Page 23 of Serve ’N’ Protect

“Speaking of which…” She put down her fork and looked around then through the doorways to the dining and living rooms. “You need to put up some decorations. If John doesn’t have any here, I’ll loan you some of mine. I can put them up for you, if you like.”

“I don’t celebrate Christmas.” Anymore, that was.

“Are you Jewish?”

“No.”

“Not religious?”

“Not really.” Try not at all.

“Then what are you?”

“Private.” He finished off his eggs then washed them down with a long slug of coffee.

“And grumpy. And surly.”

“Okay, Little Miss Redundancy. You made your point.” Seriously, he was having more conversation with her than he’d ever had with someone he’d known for less than twenty-four hours. Funny how it felt as if he’d known her a lot longer. Funnier still was how comfortable he was around her. To say he wasn’t that way with most people was an understatement. “Are you always this chipper in the morning?”

“Yes.” She nodded emphatically. “My whole family is. We’re demonstrative and loud. I have two sisters and two brothers. I’m the second to the youngest. Brianna, my older sister, is married, with a baby on the way. Kaitlyn, my younger sister, is engaged. My oldest brother, Jimmy, is married with three kids—two, four, and seven. My other brother, Sean, is engaged to a yoga instructor.” She sighed. “When Cherisse came into the hardware store that day, it was love at first sight.”

Markus grunted. He wouldn’t know what love was if it punched him in the gut.

“Sorry, I’m rambling.” She picked up her mug. “Do you have any siblings?”

He actually liked her rambling. “I have a younger sister, Kelly.”

“Do you see her much?”

“No.” Every year like clockwork, Kelly sent him invitations. Every year, he declined. Because of his father, he’d turned into an independent, solitary bastard. Isolating himself was just plain easier than dealing with people.

“Do you have a girlfriend, or a wife?” she asked.

“No.” Even as independent as he was, the admission never failed to leave a bitter taste in his mouth. Every relationship he’d been in had ended in disaster. One thing he’d learned in his thirty-five years was that women needed guys to express their emotions, something he’d never been capable of. “What about you?” he asked. “Boyfriend?” He already figured she wasn’t married. No ring and no mention of a spouse.

She clasped both hands around her coffee mug, staring at it. “No.”

“Who’s Hugh?” It was the name she’d mentioned last night before she quickly changed the topic.

She pasted on a patently false smile. “Just a guy I used to know.”

Just a guy. Right. For someone who talked about everyone and everything, when it came to Hugh, she shut down faster than a speeding bullet hitting a brick wall.

Cassidy released the mug and began rubbing the tops of her thighs. It was obvious she was still experiencing significant discomfort. With his training, he could do something about it. If she’d let him.

Ghost went to one of the cupboards and hooked the bottom with his paw, opening it. He stuck his head inside, rummaging around for a few seconds, then came back to the table with a plastic bag in his mouth.

“Here you go.” Markus took the bag and opened it, handing a few round treats to Ghost.

“He’s got a lot of useful skills,” she said, running her hand along Ghost’s back. “I could have used his help when I couldn’t walk at all.”

After finishing his snacks, Ghost lay down at their feet.

Cassidy’s phone lit and buzzed with another incoming text. She glanced at it but didn’t pick it up. “If you’re wondering why I’m not responding, it’s because my friends want me to go out with them, a luxury I can’t afford at the moment. The other messages are from my family, and they’ll only want to come over.”

“And you don’t want them to?” Just last night, she’d said how much love and moral support they’d given her. He hadn’t responded at the time because he didn’t know jack about love, moral support, or anything about family, for that matter.

“They’re wonderful. All of them,” she said with a wistful expression. “I appreciate everything they’ve done for me, but since the accident, they’re smothering me. Some people have helicopter moms. I have a helicopter family.”