by E. A. West
Her heart went out to him. “I can see how it would be. I know it’s probably pointless to ask, but is there anything I can do to help?”
He set half a dozen eggs with the rest of the ingredients. Then he turned to her, a teasing twinkle in his eyes. “Make cookies with me.”
Apparently, he was over whatever had bothered him. “Okay. Where?”
“My floor has a kitchen that hasn’t been used since the semester started. We can use that.” He scanned the contents of the cart. “Did I miss anything?”
It looked like he had all of the necessary ingredients. “A mixing bowl and pans?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t need them. The kitchen is fully equipped with pans, utensils, and other dishes.”
“I’m jealous,” she said as she walked beside him toward the checkout lanes. “My floor doesn’t have a kitchen. We just have a small kitchenette with a miniature stove, a sink, and a microwave.”
“Well, if you feel the need to use a real kitchen, let me know and I’ll sneak you into ours.”
She bumped her shoulder into his with a grin. “I love having connections.”
****
Cindy munched on a cookie as she looked around the warm vanilla-scented kitchen on the second floor of Wyatt Hall, impressed with Danny’s baking skills. She still couldn’t believe how much they’d accomplished in the last couple of hours. The walnut-chocolate chip cookies were cool and packed in re-sealable storage bags Danny had brought from his room. The pecan-chocolate chip cookies sat on cooling racks on the counter, and the plain chocolate chip cookies were baking and waiting to be baked.
She turned to Danny, who stood washing dishes at the sink. “I think Josh is going to label you an overachiever when he sees the number of cookies you bring.”
He laughed and set the mixing bowl in the dish drainer on the counter. “He should have been more specific about what he wanted, then.”
“I think you would have made a million cookies at some point anyway, just to prove you could.”
Danny shrugged and turned off the water. “Maybe. Cookie baking is relaxing, and I have fond memories of cookie-filled care packages from my parents when I was deployed.”
“You were serious about this being your mom’s recipe?” Cindy said, waving a hand at the surrounding cookies.
“Yeah. She’s an awesome cook, and if she carries out her threat to send me care packages here, I’ll be sure to share any baked goods with you.”
Once the last of the cookies were baked, cooled, and packed, Cindy helped Danny clean up the kitchen. By the time they finished, it was after five. He picked up most of the cookies and then turned to her.
“It’s about time to go. Want to help me carry these out to my truck?”
“Sure.” She picked up the remaining bags, thankful her wrist no longer ached, and followed him into the hall. “So, are you going to give me a ride, or do I have to walk?”
“No car, huh?”
“Nope.”
“In that case, I’ll give you a ride.” He glanced at her and winked. “I was going to offer anyway.”
She laughed and they headed for the stairwell. Yes, she was definitely starting to like this guy.
****
Lacey opened the door of Josh’s apartment just off campus, and Danny handed her a bag of the plain chocolate chip cookies. “We come bearing baked goods.”
“Awesome! I love your cookies.” She stepped back and allowed them in, her eyebrows rising as she took in the number of cookies he and Cindy carried. “Danny, how many people do you think are going to be here?”
“Well, according to Cindy, we made a million cookies, so I’d guess about seven or eight.”
As Lacey laughed, Cindy fought back a smile and gave him a pointed look. “I told him he’d get labeled an overachiever.”
Josh came through the sliding glass door on the far side of the open concept living room and kitchen. “Man, you guys were busy. But when it comes to homemade cookies, you can never have too many.”
Danny gave Cindy and Lacey a triumphant look. “See? We made just enough.”
They both laughed, and Cindy knew she’d made the right decision to come along. Alex and Halbert arrived, along with another veteran and his wife. The guys went out back to grill burgers and hotdogs while the three women took over the kitchen, setting out the dishes people had brought with them.
Ideas for her paper kept up a steady stream in Cindy’s mind throughout the evening. The other thing occupying her thoughts was Danny. She caught him watching her from across the room several times, and she had to wonder if he was trying to reconcile her presence in a group of veterans or if he was interested in her. It was too soon to tell if he liked her; she didn’t even know if she’d be interested in more than friendship with him. But that didn’t keep her from pondering the possibilities.
Chapter Five
“Hey, Cindy!”
She turned around as Danny jogged up the path through the quad. Late afternoon sun reflected off the windows of the library, and she moved to the side to avoid the blinding glare. Shaking her head and laughing as Danny stopped before her, she said, “You know, this whole jogging thing is getting to be a habit with you.”
He grinned and shrugged. “Can I help it if I always spot you when you’re a couple hundred yards away, and I don’t want to make you wait too long while I catch up?”
“You’re so thoughtful.”
“That’s the way my parents raised me,” he said with a chuckle. “So, where are you headed?”
“Nowhere, really. I’m just wandering around and enjoying the cooler weather those storms brought us. I have some homework I ought to do at some point, but I can work on it later.” Especially if he had a better suggestion for the evening.
“I’ve got some people coming to my room to watch a movie in a little while. You want to join us?”
The thought of spending more time with him sent a tingle of anticipation down her spine. “Sure, why not?”
