I Need a Hero (7 page)

Chapter Seven

“S
ON OF A
bitch, Best, you are supposed to be helping me, not getting your chuckles on.” Oliver had been working with Best all morning, trying to get Beast to sit and stay, but the minute Oliver dropped the leash, Beast took off.

“Hey, it’s not my fault he doesn’t respect you,” Best said. “Plus, you’re a great example to the kids of what
not
to do.”

Except for Jorge and Tommy, the group of eight teenaged boys coughed, presumably to cover their laughter. But they would pay. They had been working in one of five fenced-in training yards, and all of the other dogs stood at their trainers’ side, looking like model dogs.

“Hey, Sergeant Best, maybe you should take us back,” Jorge said.

Oh, yes. Oliver would make them pay.

Oliver cursed as the damn dog went to Best, sitting on command.

“Well, how come he respects you?” Oliver grumbled.

“Because I respect him. Training dogs has as much to do with your attitude and behavior as it does theirs. He knows you don’t respect him, and he’s telling you that you should,” Best said.

Oliver smacked Jorge upside the head as he went to retrieve the leash from Best.

“Yo, that’s abuse!” Jorge said.

“Stop being a pussy,” Darrel snapped.

Oliver grinned as Jorge spluttered. They had been training for eight days now, and Darrel had finally started to relax and come out of his shell. He also had a knack for putting the dogs at ease, talking to them in low tones. All the dogs responded to him, even Beast.

It was just Oliver who Beast still wasn’t listening to.

At home, it was different. After their first night and day together, Oliver hadn’t let Beast out of his sight. He took the big old dog everywhere with him, even in the shower. And though he’d never admit this to anyone, he had even given Beast a thorough scrub down with some dog shampoo he’d bought. Despite their current battle during training, Oliver had actually grown attached to the big mutt.

Now, if only Beast would follow one simple command.

At this point, Oliver was ready to give up, but Eve’s smiling face crept into his mind each time he considered it. She’d called him every day, asking how his to-do list was going, but as professional as she tried to keep it, the conversation would eventually stray to training Beast. And when he’d say he just wasn’t cut out for it, she’d tell him not to give up, that eventually Beast and he would find their rhythm.

Oliver wasn’t as confident, but he wanted to make Eve happy.

“How do I show him that I respect him?”

Best pulled a bag of dog treats and a ball from his backpack and handed them to Oliver. “Positive reinforcement. Show him you like him and that you appreciate when he does something right.”

Oliver put the bag in his pocket and held up the ball. “Okay, dude, I am at the end of my rope with you. You gotta meet me halfway, so if you want the ball, sit.”

Beast’s gaze shifted from him to the ball, and then he slowly sat.

“Good boy,” Oliver said, keeping his voice low. “Here you go.”

Oliver threw the ball, shocked at how fast Beast was. The brown blur of his body whizzed across the lawn and caught the ball in his mouth in seconds. He seemed to be contemplating whether or not to come back when Oliver called, “Come.”

“Five to one he takes off running again,” Tommy said. Oliver ignored him, refusing to break eye contact with Beast.

Beast tilted his head with the bright green ball hanging out the side of his mouth and finally started trotting back toward him.

When he stopped in front of Oliver and sat, Oliver hooked his leash on and took the ball from him. “Good dog.”

Loud whoops and cheers emitted from the group of boys until Best yelled, “Knock it off!”

Beast’s body shook, and Oliver could tell he was dying to run, but still he stayed seated. Oliver pulled a treat from his pocket and held it out for Beast, who took it gently from his palm. “Now, I’m going to put your leash down and I want you to stay.”

Beast remained relaxed while Oliver set his leash on the ground. “Stay.” Oliver stood up and took two steps away, surprised when Beast didn’t move.

“Come.”

Beast stood and lumbered over, plopping down at his feet expectantly.

This time, even Best applauded, and Oliver squatted down, taking Beast’s head between his hands and rubbing his floppy ears. “Good boy.”

“I was going to say the same thing to you.”

Oliver looked over his shoulder to find Eve standing behind him, smiling. Her black hair was held away from her face with a headband and her black dress was a stark contrast to the paleness of her skin.

She looked fucking gorgeous.

