Welcoming the Bad Boy: A Hero's Welcome Novel (17 page)

Probably not a good idea to tease a man waving a gun, but Griffin had a sense for what people needed in a potential situation.

“Nah, man. This place is a joke. They send us where they want, and damn how it affects our shit. They want us to go fight in some desert and risk our lives, they stuff us in a plane and send us. They don’t care if we die. They’ll just hire on some fresh eighteen-year-olds to take our places.”

Griffin nodded. He’d heard this rant before. “What happened? Did you lose a brother?”

Griffin’s mind was putting together the pieces as he continued to talk the Marine down. A crew from Camp Leon had been ambushed on a secret mission last night. Two men had died.

The perp shook his head. “People are dying over there,” he said, as if Griffin didn’t know that.

Griffin heard the slur in the man’s voice now. “Put your gun on the floor and we’ll talk about it.”

The man met Griffin’s eyes. Griffin could see the fight behind them being squelched. The perp just needed to talk to someone.

“You can talk to me,” Griffin said, lowering his voice and taking a step closer to the man.

The man’s gun was hanging at his side now.

Glancing down, Griffin noted that Jaws’s body had stiffened to the point of rigor mortis now.

“I’ve lost brothers, too. Let’s go have a seat, grab some lunch, and talk,” Griffin said.

The man’s eyes softened. They were wet. His face shone with sweat.

In his peripheral vision, Griffin could see the crowd of people around him. People were slinking to safety, which was exactly what he wanted. Still, the situation was far from handled.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” the man with the gun said. “I just…I just…”

“Put the fucking gun down, you asshole!” a Marine in the crowd blared, stepping forward.

Oh, shit.
Griffin’s eyes locked on those of the man with the gun. The guy’s eyes hardened again. Griffin could see he was thinking about raising his gun again, but he hadn’t yet. There was still time to de-escalate the situation.

“Take a breath,” Griffin said. Before he could say anything else, Jaws launched himself like a bullet, forcefully hitting the perp in the torso and knocking him to the floor.

Val finished typing the last sentence of her scene and grabbed a sheet of paper to fan herself. She’d left off with her characters stripping down to jump into a lake, hot for one another and naked. She, on the other hand, was about to strip down and hit the shower. It was a quarter till eleven. She planned to meet Griffin’s mother for lunch and then do the book club with the ladies afterward. It wasn’t her usual time of day, but those ladies had gotten demanding about hearing more and knowing what came next in the story.

Val smiled to herself as she got up and hummed her way down the hall. Reading her own book to an audience was fun, even if they had no idea she was the author.

After a quick shower, Val dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and cropped top, slid her feet into some sparkly flip-flops, and headed toward Seaside Harbor. She’d packed lunch for herself and Helen earlier in the morning.

Louise waved from the entrance as she walked through. “She’s waiting on you.”

Val stopped in her tracks. “She remembered that I’m coming?”

“And that you were bringing her a cookie with her sandwich this time.”

“That’s incredible.”

“Don’t get too excited,” Louise said. “Moments of clarity are normal. She’s not going to make a miraculous recovery.”

Val nodded. “Right.” She knew that in her head. Her heart, however, couldn’t help but hope. Heading down the hall, she stopped in front of Helen’s room and knocked. It was a courtesy knock that Helen usually didn’t answer. Today, though, Helen looked up and waved her inside.

“Come in,” Helen said.

“Good morning.” Val lifted up their bagged lunches for Helen to see. “Hungry?”

Helen smiled. “Starving.”

“Great.” Val helped Helen stand and they walked together toward the community room. “You’re looking good today, Helen,” Val commented, really meaning it. It was amazing how her status fluctuated from one day to another. From one moment to another. Amazing and also sad because by the time Griffin arrived tonight, Helen would probably be back to her new normal. She wouldn’t remember him. She might get agitated at the sight of him, which happened often. The late afternoons weren’t her best part of the day. And, according to Louise, the nights were the worst. Helen was starting to exhibit the early stages of “sundowning,” a condition that happened to people with dementia where they screamed and cried after dark.

“How is your arm?” Val asked, walking closely to Helen to make sure she didn’t fall again.

“It hurts.”

Val nodded. “With time it’ll get better. We’re almost there.” They entered the community room and took a spot at the table next to the window. Val helped Helen sit and then laid her lunch in her front of her, happy to see that Helen didn’t waste any time pulling the foil off her sandwich and eating. The cast did little to slow her down. Val peeled off her wrappers and started to eat, too.

When they were done, Val pulled out the Sophie Evans book she was reading to the book club and flashed it at Helen. “Remember this?”

Helen smiled. “Yes,” she said softly, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

“Do you happen to remember where we left off?” Val asked, doubting that Helen would. A little recap of the story might help Helen at the book club in a few minutes, though.

“Sex,” Helen said. “I believe they were having sex.”

Val’s mouth fell open. No, they hadn’t left off on that part, but the answer still surprised her. “Actually, we left off when Ruby finds out about Daniel’s secret.”