During the walk back to the dorm, they discussed various scenes from a photography perspective. Shame burned through her when she realized she hadn’t considered the veterans’ lives past their time in the military. Somehow, she’d skipped over the fact that veterans were people, first and foremost.
Her thoughts shifted to how to write her research paper to highlight veterans as people who happened to have served in the military. She was so focused on it that she jumped, startled, when Danny touched her shoulder.
He gave her a questioning look. “What are you thinking about so hard?”
Heat crept into her cheeks. “My research paper. Talking to you keeps giving me ideas for it.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“It’s definitely good. The more ideas I have, the better my paper will be. Most of what I have now is boring statistical information. The ideas you keep giving me bring in a more personal angle, which is great since I have to make twenty-five pages interesting.”
His eyes widened. “You have to write twenty-five pages? I’m intimidated by the ten-page term paper I have to write for my English class.”
She smiled, remembering how shocked she’d been by the length of the papers her first semester. “I have a ten-page paper that counts as the mid-term for my history class. One thing I’ve learned after three years in this place is that the professors love making their students write.”
“So, you’re a senior?”
“That’s right. In just under a year, I’ll graduate and come back for a couple more years to get my master’s.”
“I still have four years to worry about whether I want a master’s degree or not.” Danny’s sigh carried the weight of the world. “My goal right at the moment is to make it through this year and move into an apartment for next year. If there had been a vacancy, I’d be in one now instead of the dorm. As much as I want to participate in college life, I’m ready to have my own place.”
He had to be at least twenty-six or twen
ty-seven, since he’d been in the military long enough to get deployed three times and had been out for a year. She couldn’t imagine being that old and having to share a dorm room with someone likely younger than her. Her compassionate nature came out, and before she could think about the possible consequences, she gave his hand a quick squeeze. “I can see how being stuck in a dorm could be a pain.”
He glanced down at their hands with a smile, and she let go as he spoke. “Yeah, well, if I can survive this year I should be able to live off campus until I graduate.”
“True.” She could feel his frustration, but there was nothing either of them could do about it.
“I do have to give the housing office a little credit, though. They didn’t stick me in a freshman dorm, and they gave me a senior for a roommate.”
“I’m glad to know they’re doing what they can.”
Just before they turned up the walk to their dorm entrance, Cindy spotted Corbin coming toward them with a little boy on his shoulders. They shared enough features that it was a safe bet the boy was Corbin’s son.
Danny stopped and waited. The little boy grinned and waved.
“Hi, Danny!”
“Hey, Delario, hanging out with your dad?”
The child nodded. “Uh-huh. We ate supper at the student union, and then we went to the library to study. Daddy says we might watch a movie with you, but he has to find out what it is first.”
Corbin lifted the boy from his shoulders and set him on the ground. “Monique hasn’t been feeling good, so I’m keeping Delario out of the house to let her rest. She has no problem with him watching a movie with everyone as long as it’s not rated higher than PG and nowhere near being considered horror.”
Danny grinned. “I can guarantee your wife will approve of the movie.”
Delario looked up at him with wide eyes. “What are we watching?”
“It’s a surprise.” Danny lifted his gaze to Corbin. “Lacey’s bringing it.”
Corbin laughed. “Yeah, it’ll be okay for Delario to watch.”
The little boy’s face lit up. “Lacey’s coming?”
“That’s right,” Danny said. “And she’s bringing her friend Matt.”
Corbin’s expression grew thoughtful. “I wonder if Matt knows about Lacey’s taste in movies.”
“If not, he’ll find out soon enough.”
Cindy looked back and forth between the two men and lifted an eyebrow. “Okay, what kind of movies does Lacey like?”
“Anything animated,” Danny said.
“Particularly old Disney movies.” Corbin put his hands on Delario’s shoulders. “By the way, Cindy, this is my son, Delario.”
She smiled at the boy. “Hi, Delario. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Hi, Cindy! I’m five. I get to go to kindergarten this year!” He did a little happy dance that had his father chuckling.
“Way cool!” She accepted his high five with a grin.
He stilled and tilted his head to the side as he studied her. “Were you a soldier like Lacey?”
“No, I’ve never been in any branch of the military.”
“Oh.” Delario’s face fell, but then he brightened again. “My dad was a marine.”
“That’s cool. I bet you’re proud of him.”
Delario nodded. “Uh-huh. He’d still be a marine, but he got hurt. Now he’s home all the time. He’s learning to be a computer programmer.”
“And Delario’s going to be in public relations someday,” Corbin said with a grin. “Of course, with the way he likes to talk and get along with everyone, he might be a good diplomat.”
“Daddy, what’s a diplomat?” Delario asked, looking up at him.
“Someone who works with the government to help our country be good friends with other countries.”
“I like to help people be friends,” Delario said as they walked toward the dorm entrance. “Can I be a diplomat when I grow up?”
“Sure. You can be anything you want to be.”
Seeing Corbin interact with his son added another dimension to veterans going to college, and he appeared to be a good father. Delario obviously admired his dad, and it wouldn’t surprise her if he joined the marines someday so he could be like Corbin.
