Read Online Once Upon A Night At Sea by Barbara Longley - Free Book Online Page A

the aisle?” She handed him the invitation.
    “Whoa, Squirrel. Didn’t see that coming.” Warmth spread through his chest. “I’d be honored.” He stared at the fancy script on the front of the envelope. Wesley Holt… and guest.
    “Good.” Cory patted his forearm. “One more thing.”
    “What’s that?” He raised his gaze to hers.
    “Bring a date.”
    “Uh… no. I don’t think so.” He rubbed his forehead and shifted his weight, edging toward escape. “I’m not—”
    “Ask Carlie. We’d like her to be there, but we don’t know her well enough to invite her.” Cory’s chin angled up a determined notch. “You and Carlie have chemistry. Neither one of you can keep your eyes off the other when you’re at the diner.” She poked him in the chest. “Ask her.”
    Memories swamped him—an e-mail sent by his wife, now his ex, while he was deployed. Two short paragraphs. That was all she wrote, but those two paragraphs had plunged him into a deep, dark well of misery and rage the night before a mission. His throat tightened, and a familiar image flashed into his brain. Wes forced the image of the young Marine’s face back into the far recesses of his mind, but then the anger and betrayal living in his gut like a parasitic worm raised its ugly head. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, while visualizing himself stomping the worm into the rocky desert with his Blackhawk Desert Ops combat boots.
    He no longer risked getting involved. Who needed that kind of pain? Not him. His heart was no longer up for grabs. Coping with his PTSD was about all he could handle, thank you very much.
    “It’s time, Wes.” Cory’s brow n eyes filled with concern as she peered up at him. “Just because your heart was broken once doesn’t mean the same thing is going to happen again.”
    It had been a struggle, a constant uphill climb, but he was content with his life and somewhat at peace. Admiring Carlie from a distance was all he could handle. What did he know about her, anyway? Sure, he lusted after her, but… Nope. Not worth it. The dreams he’d had for a family of his own were long dead. Besides, he was almost forty—too late for a do-over. He’d gotten into the habit of sleeping during the day because he had fewer nightmares then, and even though he’d come a long way in the past year and a half, he still experienced the occasional flashback. Irritability and paranoia still got the best of him sometimes, and he never could predict what might trigger a reaction. What kind of parent and partner would he make? “I’ll think about it.” No, I won’t.
    “Good.” Cory nodded. “Think about it all the way down the street to the diner, and then ask her.”
    He raised the invitation. “Consider me RSVP’d. I’d be honored to walk you down the aisle.”
    “Thanks, Bunny.” Cory’s voice went shaky again. “My dad was a Marine, too, you know. Having you stand in his place means the world to me.”
    The next thing he knew, she had him in a hammerlock hug. His heart melted, and he hugged her back. “Me too,” he mumbled before disentangling himself. “Get to work, Squirrel. I’ve got to go get something to eat.”
    “All right.” She glanced at him, her eyes bright. “While you’re at the diner, don’t forget to ask Carlie to be your date for our wedding.”
    “Humph. Think I’ll head on out to the truck stop for breakfast this morning,” he teased.
    Cory’s laughter brought his smile back. He handed her the invitation. “Put this in my in-box in the production room, would you? I’ll grab it when I get back.” His smile once more firmly fixed, Wesley headed the two blocks down the street to the local diner. Pancakes sounded mighty good this morning, or French toast with a side of thick-cut bacon and extra-crispy hash browns with onions.
    Half a block away from the diner, the air carried the scent of sausage, bacon and onions. He salivated, and not just for food. The image of Carlie Stewart bustling