Page 94 of A Soldier's Return

They were all quiet for a few moments as they dished breadsticks and salad.

Sage braced herself for a negative reaction to her favorite lasagna dish. She wasn’t the greatest of cooks but after choosing a vegetarian lifestyle in college, she had worked hard to find dishes she found good, nutritious and filling.

But her tastes were likely far different than Eben’s. He probably had at least one Cordon Bleu-trained personal chef to go along with the legion of servants she’d imagined for him.

To her relief and gratification, he closed his eyes in appreciation after the first taste. “Delicious. My compliments to the chefs.”

Chloe giggled. “There weren’t any chefs, Daddy. Just Sage and me.”

“You two have outdone yourselves.”

“It’s super good, Sage,” Chloe agreed. “I wasn’t sure I’d like it but I can’t even taste the carrots and stuff.”

Sage smiled, charmed all over again by this little girl with the inquisitive mind and boundless energy.

“Thank you both. I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”

“Maybe you could give me the recipe and I could make it sometime at home, if the new nanny helps me,” Chloe suggested. “I like to cook stuff sometimes, when I have a chance.”

“I’ll do that. Remind me before you leave and I’ll make a copy of the recipe for you.”

“Thank you very much,” Chloe said, with a solemn formality that made Sage smile again. She shifted her gaze from the girl to her father and immediately wished she hadn’t.

Eben watched her, an odd expression in those brilliant green eyes. It left her breathless and off balance. He quickly veiled it in that stiff, controlled way of his she was coming to despise.

“This is a beautiful house,” he said into the sudden silence. “Have you lived here long?”

“Five years or so—I moved in a few weeks after I came to Cannon Beach.”

“You’re not from here? I wondered. You have a slight northeast accent every once in a while, barely noticeable.”

Her mouth tightened as if she could clamp down all trace of the past she didn’t like remembering. “Boston,” she finally said.

“That’s what I would have guessed. So what brought you to Oregon?”

“When I graduated from Berkeley, I took an internship at the nature center. I spent the first few weeks in town renting a terrible studio apartment a few blocks from here. It was all I could afford on an intern’s salary, which was nothing.”

“You worked for free?” Chloe asked and Sage had to smile a little at the shock in her voice.

“I was fresh out of college and ready to see the world, try anything. But I did hate living in that terrible apartment.”

“How did you end up here?” Eben asked. He sounded genuinely interested, she realized, feeling ashamed of herself for being so surprised by it.

“One day at the grocery store I helped a local woman with her bags and she invited me home for dinner.” Her heart spasmed a little and she suddenly missed Abigail desperately.

She managed a smile, though she suspected it didn’t look very genuine. “I’ve been here ever since.”

Eben was silent for a long moment. By the time he spoke, Sage had regained her composure.

“How many apartments are in this place?”

“Three. One on each floor, but the middle floor is empty right now.”

“Your neighbor on the first floor let me in.”

“Right. Anna.”

Conan barked a little from under the table when she said Anna’s name and Sage covered her annoyance by taking a sip of the wine she had set out for her and Eben.

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