Page 19 of Sweet Somethings

"Hey, hang on," she protested, impulsively grabbing his arm. "Don't be like that. I was just trying to help. You can keep your secrets. And I have the perfect breakfast bread for you, so please come with me to the bakery."

He sighed. "You're a lot of work, Juliette."

"You're not the first person to tell me that." She gave him a pleading smile. "Others have said I'm worth it."

"I'd like to meet some of those people," he muttered.

"If you come with me, I promise not to ask you any more questions about your mysterious past with Doug Winters."

"Fine. I'll come to the bakery."

She let go of his arm as they continued walking toward downtown. "So, what are you doing on the house today?"

"Nothing you want to hear about," he said dryly.

"I'm surprised you're living there during the construction. I saw your stuff in the upstairs bedroom."

"My grandfather and I don't make good roommates, and since I don't know how long I'll be in town, the house suits my needs. I've got a bed to sleep on, a TV in the kitchen, running water and electricity; what more do I need?"

"I would want a lot more, but you don't seem to require much."

"I've lived in a lot worse places."

"Like…" she began, knowing she was probably treading back into dangerous waters, but while she'd agreed not to ask about the distant past, maybe the more recent past would prove less bothersome.

"Like dry, sandy, monochrome deserts that go on for miles, that are unbearably hot, and feel a little like hell on earth."

"I think that's the longest sentence you've ever said to me. Since you're not giving me an exact location, I'm guessing that's somewhere in the Middle East."

"Somewhere," he agreed.

"I heard you were in the Marines."

"I still am—for the moment."

"What does that mean?"

He hesitated, then said, "I was injured and put on medical leave a few months ago."

"So you're going back."

"That's debatable. I have to pass the physical and that might not happen."

She was surprised by his words. He looked like he was in the peak of physical health. "You seem pretty fit to me. You run every day."

"I have some hearing issues that haven't resolved completely, as well as a shoulder injury with some lingering weakness. If I'm not one hundred percent, I won't be able to do my job and any weakness could jeopardize the other members of my unit."

"But there must be other jobs you could do."

"Not that I necessarily want to do," he countered. "What if someone told you that you could still be a baker, but you could only make vanilla cookies and nothing else?"

"I'd tell them the business would fail quickly. But I get your point. When will you find out?"

"I have a follow-up physical a week from Monday, then a decision will be made."

She could hear the tension in his voice and knew he had a lot riding on that decision. "What will your grandfather do if you go back to the Marines?"

"He'll have to find other workers."

---