The Officer and the Secret (20 page)

Scooting closer, Madison did what Veronica mentally thought of as
the
nurse
thing
and scooped her hair back to feel her forehead with one hand, checking her pulse with the other. The move was so practiced, so efficient, if she hadn’t been overly sensitive already, she might not have even noticed.

“Have you been drinking lots of water?”

She shook her head, then regretted it. “I try, but it doesn’t always hit my stomach well. Dwayne’s bringing me some sports drinks. Said the electrolytes will help my body recover faster. And something about how it might stay down better than water.”

“Good old simple country boy’s got the right idea.”

“He’s not a simple country boy,” she snapped, the words sounding too sharp even to her own ears.

Madison didn’t miss the tone, either. Her lips tilted in an amused look. “Defensive of our man Dwayne, aren’t we?”

She shifted and twisted until her back was facing her friend and spoke into the couch cushions. “I just don’t like people calling him that. He’s so smart.”
Way
smarter
than
me.

Madison rubbed a hand over Veronica’s back, like a mother soothing a child. “Yes, he is. He’s a good guy, one of the few men I’d say I loved. He’s another brother to me. And I like the look of you two together.”

With a last scratch on her back, she stood and shook out her scrub pants that had bunched. “If you’re good here, I’m gonna take a hot shower and then crawl in bed. I didn’t get hit nearly as hard as you did, but I’m still wiped out.” She headed down the hall, calling, “Drink some more water!” before shutting the bathroom door behind her.

***

Veronica knocked on Skye’s office door and poked her head in. “Hey, I’m here today.”

Skye rolled back in her chair and crossed her hands over her middle. “Are you sure you’re up for a full shift?”

She stepped fully into the office and shut the door behind her. “Yup. No problems. A little tired still, but Madison and Dwayne are pushing liquids at me every time I turn around so I think I avoided a dehydration headache.”

Skye grimaced. “Lucky you. I felt awful the next day, even though my stomach had settled.”

“Sorry about that. I mean, it was my burrito and all.”

Her cousin grinned. “You can’t order a burrito as big as your head and—”

“And expect to walk away unscathed. Yeah, yeah. Madison gave me the schpeal already.” When Skye gave her a funny look, she held up her hands. “What?”

“Your attitude. It’s so… sassy. I like it.” With a grin she stood up and shooed her toward the door. “Now, off to work, sassy pants.”

Sassy
pants.
Hmm. She kind of liked that. With a grin she headed to the server alley and clocked in with her time card. Sitting down to roll silverware, she avoided contact when Stephanie walked in. But there was no hope when she sat down and grabbed another stack of silverware to help her roll. Much as she’d love to ignore the woman, it wasn’t in her DNA.

“Thanks for the help,” she said as quickly as possible. There. Duty done. No need for any more conversation after—

“So how are things with your lover boy?”

So much for no conversation. She tried to conjure up some sass, but it wasn’t coming. So she sighed and set her roll down, picking up the fixings for another. “Dwayne is just fine, thank you.”

Steph bumped shoulders. “No, I mean between the two of you. It’s been, what, couple of months now you’ve been dating? And you’re still together? Definitely beat the odds.”

“What odds?” she asked, a little louder than necessary. She flushed immediately when people around them stopped working and stared. “Sorry,” she whispered and looked back to Steph. If she had it in her to claw the satisfied grin off her face, she would have.

Wow, she was developing a little bit of a mean streak. Sass was one thing. Time to tone down the attitude.

She polished the set of silverware in front of her, and asked again, with cool calm, “What odds?”

“Uh-huh. Let’s just say that it’s a miracle you two are still together.”

Walk
away
now. Walk away now.

“Why is that?”

That’s not walking away.

The smile turned just a little hard, a little smug as she placed another sloppily-done roll in the bin. “Men like that—the ones who are all walking sex and cool confidence—they don’t go for little church mice like you. The ones who don’t have anything to give them beyond a sweet peck on the doorstep. They need someone to keep their attention.” She paused, an obvious, calculated move. “In the bedroom, I mean.”

