Page 28 of Destiny Reclaimed
He swallowed audibly, “I’m so sorry about Marvin.”
How did he know what she’d been thinking? The pain in his eyes matched the grief in her heart. Not only had he had to face death in war overseas, but he also had to come home and face it as well.
“Tell me about your job. You’d only worked there for a few months by the time I left.”
She welcomed the change of subject. “I love my job. As you know, nursing was all I ever wanted to do. Mostly, I work the day shift now. Rotating days, so I work sometimes on the weekends. I don’t mind nights, but days are better.”
He stroked her cheek. “I bet you’re a great nurse. You possess all the qualities...kind, compassionate, smart.”
Her heart fluttered at his compliments.
Leaning forward, he brushed his buttery-tasting lips to hers. Yeah, Eddy’s could make a great butter burger, but it was nothing compared to Jack’s phenomenal buttery kiss.
He eased back. “What do you want to do next?”
Sitting in the car, just the two of them was all she wanted—needed. If they went back to her parents’ house, they’d hover. The same would happen at his parents’ home.
Funny, here they were, Jack almost thirty and her in her mid-twenties, still living with their parents. Well, as for Jack, he hadn’t been home but a day. As for herself, she’d thought about getting her own apartment the past couple of years, but with both her brothers shipped off to war, she’d decided to stay at home with her parents. On many occasions, her mother mentioned how lonely they’d be without her, so she knew for the times they were in, she’d made the right choice.
Now that Jack was home and they planned to marry, they’d need to find their own place. She had a good job and could swing a rent payment, but little would be left over for other things. She wondered what he planned to do in terms of employment. Did he plan to get his old job back at the airline? Did he even feel like flying anymore after having been an evacuation pilot in Vietnam? These were things they’d need to discuss soon. Very soon.
Janet tapped on the window. “Do you need anything else?”
“I’m good. Thanks,” Gwen replied as she handed her cardboard container to Jack who set it back on the tray hanging from the window.
“I guess we’re all set. Thank you,” Jack confirmed.
Janet pulled the tray from the window, spun on her heel, and walked away.
She refocused on her fiancé’s questioning gaze. “I’d like to just spend time with you alone. Where, I don’t know. But alone with you.”
What she’d give for it to be warm outside. Then they’d have options. Parks, piers, walking down the street. But, with as cool as it was, they could opt for those but they’d freeze in no time.
His gaze intensified. “I know just the place.”
The second he pulled onto the highway and away from town, she knew where he was headed. His parents’ three-season cottage located on Lake Michigan. A mere twenty-minute drive up the peninsula, but right now, that seemed like the longest drive ever.
As Jack drove, he asked her a lot of questions about her job, parents, and friends. He seemed to hang on her every word. It was like he couldn’t get enough information about what had taken place while he was away. She couldn’t imagine what it had been like for him to be plucked out of his life for two years, and then dropped back in. Her heart ached for him. He’d missed so much. But even worse was the fact he’d missed it all because of this horrible war.
Jack pulled onto the narrow gravel driveway lined with hardwoods. The tires ground through a couple of inches of snow to find traction. Thank goodness the snowfall had been light so far this winter, because under normal snow conditions, getting to the cabin this time of year would not have been an option.
Within seconds he’d parked next to the side door of the tiny cabin, leaped out of the car, and hustled over to her side of the vehicle.
––––––––
Jack opened the cardoor for Gwennie, and as she swung her legs out, her long coat opened, giving him a glimpse of those shapely legs of hers. Whatever she wore under that coat was skimpy enough he’d caught a glimpse of her mouthwatering thighs.
Extending a hand to her, he held tight when she wove her fingers among his. He led her to the front door of the cabin, reached up, and snagged the hidden key from behind the light fixture.
Luckily, his dad heated the cabin year-round to avoid freezing pipes. It wouldn’t be toasty warm at first, but once he turned up the furnace it would be comfortable in no time. He flipped on the kitchen light and swung his gaze around the tiny room lined with cabinets and a small table in the center. His gaze landed on a picture of him and his parents fastened to the refrigerator with a magnet. It was just one of the many photos taken of them on the beach through the years. He looked to be about twelve in that one. God, he had missed this place. The peacefulness and comfort of it. Since his youth, this cottage was a place of harmony—escape from reality. He and his parents spent every possible moment here during the summer months.
“Are you okay, Jack?”
“Huh?”
“You seemed to drift off. I just wondered if you were okay.”
“Perfect, this place is exactly as I remember it, and I’m here with you. It couldn’t get any better.”
