by Lee Rose
Gabe walked back to the car calmly but he wanted to yell and shout all the way. Logan gave him a high five when he told him Karissa said yes, and he swore Danny in the backseat muttered, “Lucky bastard.”
* * * *
Karissa walked into Ally’s diner the next afternoon, looking around at the fifties décor and smiled. She was glad Ally hadn’t changed the look of the place. She had always loved the fifties look of the diner, the black and white tiled floor and red booths. She had to grab something to eat before going in to work. Jonathon had finally gone to sleep after a fussy morning and Casey had been resting and Karissa didn’t want to disturb them. She looked around the almost-empty diner and spotted Gabe and Ryan sitting at a table talking to Lacy. Neither man was in uniform and she couldn’t help but notice how Gabe’s muscular shoulders looked good encased in his gray T-shirt and how he still kept his black hair long and in a ponytail. She had always loved his long hair, teasing him and calling him her pirate man. She shook her lustful thought away. The man wants to be friends only, Karissa, she stated firmly to herself. And the last thing you need is another broken heart.
Lacy spotted her and smiled and waved her over to the table where Gabe and Ryan sat talking, so she walked toward them.
“Karissa, it’s good to see you.” Lacy gave her a welcoming smile. “Here for lunch?”
Karissa nodded. “I have to work tonight but I wanted to eat first. It smells so good in here, this brings back so many memories. Does your mom still make those homemade famous strawberry milkshakes, Ryan?”
Gabe scooted over and patted the chair next to him with a smile and she had no choice but to sit down next to him or appear rude.
“That is my mom’s homemade bacon cheeseburger you smell,” Ryan said, rubbing his full stomach and leaning back in his chair lazily. “I just had one and they are good. And yeah she still makes those shakes, too.”
“I’ll have a burger but no fries,” Karissa told Lacy. “Otherwise I’ll be too full to work.”
Lacy went to the kitchen to place the order and the other waitress came to the table and smiled at her in a greeting. “Hi, Karissa. I heard you were back, stranger.” She was tall and slim with short black hair and a friendly smile.
“Hi, Stella. It’s been a while.” Karissa’s smile was friendly. She and Stella had gone all through high school together and had hung out often. “Casey told me you and Stanley have a little girl now. I can’t wait to meet her. Congratulations, this town is having a baby boom. Tell me the truth, is it in the water?”
Stella laughed happily. “The water is safe, I promise. Lily is my little angel. Stanley and I are so excited and now my friend Liz is expecting, too.”
Karissa nodded and told Stella she had met Liz at the barbeque a few days ago and had promised to check out her store on her next day off.
Lacy came back and joined the conversation. “It’s such a nice summer day. I’m sorry you have to spend it at work, Karissa. Ryan is taking me camping tonight and it’s my first time so I’m a little nervous yet excited.”
Ryan grabbed his wife’s hands and kissed her palm lovingly, giving her a sexy wink. “I already promised you I’d protect you from any wild animals, darlin’. Don’t you believe me?”
Lacy laughed and looked at Karissa’s confused expression and explained. “I’m a total city girl from Detroit. We camp out in hotels or nicely stocked cabins, not in the dark woods in a tent where Jason and Michael Myers hang out waiting for unsuspecting campers.”
Gabe chuckled and scolded Ryan in a playful manner. “I told you not to let Logan bring those horror movies over to watch with Lacy. He’s corrupted her and it’s all your fault.”
They all laughed and spent the time remembering old camping trips, trying to make Lacy feel more at ease. Gabe had taken Karissa camping on many weekends but she didn’t want to think of those romantic memories. They were bittersweet memories better left alone.
Stella looked at her watch. “I have to go and pick up Lily from my aunt’s house. Have fun camping, Lacy, and it was nice seeing you again, Karissa. We’ll have to get together soon and catch up.” She waved to them and clocked out.
Lacy brought Karissa her burger a few minutes later. “Mmm, this is good,” Karissa said after she bit into the juicy burger. “Just like I remember.”