“Damn,” one of the boys said.

Oliver gave the group a hard stare, and Best shouted, “All right, turds, get your asses inside and put your dogs in their crates. I think you need a couple hours in the weight room.”

Loud groans and curses rose up, but Best’s scowl shut them up fast. Despite his easygoing nature, Best hadn’t survived in the Marines because of his bad jokes.

When the kids were out of earshot, Oliver turned his attention back to Eve. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

“I just stopped by to see how the training was going,” she said.

“We’re getting better,” Oliver said. He stood up, keeping a hold of Beast’s leash so he didn’t get drool on Eve’s dress. “You look great. Hot date?”

He was surprised by how casual he sounded, even as he silently willed her to say no.

“Hardly. I’m heading up the hill with a few friends to go to Red Hawk Casino.”

“I didn’t take you for a gambler,” Oliver teased, relieved.

“I’m not really, but I’ve never been, so it should be fun,” she said. “What are you up to tonight?”

Oliver caught sight of Best by the fence, making a spanking motion with his hand. Oliver took a step toward him, but Eve turned around to see what had caught his attention and he blurted, “I’ll probably just head out to Mick’s with the guys.”

“That sounds like fun,” she said.

Heavy silence fell between them, and despite the tiny voice telling him not to ask, he couldn’t help himself. “Did you really drive over here to check on training, or was there something else you wanted?”

A rosy hue spread over her cheeks, belying her words. “No, nothing else. I just wanted to make sure that everyone is going to be on their best behavior for the fund-raiser.”

“I think we will be good,” Oliver said.

He watched Eve, trying to read more into her words and expressions. After almost three weeks of talking and spending time with her, he still couldn’t figure her out. Just when he started to think her resolve about being with him was softening, she’d put up that shield.

It had kept him in a perpetually frustrated state, and he hated it.

“Great,” she said. “Well, I should probably go. I’ve got an hour drive up the hill, and I’ve got to pick up my friends, so . . . yeah.”

“Got it, you got to go.”

She shot him a glare, but he had no idea what he’d said to piss her off. He didn’t even have a chance to ask before she was spinning on her heels and walking away.

What the hell was that about?

W
HY AM
I such an idiot?

It was the fiftieth time that night Eve had asked herself that, and still, an answer hadn’t presented itself.

“Where are you, and why aren’t you with your two besties having the time of your life?”

Eve turned to her friend Megan Bryce and answered her question with more snap than she intended. “Because the time of my life usually doesn’t involve me losing money.”

“Meow, what crawled up your butt?” Allison Breslin asked from the slot machine next to Megan.

“Yeah, you’ve been acting like a crankster since you picked us up,” Megan said.

Eve sighed, feeling like a heel. “I’m sorry, guys, I’ll shake it off.”

“What’s up?” Allison asked.

Eve considered telling her friends, but how could they really understand? Allison, also an army brat, was a sweet-faced blonde who had met her husband, Luke, while he’d been stationed in San Diego in the navy and she’d been at San Diego State. She understood Eve’s point on marrying a military man, but she’d also told Eve that even if she lost her husband, she’d never regret the time she had with him.

And Megan, well, Megan had followed in her father and three older brothers’ footsteps and joined the army right out of high school, eventually becoming an MP. She was tall, lean, and athletic with short brown hair and bright blue eyes. If she hadn’t been injured and medically discharged, she would have been a lifer. The three of them had met in high school and clicked, staying close despite distance and hectic lives. Yet, when it came to what they wanted out of life, their ideals were very different.

“Nothing’s up,” Eve said. “I’ll just be back to my normal, fun-loving self when this fund-raiser is over.”

“Why, are the guys at the base giving you shit?” Megan asked.

“No, they’re fine,” Eve said.

“Evie, don’t you know it’s not nice to call people fucked up, insecure, neurotic, and emotional?” Megan joked. “Besides, I heard some women are into that sort of thing.”

Eve looked at her slot machine, but she could feel Allison watching her.

“Do you like one of them?” Allison asked.

“Come on, Ali.” Eve tried to sound derisive but didn’t think it worked.

“Fuck me, you
do
!” Megan crowed.

“I don’t!” Catching their skeptical looks, Eve reluctantly said, “Okay, I might, but I don’t want to.”

