Page 56 of A Hero Comes Home

“My boss—well, my liaison with the military—will be coming, too, and staying at the Bernsteins’.” He paused. “Raymond Durand.”

“The major? Major Durand?” Now, this was news!

“You would remember that name, just from a caller ID!” He squeezed her lightly in reprimand. “Yeah. Major Durand is coming down from DC.”

“Why?”

“Just to be friendly?”

“That’s bullshit.”

He laughed.

“Here’s a news flash, buddy. My parents are coming that weekend, too.”

He groaned and repeated her question, “Why?”

“Just to be friendly?”

“Bullshit!” he also repeated back at her.

She could hear the smile in his voice.

“Where will they stay? There’s no room here. I suppose they could use the guest room at my dad’s place.”

She shook her head. “No. I was able to get a room for them at the Heartbreak Motel. My friend Delilah owns it, and she did me a favor by shuffling out one of the salvaging company employees who has a long-term rental. He’ll sleep on the boat that weekend.” She was pretty sure that Jake knew that person was Kevin.

“That’s good then. Your parents can’t stand me.”

“It’s not you. It’s the military.”

“Same thing.”

Which was a telling statement, that he still considered himself a soldier. Did that mean he intended to stay in the Army in some capacity?

Before she could rag him on his future plans, he asked her, “Why didn’t you go live with your parents in Manhattan after I was declared dead?”

“It’s no place to raise kids, or at least not active ones like our boys.” Besides, this is my home now. Or I thought it was.

“You could have resumed your music career.”

“Jacob, I never had a music career. I was a Broadway music student, at best. I can’t remember the last time I belted out a full song, not even in the church choir, which I gave up when I bought the bakery.”

“Not even for a duet at the Lollypalooza?” he teased.

At least she thought he was teasing since he referred to the remark one of the boys had made about her and Kevin doing a guitar/singing twosome in the talent contest. “That was wishful thinking on the boys’ parts. Nothing we—I—actually planned.”

“I wouldn’t mind, if you want to do it,” he said.

And that hurt a little. He should mind. Just like he should mind if she had sex with other men, dammit.

“Back to your parents. I’m surprised that your folks are coming to the Outer Banks. They rarely leave the city, and they always looked down their noses at small-town life.”

“Actually, they’ve visited a few times while you’ve been gone. In fact, they used their set-designing skills to paint that mural on the wall of my bakery. Did you notice it?”

“I did. So, they supported your idea to run a bakery, instead of heading back home with them?”

“Jacob!” she chided him. “That was never on my radar.”