Read Online Where You Least Expect by Lydia Rowan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lydia Rowan
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you’ll settle down and be a soccer dad, coach Joe Junior’s football team and take Josephine to cheer practice. Sounds like it could be okay sometimes, but other times that life seems like hell on earth, so you’re confused, with no clue what to do.”
She was right, presciently so, but rather than confirm her assertion, Joe gave her a round of applause.
“Impressive. What’s the encore?” he said, trying to laugh it off.
Her eyes squinted in a look of pained sympathy, she said, “I’m sorry, Joe. I wasn’t trying to make light of anything, and I hope it didn’t come off that way.”
It hadn’t, and he didn’t want her to feel bad, but it was odd, hearing someone so succinctly lay out his current dilemma. He looked away and then looked back at her, flashing a quick smile.
“No, it’s not you. It’s just…I’ve been—I had been in the military for more than half my life, been a SEAL for half of that. I don’t know anything else. What am I good for in this world?”
His voice wavered the tiniest bit on that final word, but Verna either didn’t notice, which was unlikely, or she let it pass without comment, for which he was grateful.
“You leave the self-doubt to me, Joe. It’s all mine! And besides—and trust me, it pains me to admit this out loud—you’re super-fucking competent. You should, like, start a school that teaches people how to be competent badasses. I’ll be your first client. Or”—she appeared to think hard—“I know, you should be a personal trainer.” She eyed him and then shook her head. “Nope, on second thought, you can’t do that. People would be too busy drooling over you to work out. The only option is a school for badasses.”
She smiled again.
“And I get ten percent for coming up with the idea. Deal? Deal!” she said.
They laughed for a moment and then shifted to more neutral topics, Verna chatting about how much she liked to sew, Joe explaining how night vision worked.
“Verna,” he said, standing next to her in the foyer after she’d asked about the fiftieth question, “you’re freaking me out. Why the interest in night vision?”
“Don’t be nervous, Joe. I only watch you while you’re sleeping. Promise,” she said, her voice deadly serious.
The air in the room stilled, and he found himself unsure of how to react. And then he shook his head at the slow smile that spread across her face, chiding himself for having once again been taken in by one of her jokes.
“You’re so fuckin’ gullible. It’s great,” she said, her voice and expression amused.
“Believe it or not, you’re the only person who has that effect,” he said.
“Aww, you think I’m special.”
“I do,” he said.
He’d intended the words as a teasing put down, but the husky-voiced whisper that he’d used to utter them gave them an entirely different meaning, one that felt more right than he wanted to acknowledge at this moment. Her eyes widened and went dark, and he was taken aback at the surprise—and pleasure—that lit her gaze. This was a different side of Verna, one he’d never seen before. He’d seen her happy, seen her in the depths of despair, but seeing her like this, free, at least for the moment, of expectation and insecurity, seemingly just enjoying being here with him, was something he found he liked. And something he wanted more of.
Without stopping to consider the consequences, he reached out and cupped her face in his palm and then stroked his thumb across her lips. The shock and terror that flashed through her eyes almost made him pull his hand back, but in an instant, those emotions were replaced with a deep longing that felt almost tangible. He tightened his hold on her face and leaned in slowly. When he’d kissed her the first time, it had been an impulsive action, one that she hadn’t had an opportunity to object to and one that he hadn’t meant seriously.
But he was serious now, caught up in some drive that he didn’t understand and
She was right, presciently so, but rather than confirm her assertion, Joe gave her a round of applause.
“Impressive. What’s the encore?” he said, trying to laugh it off.
Her eyes squinted in a look of pained sympathy, she said, “I’m sorry, Joe. I wasn’t trying to make light of anything, and I hope it didn’t come off that way.”
It hadn’t, and he didn’t want her to feel bad, but it was odd, hearing someone so succinctly lay out his current dilemma. He looked away and then looked back at her, flashing a quick smile.
“No, it’s not you. It’s just…I’ve been—I had been in the military for more than half my life, been a SEAL for half of that. I don’t know anything else. What am I good for in this world?”
His voice wavered the tiniest bit on that final word, but Verna either didn’t notice, which was unlikely, or she let it pass without comment, for which he was grateful.
“You leave the self-doubt to me, Joe. It’s all mine! And besides—and trust me, it pains me to admit this out loud—you’re super-fucking competent. You should, like, start a school that teaches people how to be competent badasses. I’ll be your first client. Or”—she appeared to think hard—“I know, you should be a personal trainer.” She eyed him and then shook her head. “Nope, on second thought, you can’t do that. People would be too busy drooling over you to work out. The only option is a school for badasses.”
She smiled again.
“And I get ten percent for coming up with the idea. Deal? Deal!” she said.
They laughed for a moment and then shifted to more neutral topics, Verna chatting about how much she liked to sew, Joe explaining how night vision worked.
“Verna,” he said, standing next to her in the foyer after she’d asked about the fiftieth question, “you’re freaking me out. Why the interest in night vision?”
“Don’t be nervous, Joe. I only watch you while you’re sleeping. Promise,” she said, her voice deadly serious.
The air in the room stilled, and he found himself unsure of how to react. And then he shook his head at the slow smile that spread across her face, chiding himself for having once again been taken in by one of her jokes.
“You’re so fuckin’ gullible. It’s great,” she said, her voice and expression amused.
“Believe it or not, you’re the only person who has that effect,” he said.
“Aww, you think I’m special.”
“I do,” he said.
He’d intended the words as a teasing put down, but the husky-voiced whisper that he’d used to utter them gave them an entirely different meaning, one that felt more right than he wanted to acknowledge at this moment. Her eyes widened and went dark, and he was taken aback at the surprise—and pleasure—that lit her gaze. This was a different side of Verna, one he’d never seen before. He’d seen her happy, seen her in the depths of despair, but seeing her like this, free, at least for the moment, of expectation and insecurity, seemingly just enjoying being here with him, was something he found he liked. And something he wanted more of.
Without stopping to consider the consequences, he reached out and cupped her face in his palm and then stroked his thumb across her lips. The shock and terror that flashed through her eyes almost made him pull his hand back, but in an instant, those emotions were replaced with a deep longing that felt almost tangible. He tightened his hold on her face and leaned in slowly. When he’d kissed her the first time, it had been an impulsive action, one that she hadn’t had an opportunity to object to and one that he hadn’t meant seriously.
But he was serious now, caught up in some drive that he didn’t understand and
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