Page 6 of In the Arms of a Hero

He chuckled at the two sisters' loving relationship and nodded at Bess’s warm greeting. “Your shop is really nice.”

“I hope you’ve been telling the other people in the sheriff's department about us. It seems like the word is getting around because we’ve had a lot of traffic in here.”

“It’s well worth it. Best cup of coffee I’ve had in a long time, and your pastries are great.”

Bess beamed, then turned to Belinda. “I’m going to lock up and just be in the kitchen working on my prep for tomorrow.” She smiled at Aaron and added, “You’re more than welcome to coffee and something to eat. You can sit here, and Belinda can keep you company.”

Eager to jump at the chance, he nodded. “I’d love a cup of coffee.” He leaned back and looked at the almost empty bakery case. “Look at that. There’s one last éclair.”

Laughing, Belinda reached for the éclair and placed it on a plate. “I saved that for you. I wasn’t sure if you’d come back, but I thought you might like it if you did.”

The sweet gesture struck him, and he eagerly followed her to one of the small tables. “Sit with me.”

Bess had locked the door and put the closed sign up before heading back into the kitchen. When he’d stopped by, he had no idea if he would have the opportunity to talk privately with Belinda, but the fates and her sister had contrived to give him just what he wanted as she sat across from him. He jumped right in and said, “I’ve been curious about your real job since you say you’re just helping your sister here.”

Her face beamed as much as Bess’s had when he complimented the bakery, and he was once again reminded of the similarity between the two. “I’m a photographer.”

Unable to hide his surprise, he jerked his chin down. “Really?”

“Yes. Really.” She tilted her head to the side. “Is that so hard to believe?”

“No, not at all,” he rushed. “It’s just that I’ve never known a photographer. I mean, a professional photographer who does that for a living.” Hoping he hadn’t insulted her, he added, “But you said you were in the photography club in high school, so you were able to turn something you loved into a career.”

She nodded, then aimed the spotlight back at him. “That sounds like something you understand. Did you always want to go into law enforcement?”

“To be honest, when I left high school, I only wanted to follow in my older brother's footsteps, so I joined the Navy. But he went into marine technology to begin with, and I went straight into being military police.”

“That’s Andy, right?”

“Yeah, that’s my brother. Do you know him?”

“No, not really. I’ve met the woman he’s dating. She’s come into the bakery several times and seems really nice.”

“Yeah, Ivy is a great woman.” He was aware that the conversation rolled back to him. Determined to learn more about her, he prodded, “So tell me about being a photographer.”

“My work is diverse. I do events, weddings, anniversary celebrations, family gatherings, baby pictures. I even do headshots for professional events, although those aren’t my favorite. But I enjoy working with people and have bills to pay, so I don’t turn my nose up at any job. I also love nature photography.”

“Living on the Eastern Shore certainly gives you an opportunity for nature shots.”

He knew he’d said the right thing when her face brightened even more. “Absolutely! I like to go out in the early morningand get pictures of the beach, the birds, the shore, and anything in the area.” She heaved her shoulders and sighed. “Nature photographs sell occasionally, but hardly enough to live on. So I do pretty much anything I can with my cameras to earn money. Honestly, I just like to take pictures.”

“I can really feel your passion.” He wondered what else she would be passionate about and shifted slightly in his seat.

Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice his movements and nodded enthusiastically. “I feel incredibly lucky that I can make a living as a photographer.”

She looked around, then returned her gaze to him and sighed again. “I hate to kick you out, but I need to wipe down the tables and clean the floor. It was nice of you to come back and see me again.”

He took to his feet, making sure to clean up the crumbs from his table. “It was my pleasure, Belinda. I’m sorry I didn’t know you in high school, but it’s great to meet you now.”

Laughing, she patted his arm. “Please, don’t worry about high school. I’m much too old to worry about teenage angst by now. I think at that age, we’re all just trying to find someplace to fit in.”

Her words scored through him, and he nodded. “I think you’re right.” He walked to the door with her beside him. Lisa had been wrong about him earlier. It wasn’t that he never went on dates, but he tried to be discerning. Find someone he could date for a while, hoping it might last. But it had been months since he’d wanted to get to know someone and had asked them out.

Belinda leaned past him to unlock the door to let him through, and he looked down at her. “Would you be interested in having dinner with me sometime?”

“I’d really like that,” she answered without hesitation.

“What about Friday night?”

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