Gabe almost groaned out loud at Karissa’s words. Talking about camping and remembering how they had made love under the stars made his jeans feel tight and uncomfortable. He had to think of something else or he’d never be able to get up and walk out of the diner.
Karissa enjoyed her time talking with them and didn’t feel as uncomfortable around Gabe as she thought she would. Maybe they could at least be casual friends. It’d be hard to hide her attraction to him but she didn’t want to trust her heart to him again. He had laid his arm on the back of her chair and she could smell his cologne. He was one sexy man still but after Jordan’s betrayal she had decided to stay alone for a while. She excused herself to go to the ladies’ room once she was done eating so she could leave for work. When she came out she came around the corner and stopped in her tracks. She walked back to the door of the women’s restroom, out of sight from the dining room. The man that had banged on her window that awful night was sitting down at a table with another man. She couldn’t go back in there. He’d recognize her for sure!
Think, she told herself, then peeked around the corner. She couldn’t even make it to the front door without being seen. Lacy was at their table taking their order. When Lacy walked back toward the kitchen, Karissa waved Lacy over to where she was hiding.
“What’s wrong, Karissa?” Lacy asked, seeing Karissa’s pale face and scared look.
“The skinny guy that just came in with the red T-shirt is the one who chased me and Toby. He’ll see me if I go back out there. What should I do?” Karissa’s heart was racing fast. That had been a very frightening night and she didn’t want that man to see her. She didn’t recognize the second man, but he must be involved, too.
Lacy thought for a second then smiled and wrote on one of her tickets to Ryan letting him know those were the men they were looking for. Karissa smiled and whispered, “You’re a genius, Lacy.”
Lacy walked up to Ryan’s table and set the ticket in front of him like he was just another customer and walked behind the counter like she was busy making coffee. Karissa admired Lacy’s calm demeanor as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Karissa already felt her stomach being tied up in knots from nervousness.
Ryan showed it to Gabe and both their expressions hardened immediately and their eyes narrowed coldly. Ryan leaned back and gave the men a polite smile. “You fellows know any good fishing spots around here by chance?”
One of the men looked nervous then pasted a polite smile on his face. “We’re just passing through. Maybe you should try the state park, it’s a few miles from here.”
“Okay, thanks. I will,” Ryan said, getting up and going to the cash register as if he was going to pay his bill. Gabe got up and walked over to where Karissa was hiding. He hugged her tightly and she was grateful for his presence, snuggling into his hold and calming down. She knew she would have panicked if he hadn’t been there. It felt amazing to feel his arms around her again after so many lonely years and she couldn’t help the shiver that went through her at his closeness. Damn, she hadn’t been this aroused in a long time.
“How do I get out of here, Gabe?” Karissa whispered and looked up at him with trust in her eyes. “My sister’s car is right in front of the diner window and I’m afraid they’ll see me if I try to leave.”
“We’ll go out of the back door and wait for Ryan. I won’t let them hurt you, honey,” he whispered in her ear, his warm breath tickling her neck. Gabe grabbed her hand and led her into the kitchen where Ally Clark, owner of the diner, and her assistant cook Henry were cleaning up for the day since it was almost closing time. Gabe explained what was going on and Ally nodded, leading them out the back doorway that led t
o an alleyway. There were some stairs that led up to an empty apartment where Lacy used to live, Gabe explained. He led her to the steps so she could sit down. He could see she was still unsettled by seeing the men that had chased her and Toby. A few minutes later Ryan came out of the restaurant and walked up to them. He smiled at Karissa letting her know everything would be okay.
“I called Logan from the kitchen phone. He’ll be here with Harrison and they’ll follow them to see where they go. You take Karissa out of here, Gabe. I’m not leaving Lacy alone with those assholes,” Ryan’s voice was firm and determined as he went back into the restaurant to keep an eye on his wife.
Gabe nodded in agreement. “Come on, Rissa. My Jeep is parked down the block and they won’t see us.”