Helen stiffened. She shook her head, her eyebrows twitching softly. “Oh, no. Secrets are never good. No, no, no.” She continued to shake her head, agitation moving over her, erasing her good mood. “Secrets and lies hurt everyone. The truth will set you free.”

Val reached across the table. “It’s okay, Helen. It’s just a story. And I promise there’s a happily-ever-after. That’s what I like about romance novels. They always end happy.”

Helen’s mood didn’t ease. She was disappearing back into herself. “Secrets and lies make you lose everything, everyone you love.” Her voice grew louder until everyone in the room stopped to stare. One of the nurses came over and crouched down beside Helen.

“Helen, baby, I think it’s time you go to your room to rest. Can I take you there?” the nurse asked, glancing briefly at Val.

Val’s gut twisted. She hadn’t meant to upset Helen. Obviously some part of Helen remembered how Griffin had left after learning the secret of his adoption.

“Yes.” Helen nodded. “The secret has to come out,” she told the nurse. “Daniel and Ruby. No secrets.” She was mumbling now.

“Bye, Helen.” Val watched the nurse grab a wheelchair and wheel Helen out of the community room.

For the next hour, Val read to the book club, entertained the women’s reflections on what the author’s intention of each scene was, which was usually way off the mark, and worried about Helen. When book club was over, she slid the Sophie Evans book back into her bag and headed down the hall to go check on her favorite patient. Her feet paused at the sight of her father coming toward her. He was wearing his church suit, the one he also wore to do church work in the community. He visited the nursing home regularly. It’d been a while since she’d run into him during the day here, though. Which was why she liked to come during the day hours if at all possible.

“Hey, Dad.” She cleared her throat, and stood a little straighter.

“Val. What are you doing here? Visiting?” he asked.

“I had lunch with one of the patients and then book club.”

His gaze lowered to her bag. “I see. What kind of book are you reading this month?”

No way was she going to pull out the romance novel and open the discussion of what was appropriate again. “Just a book the women agreed on.”

He nodded. “I still think a Bible study would be more worthwhile.”

She nodded, but it wasn’t in agreement. It was more of a way of keeping the discussion going, hopefully in a new direction. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

Her father frowned now. “Visiting a church member, I’m afraid.”

Val’s mind reviewed the list of residents and compared it to the members of her father’s church. “Everything okay?” she asked. The only resident here who was a member of her father’s church was Alma Edwards. But Alma was being discharged tomorrow. In fact, Val was meeting her at her home tomorrow afternoon to return Sweet Cheeks to her.

Her father shook his head grimly. “I’m afraid not. Mrs. Edwards seems to have taken a turn for the worse.”

Val gasped, her hands reflexively covering her mouth. Alma hadn’t been in book club that afternoon, but Val hadn’t even thought to ask why. She’d been too shaken by Helen’s sudden change in demeanor. And she’d suspected Alma’s absence was due to her packing and preparing to leave Seaside Harbor. “No.”

“Afraid so. Her family is in with her now.”

“She’s just here for a broken hip, though. And it’s healed.”

“She also has diabetes,” he said, matter-of-factly. Church pastors weren’t supposed to be matter-of-fact. They were supposed to be sympathetic, sensitive. And her father was those things to everyone but her. “And high blood pressure. And a host of other illnesses that come with old age. Looks like they’re all working against her right now.” He shook his head. “Her time might be coming to an end.”

Tears burned behind Val’s eyes. “Well, shouldn’t she be in the hospital or something?”

“She won’t go. Stubborn woman. She’s happy here. And Dr. Thomas doesn’t mind coming over.” Her father nodded as if the conversation was now over. “I have to get going. I’ll see you on Sunday morning.” His eyes narrowed behind his glasses. “Five minutes early is always best,” he said.

She didn’t have the energy to respond to that. Instead, she waved and watched him continue walking down the hallway. She felt numb. Maybe a nursing home wasn’t exactly the best place for a single woman to spend her summer vacation, but the people here were like family to her. Scratch that. Her father was her only family and every run-in with him lately left her deflated. Sick, crazy, or dying be damned, the people she knew at Seaside Harbor never left her feeling as low as Preacher Hunt did. No one left her feeling as low as he did, and yet there was no one she wanted acceptance from more.

Griffin put Jaws back in his kennel after a long afternoon. “Good boy,” he said, patting the dog’s head.

Jaws met his gaze solidly. His eyes were warm as his tail thumped the ground where he sat on his hind legs.

“Thanks, buddy. You did a good job out there today.”

Jaws thumped his tail again.

Griffin knew that Jaws had only acted because he’d thought Griffin was in danger. Jaws had risked his life to save Griffin’s. That made him a good dog.