It was easier now to ignore her. The jealousy made it impossible to take her seriously. She would not fight fire with fire. Or, in this case, fight crude with crude.

“Right. Thank you for enlightening me. I suppose should things ever start to crumble, I’ll know why.” Adopting her best serene expression, she picked up the bin of rolled silverware—knowing she’d have to redo all the ones
she
had done—and walked away before she could add another unwelcome comment.

There. That wasn’t so hard. So what if one jealous server thinks they’re doomed? It doesn’t mean a thing.

Men
who
get
the
milk
for
free
never
buy
the
cow. A man who wants sex will want nothing else.

Oh, shut up, Mother.

Slamming the container of silverware down, she covered her eyes with one hand. She was officially crazy. The food poisoning had seeped into her brain, and she was carrying on a mental conversation with herself. Even better, an argument. As if one side could win or lose.

But then it occurred to her. She might not have been able to give her mother a solid set-down in person, but at least, in her mind, it was one more thing she could check off her list.

“I think that one looks fun!” Skye pointed to another roller coaster, Tim and Madison responding enthusiastically.

Dwayne looked to Veronica, but he knew it wouldn’t matter. She was along for the nice, calm rides, and to hold the bags while everyone went on the big ones. She’d made it clear up front she wasn’t about to step foot on any of the big monster rides. “You sure you don’t wanna try just one? Looks like a shorter ride than the others.”

She shook her head and smiled. “Really, I’m fine. I’m having fun just walking around. And I get to stand in line with you guys for company until you get on, so it’s no loss for me.”

He would have argued otherwise, given the entire reason
he
came was to get a few thrills. But she truly did seem content so he let it go. “How about a bottle of water?”

She looked up at him with gratitude. “That would be fantastic. I didn’t realize I was so thirsty until you said that.”

He frowned and resisted the urge to put a hand on her forehead to see if she was overheating. He wasn’t her mom or a nurse. But still… “You’re still recovering from that wicked poisoning. You need to stay hydrated.”

Patting his arm in a gesture that said
you’re sweet, and you amuse me,
she nodded and said, “I’ll do that. Soon as I hit up that drink stand and grab a water.”

“I’ll get it. Go on ahead.”

He watched as she took a few steps forward, catching up with Skye, Tim, and Madison, then headed to the nearest drink cart. Jeremy followed on his heels.

“I think Madison and I are moving in together.”

Dwayne nearly dropped the wallet he’d taken out of his pocket. “Come again?”

Jeremy shrugged. “Yeah, with me getting out of the Corps and starting the contractor job, it just feels like it’s time to take the next step. And the next step is moving in together. The timing is right.”

Dwayne nearly rolled his eyes. “And when Tim gets word that you and his sister are living in sin?”

“Like he’s one to talk. He didn’t really do things by the book with Skye.”

“And how about the Colonel?” Dwayne asked, referencing Tim and Madison’s retired father. He couldn’t quite bite back the snicker as he watched the blood drain from Jeremy’s face.

“Well, I guess he’ll just have to get used to it.”

Dwayne nodded at that. He respected Tim and Madison’s father as much as anyone else. He was the father he wished he’d had growing up. But Madison was a grown woman now, and if she chose to live with the man she loved, so be it. Glad Jeremy was sticking to his guns, he slapped him on the shoulder. “Well, good luck with the transition.”

“Thanks. I guess the only issue now is figuring out how to handle the move with Veronica.”

“Hmm?” Dwayne inched forward. “How so?”

“Well, do we move into Madison’s place? If so, that’s weird for Veronica. It’s one thing for me to do an overnight, another entirely to live there.”

He agreed with that, and the thought of Veronica living with them both didn’t settle well with him.

“But if Madison and I get our own place, since I know she won’t move into my apartment, that leaves Veronica with the lease. And I don’t think she can afford a two-bedroom by herself.” Jeremy stepped up and paid for two bottles of water.

Either way they sliced it, Veronica was out in the cold. Well, not entirely, Dwayne corrected. Skye and Tim would take her back in an instant. Or maybe she could find a small one-bedroom.

Or maybe she could move in with him.