Karissa followed Gabe to his car and didn’t relax until they were in it and driving away from the diner. Gabe looked over at her and squeezed her hand in a reassuring grip. “Doing okay, honey?”
Karissa nodded and looked over at him as he drove away and smiled. “Now that we are away from them I feel much better. But I need Casey’s car to get to work tonight.”
“Let me take you to work. Casey’s car will be safe there and I’ll have Logan drive it back to your sister’s house. I’m worried they might go to the bar. I heard one of them mention they needed a beer, I’ll stick around for a while just to make sure it’s safe for you.”
“Are you sure? It’s supposed to be your day off, Gabe.” It made her feel warm inside that he would spend his day off watching out for her, but he had always been so caring of her and others around him. That had been one of the many qualities she had loved about Gabe. Maybe that was why she had taken the breakup so hard. She had put all her trust in him and had been shocked to the core that he had rejoined the military without even talking to her about it or giving her a warning.
“I’ll just worry all night knowing they could show up at Thorn’s and see you. All I had planned was sitting home tonight and watching TV,” he said and gave her a flirty smile. “I’ll watch you work instead. It’ll be more entertaining.”
Karissa heard the loneliness in his voice and her heart ached. It was hard to not feel anything for this man. He had been her first love and first lover, she would always feel something for him. “Gabe, you’re a handsome man. I’m sure you have plenty of women in this town running after you.”
He shook his head in denial. “Nope. Logan says I don’t know how to look friendly or flirty, whatever that means, and they’re too nervous to approach me. I’ve been wanting to spend time with you and here is my chance.”
She looked at him with genuine surprise. “Me? You didn’t want me anymore, remember, you got bored with me really quick.”
“I always wanted you, Karissa, that was never the problem. I was just too young and full of my own ideas to take our relationship seriously back then. I thought I needed adventure to be happy but traveling from base to base year after year made me realize that all I wanted was a life with you but by then it was too late,” he was as sincere as he could be, he owed her the truth.
“You never did anything wrong, I want you to stop thinking that, Rissa. You were, are, beautiful inside and out, honey. It was all me that broke us up. My doubts, my ideas of what I wanted.”
Karissa let his words sink in and it soothed her battered heart a little. They had been young back then and although she had been filled with dreams of a future with Gabe it just hadn’t been meant to be. “Thanks for that. Because of the unstable childhood me and Casey had I guess dreaming of a white picket fence and a houseful of kids is what got me through the scary times. You were my first boyfriend, my first lover, and I pinned all those dreams on you and that wasn’t fair either. I’m glad we can at least be friends now, Gabe. I want to be around for Casey and the baby and I don’t want tension between us. This town is too small for that.”
“What if I told you I wanted a second chance to prove to you that I could be the man you want,” he asked carefully. “Can we go out on a date with no pressure and just see how it goes? I won’t rush you into anything. I just can’t lie and pretend I’m not still attracted to you. You’re one of a kind, Karissa, and I’ve longed for you over the years but I knew you were living with someone and I wanted you to be happy.”
Karissa hesitated. She was tired of hoping that the next guy in her life would be different and so far she hadn’t made good choices in her love life. “I don’t know, Gabe. I’m not holding the past against you. I see your point of view now. If you had stuck around just for me, you would have always been unhappy and wondered if choosing adventure would have been better and we would have broken up anyway. It’s just that I’m tired of being hurt and putting my heart on the line only to be disappointed. Jordan was the first of my boyfriends I lived with but he couldn’t stay faithful if his life depended on it and my other two boyfriends were nothing to write home about either. I always figured fate was trying to tell me there was no one out there for me. Some people get lucky and others don’t. I’m twenty-nine and I look around at all the married couples having a life together and wonder, why not me?”
“I know you don’t have a reason to trust me, especially with our history, but I’m different now than I was eight years ago. I loved you but I was always looking over the horizon thinking adventure waited. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I’ve also learned from them, too. Will you take the time to get to know me again and let me know you again? I can’t promise not to make more mistakes but I can promise you that I will not leave you again, Rissa,” he asked, holding his breath, waiting for an answer.