Heading back to his office, Griffin dreaded the pile of paperwork that came with altercations. Really, the day would be much easier if no one ever broke the law. Griffin was also supposed to report on Jaws’s attack. Jaws was trigger-happy, and he’d leapt out of turn. Again. K-9s were a weapon of the military, as cold as that sounded. Weapons shouldn’t go off without someone giving the okay.

Griffin sat heavily behind his desk. No way was Jaws getting in trouble for attempting to save his life today. He’d avoid relaying the full truth to his higher-ups. Jaws was on his last chance, and Griffin wanted to give him just one more.

An hour and a half later, paperwork done, he grabbed his keys and headed out into the parking lot. He waited until he had driven off base to pick up his cellphone and dial the nursing home.

“Seaside Harbor,” Louise said into the line. There was no mistaking her thick, welcoming voice.

“It’s Griffin,” he said. “How’s my mom?”

“She’s resting.”

Code for: not a good day to come by. Which was fine by him. He was exhausted.

“But she had a good day overall. Val came by to see her for lunch. She couldn’t do her book club, though, because your mom got agitated. We had to sedate her and put her to bed.”

Griffin nodded. This was routine stuff. It used to bother him, but now, if his mother didn’t hurt herself or someone else, it was in fact a good day. “Thanks.”

“You might want to check on Val, though,” Louise said.

Griffin turned his Explorer and headed down Seaside’s Main Street. “Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”

“Alma’s health has taken a bad turn. Your woman looked upset when she left here.”

“ ‘My woman’?” he repeated.

“Oh, come on, sweetie. You don’t fool me. You and Val have the grabby hands for one another.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “What happened to Alma?” He knew that Val thought a lot of the elderly patient. Enough to watch her devil dog all summer.

“It’s called old age, honey. Everyone in here is dying. We’re all dying, it’s just not as obvious for some of us.”

The events of his afternoon flashed through his mind. Yeah. Life was fragile. It needed to be handled with care. So did Val right now apparently, and he was the man for the job.

“I’ll come see my mother tomorrow,” he told Louise.

“Okay. Bye, Griffin.”

He disconnected as he pulled into his driveway. Walking inside, he smiled as Trooper bounced around like a puppy for a moment. Then Trooper’s energy spiraled and an old, retired dog was left wagging his tail mildly. He’d planned to take Trooper to the dog park nearby this afternoon, but Val needed him more. He couldn’t stand the thought of her being upset. She’d done a lot for him and his mom this summer. The least he could do was make sure she was okay tonight.

Val had been staring at her computer screen for the last half hour. Sweet Cheeks curled into her lap below and whined softly. She’d broken the news about Alma’s condition to her earlier, and thought maybe the little dog understood. Sweet Cheeks’s mood was as subdued as Val’s was this afternoon.

Val blinked at the questions from her readers on the screen. She was planning to leave the floor open for people to ask questions for a few more days, and then she’d record the YouTube video and put it online. A wave of excitement surged inside her, offsetting her depression just a little. She enjoyed writing, but she enjoyed this side of being an author, too. It was fun to interact with readers.

Val ran her fingers through Sweet Cheeks’s silky coat. As long as her father didn’t see the video, she was fine. She wasn’t sure if she could take more disappointed looks from him right now. She wasn’t sure he could be more disappointed in her if she actually tried to disappoint him.

The doorbell rang and Sweet Cheeks launched her little body off Val’s lap and began blazing the trail toward the front door. Val pursued, dragging her feet because there was no one she could think of that she’d be happy to see right now, other than Griffin. The niggling in her chest turned to butterflies in her stomach at the thought of him. Griffin typically stopped to see his mother after work, though.

She collected Sweet Cheeks in her arms and opened the door—to a tall, dark, and lust-igniting man.

She blinked. “What are you doing here?”

Sweet Cheeks was barely containable at Griffin’s presence. Val felt the same way.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” he said, stepping closer.

Her brow furrowed. “I am a little hungry. I haven’t eaten since I had lunch earlier with your mother.”

“It’s settled then. I’m taking you out.” He crossed the threshold and pulled her to him, closing the door behind him. “Do you like sushi?” he asked, nuzzling his face into her neck, brushing his rough, unshaven skin against hers. Every touch from him soothed her. He was exactly what she needed right now.

“I like sushi rolls.” She tipped her head back and looked at him. “Does that count?”

“It kind of counts. I know a great hole-in-the-wall place where we can get some.”

“Hole-in-the-wall places are my favorite.”

He leaned in and kissed her mouth. “All right then,” he said, pulling back. “You’re coming with me.”

Val gestured behind her. “I need to freshen up first. I didn’t know you were coming.”

Griffin’s gaze grew serious. “I heard about Alma. I’m sorry.”

Val swallowed, feeling the news of Alma’s decline hit her all over again. “It just doesn’t feel real yet. Out of everyone at Seaside Harbor, she’s the one who’s most full of life. Even more so than the twenty-something nurses there. Alma was only supposed to be at Seaside Harbor until her hip healed, which it has. She’s supposed to be going home. And taking Sweet Cheeks back.”