After finding out Danny’s room number, Cindy went upstairs to drop off her backpack and let her roommate know where she’d be. Leann tended to worry if anyone disappeared for hours on end.
Leann looked up from her computer as Cindy stepped through the open doorway. “Did you remember to eat dinner?”
“Yeah, I went to the student union,” she said, setting her backpack on her desk. Her roommate also liked to mother people, but after two-and-a-half years of friendship, Cindy was used to it. “I’m going to go watch a movie with Danny and I don’t know how many other people. At least four, though.”
“You really like these veterans, don’t you?”
“Hey, you know I’m always up for making new friends,” Cindy said with a grin. “Besides, I can get away with calling it research. I have to come up with enough stuff for a term paper on veterans in college, and the best way I can think to do that is to hang out with them. Of course, I wouldn’t mind spending time with them even if I didn’t have that paper. They’re nice people.”
“Wait a minute. Term paper?” Leann’s eyebrows shot up. “I thought you were writing a five-page paper on veterans.”
“That was the plan, but I talked to Dr. Brixton about my topic and realized it’s too complex for a short paper. I’m picking a simpler topic for the five-pager and using the veterans for the twenty-five-page term paper.”
“Good luck with that.” Leann shifted her gaze back to her computer. “And have fun with your movie.”
Chapter Six
Cindy stepped onto the second floor and smiled as laughter floated down the hall. Someone was having a good time. As she drew closer to Danny’s room, the sound of her cousin’s voice stunned her. Why was he here without telling her he was coming by her dorm? She stopped in the open doorway and found him sitting in a desk chair with Lacey sideways in his lap, his arms around her waist.
Surprise filled his features when he looked toward the door. “Hey, Cindy, what are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing, but I think I already know,” she said as everyone turned toward her. She grinned at Lacey, who looked a little worried. “You should have mentioned Matt’s last name. Then I could have told you all kinds of stories from his childhood.”
Danny lifted an eyebrow. “You guys know each other?”
Cindy laughed and nodded. “We’re cousins.”
Lacey’s eyes widened. “I’m dating your cousin? I wonder what that will do to your paper.”
“Bring it down to a more personal level,” Cindy said as she stepped a little farther into the room.
Delario ran up holding a DVD case. “Look what Lacey brought!”
She read the title with a smile. “The Jungle Book. That’s a good one.”
Matt laughed. “Do you still have it memorized?”
“Pretty much.” She caught the curious looks Danny and Corbin gave her. “It’s always been one of my favorites.”
“Ha!” Lacey said with a triumphant grin. “I’m not the only one addicted to animated movies. You guys have to quit picking on me now.”
“No, we don’t,” Danny said. “Now we can pick on you about being girly.”
Laughter rang through the room. As they continued talking, a guy came in with a couple of girls.
“Hey, Danny, look who I found,” the guy said, waving a hand at his companions.
Danny smiled at the two girls. “I was beginning to think you guys got lost.”
“No, we’re just running late,” the redhead said.
He nodded and glanced at Cindy. “Everyone, this is Cindy. That’s Greg, my roommate. The redhead is Kristin, and the blonde is Vicki.”
“Hey,” Vicki said, her gaze sliding to Lacey and Matt. “And who is Lacey’s frien
d?”
“My cousin Matt,” Cindy said.
Lacey smiled and leaned against him. “You’re not the only one with a claim to him anymore. He’s my boyfriend.”
Matt gave her a hug as Corbin grinned. “Aha! She admits it!”
Lacey rolled her eyes. “Of course I admit it. You just need to realize I have a life you don’t know everything about.”
“I figured that out long about the time you went from crutches one day to a cane the next without anyone knowing until they saw you.”
“I have to keep you guys on your toes. Otherwise, you might start to see me as one of the guys and forget I’m a woman.”
“I think the long skirts you’re so fond of would keep that from happening,” Danny said. “Now, let’s put this movie in.”
Everyone found seats as Danny took the disc from Delario and put it in the DVD player on a shelf below the TV. Cindy waited until everyone else was seated and ended up sitting beside Danny on one of the beds. Vicki sat on his other side.
Corbin looked over and grinned as Delario climbed in his lap. “Danny, if I weren’t married, I’d love to be in your position.”
Danny put his arms around Vicki and Cindy. “Oh yeah, surrounded by gorgeous women and watching a kids’ movie. It doesn’t get any better than this.”
Vicki smacked him on the shoulder. “You’re such an idiot sometimes.”
“You know you like it.” Danny laughed as he lowered his arms.
Vicki shook her head and looked toward the TV as the movie started.
Mowgli was shoving Kaa out of a tree when a cell phone rang. Someone paused the movie as Corbin dug the phone out of his pocket. He checked the screen and had Delario get down.
“You guys go ahead and watch it without me,” Corbin said as he flipped open the phone and lifted it to his ear. He moved to the door as he spoke into the phone. “Hi, honey.”
Delario settled onto the floor as the movie started again. A few minutes later, Corbin opened the door and motioned Danny and Lacey into the hall. When the trio returned, Lacey paused the movie and Corbin went to his son.