Or… not. No. Way too soon for that. Dwayne handed the cart vendor four freaking bucks for a bottle of water, and decided to give the matter some thought later. When he caught up to Veronica, he placed the bottle, wet with condensation, over the back of her neck.

She tilted her head back and sighed so lustily, he started fighting a hard-on there in the freaking line.

“Wanna get out of here?” he whispered in her ear.

She reached back and grabbed the bottle, opening it and guzzling half the contents at once.
There
goes
two
bucks.

“Where are we going?”

Grabbing her hand, he said, “Guys, we’re gonna hit a tame ride; they have shorter lines. You’ll probably still be here when we get back.”

The group grumbled but agreed that yeah, they likely would, so they took off toward the boat ride.

“This one?” She glanced up at the outer shell of the ride. “It doesn’t really look like your thing.” As she spoke, a mother with two toddlers got in line. She raised a brow as if to say
really?
This
is
the
one
you
want?

“I think you’re missing the virtue of this.” He led her to the back of the line, which the sign indicated would only be fifteen minutes, and pointed. “See? Already, it’s a winner. Short wait time.”

“Uh-huh. As if you were really suffering before, standing in line for all those rides you love.” She crossed her arms behind her back, pulling her tank top tighter over her breasts. Was it his imagination or were they… nah. Probably just the shirt. It was the skimpiest thing he’d ever seen her wear—well, when she was wearing clothes—though to be honest it was still more conservative than half the women in the park.

“What are the other virtues?” She lifted her ponytail off her neck and waved a hand over her skin to cool her down.

He leaned in and blew on her damp skin. “It’s in the shade, so we get a break from the sun.”

She angled her neck so he could reach more surface area. “That’s a good point.”

They inched forward a little. Though the ride was low on wait time, it still wouldn’t be a speed. Each boat only contained two seats. Which brought him to point number three…

Leaning in further, as if he were still blowing on her skin, he whispered, “And it’s in the dark, so nobody will know when I slip my hand down your shorts.”

She gasped loud enough to have the mother turning around to give her a dirty look. Covering her mouth with one hand, she turned shock-wide eyes to him. “You’re not serious.”

“Sure I am. You think I wanted to ride around in a boat just for the hell of it? With no explosions or waterfalls or anything? Gotta get the thrill another way.”

She poked him in the chest with one finger. “Told you. You need the thrill.”

“But this is my favorite kind.” He reached around and brought her back against his chest, resting his chin on the top of her head. “Anything with you seems to be my favorite.”

He waited to see how she would react. But she didn’t say anything, didn’t tense, didn’t relax. He almost wondered if she’d even heard him, but he knew she had. Then, as if knowing he was waiting for it, she settled back just a little into his hold.

“I could fall asleep just like this, I think.” Her voice was drowsy, like when they turned to each other in the middle of the night to make love.

But it was the middle of the day, and they’d barely done a third of the park. “You tired?”

“Exhausted.”

Okay, she wasn’t an athlete, but she wasn’t a slug either. She spent entire days on her feet at the restaurant. So far this wouldn’t compare. “Maybe you’re not as recovered as you think from your food poisoning. Do you want to call it quits early? Tim and Skye can bring both Madison and Jeremy home.”

“Uh-huh. Just needed a little break. So your boat ride has four good points. Not three.” She shifted enough to look up at him over her shoulder as they inched forward again. “Thanks.”

Her little smiles, the ones that she gave only to him, he loved those most. So he squeezed her gently and vowed to keep an eye on her just in case.

***

She shook her hands out, trying to wish away the nerves. This wasn’t easy, but she needed to ask someone and Skye was her cousin. The closest thing she had to a sister. So she knocked and waited

A minute later, Skye answered the door wearing a pair of huge sweats, likely Tim’s, and a towel wrapped around her head. With a clean-scrubbed face, she beamed. “Hey, you. I didn’t know you were coming to see me.”

“Is that okay? I know you work the late shift but if you have things to do before then I can—”

Skye grabbed her arm and tugged her inside. “Don’t go back to that. Don’t go back to assuming you’re intruding. You know I love seeing you. So come in.”

