Page 85 of A Hero Comes Home

“Bullshit!”

“Everyone’s always talking about how resilient kids are.”

“I repeat, bullshit!” Izzie said. “And what about Sal? Would she be resilient, too?” He put up a halting hand before Jake could answer. “It’s obvious you two have been screwing each other’s brains out. A regular sex marathon would be my guess.”

“If you mention commando again, I might just belt you.”

“You could try.” Izzie smirked.

“Sex doesn’t equate with forever after,” Jake told him.

Even Jake realized how lame that sounded, and he laughed along with Izzie.

“So, no red tide of rage when you ran into the boyfriend?” Izzie asked. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

Jake shook his head. “I was surprised, too. In fact, I haven’t had any of those episodes since I got back. A few nightmares, but none of the rages. Which is another reason for me to get out of Dodge. I wouldn’t want any of my kids, or Sally, to witness one of those psycho outbreaks. What if they were directed at one of them, and I harmed them, physically? Nope, they’re better off without me.”

“What are you aiming for here? Sainthood? Saint Jake? I just don’t see it.”

“Sometimes love means walking away, and, yeah, I know that’s the oldest cliché in the book.”

“Assuming you’re right, where would you go, and what would you do?”

“I don’t know. I’m researching it. The Northwest is looking promising.”

“And what? You’d become a regular Grizzly Adams?”

“Who?”

“Never mind. Don’t do anything rash, Jake. Give yourself a chance to heal more, and get yourself a shrink, for God’s sake, or something. Maybe a lobotomy. I hear there are two psychiatrists, twin brothers, living over at the Patterson house. Why don’t you try one of them?”

“Izz! They’re about eighty years old.”

“So? I hear they’re veterans, too.”

“Of what? The Revolutionary War?”

Just then Jake noticed something over Izzie’s shoulder. “Uh-oh! Incoming at one o’clock. You better duck.” Jake was the one grinning now at being able to reverse the discomfort tables on his friend.

Approaching with fire in her eyes was Laura Atler, and she was baited for bear—the bear being Lieutenant Izzie Bernstein.

“I think I’ll leave you to take care of business here. I can hitch a ride home with Sally.”

“Traitor,” Izzie muttered, then looked up at Laura who was wearing a gray business suit and carrying a briefcase. “Nice to see you again, Laura. You’re looking good.”

“Save it,” she said and sat down, not waiting for an invitation.

That was Jake’s cue to leave.

To show how conflicted Jake was in his thoughts and actions these days, he grabbed a handful of mints from the dish beside the front register on his way out. Mints are a close second to cinnamon, he told himself, and popped a half dozen.

Chapter 17

Triple trapped . . .

He was trapped.

“Nice to see you again, Laura,” Izzie said. “You’re looking good.”