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“You give them a place to stay, is that right?”

“Pretty much anyone who’s done with active service, but not quite ready to go home. That’s who comes here. They can stay as long as they want while they figure out how to be in the world again.” He shook his head. “But it feels shitty to talk about these things when William will never experience them.”

“No, but you experienced them.” She put her chin on her hands, mostly to keep her hands to herself as she looked up at him. “It must have been so hard.”

He looked shocked. Or maybe betrayed. “I’m fine.” He cleared his throat. “I hope your parents are doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances. And I know that they could never⁠—”

“Oh, my parents are great,” Raemy said, with a laugh that she was pretty sure hit Noah the way the hand thing hit her. His dark eyes seemed to gleam. “Last I heard, they were somewhere in the South Pacific, living their best lives.” When he blinked, she picked up another fry and waved it in the air. “They’re cruising all around the world. They’ll be gone almost all year. It’s a trip of a lifetime, and they’re making the most of it. They’ve taken baking classes, craft classes. They have a puzzle and card group. They go dancing every night. They told me they wish they’d done this years ago.”

And she realized as she spoke that he was looking stranger by the second. Stiffer, though that shouldn’t have been possible.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Noah said, but as if his mouth hurt. “They deserve it.”

Then, before she could say anything else, he stalked away.

Leaving Raemy to eat the best grilled cheese sandwich she’d ever had, dipped in the most delicious and creamy tomato soup of all time, all chased up with perfectly done fries.

When she was done, she wandered outside and lost herself in the sweet main street that featured a cozy little book shop, art galleries, a tap room and a saloon, a knitting shop, and everything else her heart could possibly desire. Including a cozy little inn advertising shoulder season prices.

She sat out on her little patio and watched the tide come in, feeling good. Like this was all meant to be.

Meaning, she wasn’t leaving Wild Rose Point anytime soon.

Whether Noah Kendrick wanted to deal with her or not.

3

Noah probably shouldn’t have been surprised to find Raemy basically on his doorstep the next morning, but he was.

Maybe surprised wasn’t the right word.

He felt like she was a throat punch, really. A direct and deadly shot, straight into the most vulnerable part of his neck.

Or that’s what he told himself to explain why he coughed when he stepped out into the cold morning gloom to find her on the road outside his door, because that was better than any other expression of surprise he could come up with.

Much less the ones he couldn’t control.

“It’s early,” he said flatly. “What are you doing?”

It was a very foggy, very early morning. The sunrise was going to be more theoretical than actual when it made an appearance closer to 7 a.m., thanks to the press of all that wispy fog. But it was just about 5 a.m. now and Noah was headed out for his daily run in the dark, and he did not expect to find a bolt of human sunshine standing there on his doorstep.

He did not live on the Oregon coast because he was about sunshine.

“I was wandering by and I saw the lights on in this house, which I guess is yours,” Raemy told him in that happy way she had, that he decided ought to be outlawed. “I didn’t actually know that until you appeared. But I woke up and there was all this fog and it was so atmospheric that I wanted to get out in it as soon as possible.”

She was chattering along as if they met like this all the time and it was perfectly normal for her to be here in the first place. While dressed in another selection of impossibly bright clothing that was offensive, truly.

That was why he was staring. Obviously.

And at least her hair was partially tamed into something resembling a braid. He told himself that was slightly better. Slightly more manageable.

“This is my grandfather’s old house,” he said, stiffly. “I live here now.” Really, asshole? He was just grateful none of the guys were here to witness this. Whatever this was. He coughed again. “Some of the other men do too. But I’m going on a run. So.”

“Running.” Raemy wrinkled up her nose, which was one more thing that should not have been allowed. Legislatively. “That sounds terrible. Let me guess, you heave yourself up and down the beach, it’s punishing and very likely gross, but it’s all very fitness-y and good for you.”

It was all of those things.

“I enjoy running,” he bit out. “I’ve always liked PT.”