Had she done that? She was nervous, a little confused. But had she really slipped back into old habits? Definitely not okay. “Thanks,” she said, instilling some confidence in her voice and heading for the living room.

Skye started to fall into the armchair, then caught herself at the last moment. With a sheepish grin, she pushed a few magazines and catalogues off before sitting down for real. “I still can’t manage to keep the place clean for the life of me. Luckily Tim puts up with it… mostly. So, what brings you by?”

Veronica was pretty sure Tim would put up with way more than just a few scattered magazines to keep Skye in his life, but she didn’t say anything. She could waffle, deflect, pick a starter subject. But in the end, it was easier to just ask outright. “With birth control pills, should I have had my period by now?”

Skye blinked a few times and her eyes drifted off to the other side of the room, a thoughtful frown puckering her forehead. “I mean, I’m not a doctor. I’m sure Madison—”

“She’s working. And I still don’t have health insurance. So if I’m being silly and this is an obvious question, I’d rather not spend the money on an office visit to hear, ‘You’re worried over nothing.’”

Skye bit her lip and stared off into the distance for a moment. “For the record, I think Madison is a better person to ask. But I’ll answer what I can, and suggest you defer to an expert for the rest. How long has it been?”

“I started the pills just over two months ago.”

“And since then you haven’t—”

“Nope.”

Skye’s eyes widened. “Why did you wait?”

Veronica shrugged. The truth was embarrassing. But also, “I just thought it was my body adjusting. Could that still be it?”

“Maybe,” her cousin said slowly. “I think my cycle was tossed off guard a bit when I switched brands, so it’s possible.”

She sat in silence, waiting for more. But Skye was unusually quiet. Unnervingly so. For a woman who didn’t like to leave anything unsaid, it was disturbing to see her still and quiet as a statue.

“Skye, tell me what you’re thinking.”

Skye screwed her eyes shut for a moment, then nodded and blinked them open again. “I think we need to go upstairs and pee on a stick.”

“Why do you have sticks in the house?”

“Right. Yeah. That’s definitely not one you’re gonna know. Sorry. Pee on a stick, sort of lingo for taking a pregnancy test.”

“A pre—oh. No. Okay, you’re right. I should have gone to Madison.” Veronica laughed, relieved for a moment. “I told you, I’m on birth control.”

“Which is only about ninety-eight percent effective, when taken correctly. Have you missed any pills?”

“Nope.”

“Taken any antibiotics?”

“No. I haven’t been sick in…” Her mind flitted back to the memory of her body draped over Dwayne’s bathroom tile, too weak to even crawl to the bedroom. “Okay, well, I did have that bout with food poisoning. But I didn’t take anything for it. And it passed after a few days.” Mostly. She was still tired, but that was just rehydration. If she were better about drinking water, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

“Uh-huh. You know, you could have lost your medication while you spent that two days puking up everything that went down.”

“But he still wears condoms,” she said quietly.

Skye glanced around the living room. “Why are you whispering?”

“It’s embarrassing, and I don’t want anyone to hear.”

Skye smiled. “The house isn’t bugged, and Tim’s gone. It’s just us.” She held up her hands. “I’m not an expert. But it might be possible. In the meantime, I have an extra test from when I bought a three-pack a few months ago.”

“Why do you have pregnancy tests if you’re on birth control?”

Skye shrugged. “False alarm, my period started late and I just ran out and grabbed one. I’m impatient.”

“Were you upset it was negative?”

Her cousin laughed. “Not at all. I know I want kids sometime, but not yet. I want to be married first, newlyweds, before we toss in the addition of babies.”

“Oh. That sounds nice. But I don’t want to waste your other test. It’d still be a waste of money.”

“Tell you what.” Skye pushed up from the chair. “Just take it. I’ll buy you lunch when it turns negative, and I’ll feel better.”

Skye looked so earnest that she couldn’t say no. “Fine. But I’m picking a nice restaurant and ordering steak.” Actually, no. Steak didn’t sound good. Meat didn’t sound good at all. Maybe a salad.

“Let’s go upstairs and prove me wrong.” She bounded up the stairs and Veronica followed her to the hall bathroom, where she would be proving her cousin wrong.