“This is such a shock. Let me think about it for a bit, okay?”
Gabe nodded quietly at her answer and drove her to Thorn’s Bar.
* * * *
Gabe sat at the long wooden bar, sipping on the same beer he had ordered when they’d first come in. Karissa was beautiful but also warm and genuine toward people and he noticed how many other men noticed her too. A tap on his shoulder surprised him since he was so lost in thought. He turned to see a petite, slim woman with short red hair smiling at him and groaned inwardly. “Emma.” He greeted her quietly with a frown.
“Want to dance with me, Gabriel?” she asked with a flirty grin, grabbing onto his arm. “I haven’t seen much of you lately.”
He shrugged. “Been busy. You know I’m not much of a dancer, Emma.” He had to get rid of her or she’d cling to him all night and he didn’t feel like avoiding her coy invitations for the rest of his time in the bar.
“Sorry, ma’am, but Gabe has promised me the next dance and they’re playing our song, right, Gabe?” Karissa said interrupting them and putting herself between the couple.
Gabe nodded gratefully taking Karissa’s hand, pulling her toward the dance floor and ignoring Emma’s scowl.
They were playing “I Melt” by Rascal Flatts. He pulled Karissa close until there was no space between their bodies. He whispered in her ear, “You just saved me from that barracuda. Thank you, honey.”
Karissa giggled and put her head on his shoulder. “An ex-girlfriend?”
“No way! Not mine anyway. Ryan’s crazy ex-girlfriend and now that he’s married she set her sights on me.” His voice was firm. “I never encourage her but she is tenacious. I will say that about her.”
Karissa leaned into his body and sighed. “I have a confession. I was feeling jealous so I asked Tom for a short break. I do love this song, though.”
Gabe sucked his breath in and then grinned like a fool. “Well I do melt every time I look at you, Karissa. You’re my flame, having you in my arms burns me up inside.”
Karissa felt overwhelmed with emotions. “How am I supposed to resist you when you tell me things like that?”
He leaned in and kissed her lips, just a feather light touch, but he still felt the tingle. “You’re not supposed to.”
They danced silently for a few minutes. Karissa pondered on what Gabe had said about second chances.
It was scary to put h
erself in a position where she had to trust someone, especially when that someone had already hurt her before. But wasn’t life all about taking chances? She would always regret not giving Gabe a second chance. All her resolve to stay distant and angry with him flew out the window. Hope was hard to kill.
“Okay, Gabe, I’d like to go out on a date. Let’s see where it leads us this time,” she whispered in a soft voice that went straight to his groin as she kissed him behind his ear and the song ended.
Chapter 8
Harrison Vaughn, Ethan’s ex-military buddy, sat at the station talking with Ryan and Ethan. He was tall and lean with brown short hair, brown eyes, and tanned skin. He smiled often but his eyes were filled with sadness.
“So far I’ve spotted three men, the one Karissa identified and two others. I followed them into the woods where they dug up a duffel bag.” He reported his findings with concern. Drugs were bad news. His younger brother had struggled for years with a drug addiction and had died of an overdose. The family had tried everything to help Jackson but he refused all help. Now Harrison worked hard to stop the drugs from destroying other families.
“Drugs?” Ryan asked with growing concern. “That is definitely bad news. This is a family oriented town and I don’t want to see drugs ruin that.”
Harrison shrugged. “That would be my guess but I didn’t see what was inside. Two of them threw it in the back of a pickup truck and left. Later that evening they were back at the campsite with a small duffel bag, maybe filled with money. One always stays behind to watch the campsite.”
“Okay, so they must be delivering the drugs to someone else. That’s what Sheriff Cole in St. Clair reported. He knew the men were burying the drugs but before they could figure out who they were delivering it to they spooked them off. That must be why they moved our way.”
Ethan nodded. “They probably figured with us having the state park so close we always get a lot of unknown visitors coming into town and we’ll never suspect anything. If it hadn’t been for Toby stumbling on them by accident we might never have until it was too late.”