam looked at Will. He could hear the bitterness in his voice. “You didn’t see Anita in the hospital. You have no idea what it felt like to have someone who you loved look at you. Her eyes cold and empty. She stared at where my leg should have been. Her look of revulsion is something I’ll never forget.”

“Maybe she wasn’t prepared to handle the gravity of the situation. Most significant others react exactly the same way. We’ve seen it time and time again.”

Pressing fingers to his forehead Adam said, “Are you making excuses for her?”

Will blanched. “Absolutely not. I’m trying to find a way to tell you to be honest with Mel. So that if your relationship with her grows…” He let his voice trail off, “Anita was never right for you and that’s why she’s your past.”

“I know what you’re trying to do, but for tonight just let it go!”

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