Jake wasn’t too sure about liking it even if he did try it—which he wasn’t going to—but took out the bottle of Dijon mustard all the same. Sitting down opposite her, he squeezed half the bottle of ketchup onto his plate and dunked the corner of his first sandwich in the puddle, then took a bite. The bread was buttery and crispy, and the cheese melted in his mouth. Damn, it was good.
“Since you said you had to lie to your family about the twins, I’m guessing that means they don’t know what happened to you,” she said quietly, like maybe she didn’t think she should ask, as she bit into her sandwich.
“That I’m a werewolf?” He let out a short laugh. “No. There was a time right after I turned when I wanted to tell them, but ultimately, I realized I couldn’t. There are some people in the world ready to know about the existence of things like me, but unfortunately, my family isn’t among that group. It’s safer to leave them comfortable in the world they know.”
“That must be tough, not having anyone you can talk to.”
He smiled. “I have people I talk to. The twins are just a Skype call away. And I even had a conversation of sorts with Caleb right before you came down, so there’s potential there. I’m getting the feeling that Harley isn’t big on the whole talking thing, but I’m holding out hope for her.”
Jes laughed, a light sound of real amusement. “Two out of four ain’t bad.”
“And there’s you now,” he added, though he had no idea where the hell those words had come from. “For some reason, I find myself telling you more than I probably should.”
Jes smiled, and once again he was taken in by those deep, dark eyes as they locked on his. “Well, I do have a top-secret security clearance,” she murmured, dipping her sandwich in mustard. “Your secrets are safe with me, so feel free to share anytime.”
Jake knew a line when he heard one, but it still made him laugh. At the same time, he also couldn’t ignore the little zip of electricity that surged through him at the thought of having someone like Jes he could actually talk to about stuff. Yeah, he had Zoe and Chloe, but there was stuff he couldn’t tell them. And Caleb or Harley…just no.
“Are your brothers in the military, too?” she asked.
He picked up his second sandwich and dipped it in ketchup and took a bite. The Double Gloucester was pretty good for grilled cheese. It had sort of a smoky favor.
“All four of them were in,” he said. “Dad, too. For our family, the military was a way to gain experience so we could come back home and get a job in law enforcement. All of my brothers either went in the army or the navy and became military police of one form or another. Then they came back and became cops in the Santa Fe area, either for the city or county.”
“But you became a SEAL.” She regarded him curiously. “Why?”
He finished the second sandwich and picked up another. “I wanted to do something different. I loved being a SEAL, but then that helicopter went down, and I became a werewolf, so I went back to Santa Fe and into law enforcement like the rest of my family.”
“Why didn’t you stay in the SEALs?”
He shrugged. “I was so busted up that the navy figured I couldn’t be a SEAL anymore and I didn’t fight them on it. All I could think about while I was lying in that hospital bed were the guys on my team who were gone.”
Jes nodded like she understood. Maybe she did. She’d lost her own team just a few days ago.
They ate in comfortable silence for a little while before Jes asked him more about his family and what they were like. So he made her laugh with stories about his brothers and their wives and his nephews that ranged in ages from five to fifteen. Then he completely blew her mind with the fact that his mom and dad had known each other since they were in kindergarten and dated all through high school and while she’d been in college and he in the military.
“Sometimes, I’m still amazed they knew it was the real thing all the way back when they were teenagers,” he said. “Can you believe they’ve never even held hands with anyone but each other?”
“That is pretty crazy,” she replied with a laugh. “What did your mom and dad think about you leaving Santa Fe to come work for STAT? Since all your brothers stayed in the area, I get the feeling your family is close.”
“We are,” he said. “Dad was disappointed I didn’t stay with Santa Fe PD, my brothers are jealous, even though they try to hide it, and my mom hates that her new granddaughters and I have to live all the way across the country. DC might as well be on a different planet as far as she’s concerned.”
“I feel you there,” Jes groaned. “I grew up in Pennsylvania, barely four hours away from DC, but my mom acts like it’s the other side of the world. She’s always wondering why STAT can’t transfer me somewhere closer.”
Jake opened his mouth to ask Jes about her family when footsteps interrupted him. He looked up to see Forrest and Harley coming into the kitchen.
“We heard voices.” Harley eyed their empty plates with blatant interest. “Then smelled food and figured we should come down to see what you guys were up to.”
“We just had grilled cheese sandwiches,” Jes said. “Jake and I can make you and Forrest some if you want.”
Harley looked longingly at their plates again. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Of course not.” Jes got to her feet. “Sit.”
Harley took a seat beside Jake while Forrest pulled out a chair near the one Jes had just vacated. Finally getting the team—at least most of it—together for something completely unrelated to work like eating a meal was a win as far as Jake was concerned, and he jumped up to help with the sandwiches.
“How’s Misty?” he asked over his shoulder as he handed the loaf of bread to Jes and reached into the fridge for more cheese.
Forrest ran his hand through his hair and leaned back in his chair. “Finally sleeping comfortably, which is why I thought it’d be okay to leave her alone for a while. As soon as I eat, I’ll go back upstairs to check on her.”