“Who is it? Come on, details, woman,” Megan said.

“There are no details to tell. I don’t even know if I like him, it’s more that I just—”

“Want to strip him naked and eat chocolate off his abs?” Megan offered.

Eve thought about that, grinning. “His butt, too. He’s got a great butt.”

“So, do it. What’s the hold up?” Allison asked.

“Well, my dad hates him, so that always makes things easy,” Eve said.

“What did he do to piss off the general?” Megan asked, amused.

“Remember when I told you Hank got arrested a few weeks ago for drunk and disorderly conduct after fighting with a guy from the base?” Eve could tell they did because their eyes widened and they nodded. “Yep, I picked that guy. Out of all the guys I could fall for, I pick the one my brother and dad despise.”

“Wait,
fall for
? Like, you could fall in love with this guy?” Allison asked.

“No, I mean . . . I just meant that I like him and I’m trying really hard not to. But then I find myself calling him for no reason and showing up at his work because I want to see him, only to make an ass out of myself . . . ” Both of her friends were staring at her like she’d grown a third eye. She buried her face in her hands and groaned. “Ugh, what is wrong with me?”

“Could you be going through a late-in-life rebellion?” Eve shot Megan a glare, and she held her hands up. “Hey, the alternative is that you, Miss Evelyn Reynolds, are smitten with someone your father would definitely not approve of.”

“Thanks for stating the obvious, Meg. How do I make it go away?” Eve asked.

“Why would you want it to?” Allison was watching her seriously, and Eve bit her lip to keep from saying the first thing she thought, which was that she didn’t want her mother’s life, but was that really how she felt? Her mother had been married to the same man for almost thirty years, had two grown, mostly well-adjusted children. There were worse things to aspire to.

“Because we aren’t right for each other and I’m not looking for someone to just hang out and kill time with until I meet the right guy.”

“Why aren’t you right for each other?” Allison asked.

“You mean besides the obvious?” Eve thought for a moment. “He’s never been in a relationship.”

“Neither have you,” Megan said.

“Yes, I have. I dated Dylan for almost six months.”

“You only dated him that long because you were afraid to break up with him because he had stalker tendencies,” Allison said.

“Fine, but I
would
have relationships if I found the right guy.”

“Or maybe you’re scared to find the right guy, so you self-sabotage,” Allison said.

“How do I self-sabotage?”

“Your apartment, for one thing,” Megan said.

“God, now you sound like my dad,” Eve said.

“Look, we just think that maybe you’re afraid of getting hurt, so you date guys you know will never measure up to your expectations and drive away the good ones,” Allison said.

“Well, on that high note, I’m out of money,” Eve said.

Megan stood up with her and wrapped her arms around Eve’s stiff shoulders. “Come on, love, don’t be pissy. We only say these things because we love you.”

“Ha, I think you bear false love,” Eve said, fighting a smile.

Allison hugged her, too, and before long, they were laughing. When they pulled away, Megan said, “Where is this bad boy who’s got you wound up? Let’s go check him out.”

M
ICK
’
S
B
AR WAS
in the heart of Old Town Sacramento, and the two-story building reminded Eve more of an old Western saloon than a dive bar. Eve had dropped Allison at home on the way down, but Megan had insisted on following her, wanting to get a look at “Mr. Chocolate Butt.” As they wove through the crowd, Eve kept her eye out for Oliver.

“Holy yum, there is some talent here tonight!” Megan exclaimed.

Eve snagged a table in the corner, and as they sat down, she could have sworn she saw a familiar shaved head at the bar. She kept her eyes glued to the spot. A few bodies shifted, and there he was, leaning against the bar, smiling at a petite dark-haired girl in a short denim skirt.

Eve turned her face away, afraid he’d sense her gaze on him, and suddenly felt like a stalker. “This is stupid.”

“Did you spot him?” Megan asked.

“Yeah, but he’s busy.” Eve didn’t want to admit that the uncomfortable churning in her gut was jealousy, but she didn’t like seeing him with another girl.

That smile was hers.

“Is he the stud in the blue shirt talking to the tiny cheerleader?” Megan asked. At Eve’s nod, Megan whistled. “Nice. He definitely looks edible.”