Page 10 of Callahan

And the guy who caught me serenading Conor was hot. The last thing I wanted was his sympathy.

Then he said he’d gone to the desert in September, the same as when Shawn landed in the Middle East. My original assumption about the man might have been right after all.

It was confirmed when he told me his name.Adam Callahan. Shawn had written to me about him. The two had originally bonded over their Irish ancestry and shared misery about being pale skinned in a place where the sun shone over three hundred days a year. And their friendship grew from there.

“You served with Shawn.”

He nodded slowly. “I did.”

“Is he the reason you’re in town?”

“Yeah.” His smile was sad. “He made me promise to—”

Just then the tone on Brian’s radio went off, indicating an emergency. The dispatcher’s voice came on, saying “All units, ten-thirty-one in progress at five eleven Willow Lane. Caller states he heard a couple arguing, followed by a woman’s screams.”

Brian clicked the mic on his shoulder. “Sierra Four en route.” Another designator voiced he was also on the way.

He kissed my cheek and nodded toward Adam, who replied, “Be safe out there. Thanks for all your help today,” then the sergeant was out the door. We watched as he got in his car and the lights on his roof lit up before he even backed out of the parking space.

Once Brian took off down the road, I turned to my visitor and smiled.

“You were saying, you made a promise to Shawn…”

****

Adam

“You were saying, you made a promise to Shawn?”

“I did.”

Although it didn’t seem right, handing her the ring while she wiped down tables.

“Do you think we could have dinner, and I can explain then?”

Her plump, perfect lips formed an “O”, and I felt my dick jump.

No! Bad cock! She’s Shawn’s girl!

“I, um…” She glanced toward the front of the store where the little strawberry-blonde baby was now asleep in the baby carrier on the counter. “I’m not comfortable leaving Conor.”

“We can bring him with us.”

Lainey shook her head. “He’s too little to go out in public places yet.”

I wasn’t sure if she was making excuses, so I didn’t know how to proceed.

Then, she suggested, “We could have dinner at my apartment. It’s just upstairs.”

I felt my face split into a grin.

“Perfect. Is there a place I can get us takeout?”

“Well, there’s Clay’s Diner across the street. We also have a pizza place and a Chinese restaurant.”

I cocked my head. “Really? I didn’t see those when I walked Main Street earlier.”

“They’re on the side streets.”

---