Chapter 22
22
M ason carried his plate to the sink. Carley stood with her plate, "I can get that. You should sit down and rest."
He chuckled. "I'm good, Carley. It's a little sore, and I still have a slight headache, but I'm good."
He helped her clear the table. She filled the dishwasher, and he put the leftover casserole into a storage container. She looked at her watch, and he knew she was worried about the showing.
"Hey, why don't you drop me off at the Sandbar and I'll follow you to the condos. I'll have my truck back and it'll save Jace and Margo from having to run it over."
"Okay."
"Are you nervous about the showing?"
She smiled and he enjoyed staring at her. She was something special. His heart thumped in his chest. "A little apprehensive, I guess."
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a hug. "I'm sorry. This is the downside of being a real estate mogul."
She laughed into his chest and the vibration of it rippled through his body.
"Or a real estate agent."
He squeezed her tighter. "Don't sell yourself short."
She giggled into his chest, and he closed his eyes. She was getting past his walls. His heartbeat became erratic, and his breathing grew uneven.
She stepped back. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah."
He turned and stepped from the kitchen. "Are you ready to go or do you need some time?"
"I'm ready." She quickly moved to the counter and packed her laptop away, grabbed her purse, and met him near the door to the garage.
He opened the door and let her pass him, then he gently stepped out onto the top step and forced himself to use his leg to step down so it didn't stiffen up. He ground his teeth together so he wouldn't grimace. It wasn't as bad as he expected.
Carley waited to make sure he didn't need help. He was glad he didn't. He opened her door and waited until she was situated in the seat before closing it. He moved a bit slower than he usually would around the vehicle and slowly climbed into the passenger side.
Carley glanced down at his leg, then her eyes slid up to his. "Okay?"
"Yeah."
She nodded then tapped the garage door opener and waited a minute for the door to finish going up before she backed out. Closing the door as she moved onto the street, he took in the entire house from the street. He hadn't noticed it much when they'd arrived.
"It's a beautiful house."
She smiled and looked at it for a moment. "It is a beautiful home. But it's a bit lonely. I was thinking I needed to get a dog."
He smiled. "What kind of a dog would you get?"
"A Shepherd. Maybe a Malinois. Something that would intimidate anyone thinking of doing anything they shouldn't be doing."
He chuckled. "Good idea."
"Did you ever have a dog?"
He shook his head. He'd begged his parents for a dog growing up. "My parents never wanted the hassle of a dog. My mom didn't want the mess. My dad didn't want the expense. So, even though my brother and I begged for a dog. Every birthday and Christmas, we both asked. Every year we were denied."
"What about when you got out of the service?"
He watched the houses go by his window as a bit of sadness seeped in. "No. I worried about my PTSD and never really felt settled anywhere. Plus, I usually lived in apartments, and it's tough to find a place that will allow pets. So, I never got one. It would have been fun, though."
"Yeah. We always had a dog growing up. There are four of us girls and we had to take turns feeding them. Of course, in the beginning, we were so excited we'd be mad when it was someone else's turn to feed them. But as we grew up, it became a chore. But we loved the dogs we had. They loved us too."
He grinned. That sounded like an ideal childhood. Parents, kids, and dogs. "I suppose you lived in a perfect neighborhood like this."
She chuckled. "Not as nice as this. We were very middle class. Dad worked as an accountant. Mom worked part-time in a department store. We went to a decent school, the house was clean, and we had food and shelter."
"You had it all then."
She turned her head to look at him. "What about you?"
He took a deep breath. "We were on the lower level of middle class. Dad worked in a mill and Mom didn't work. When the mill closed down, Dad had a hard time finding work. We had lean years. He was a great carpenter, though, and eventually, he started his own handyman business. That business did well, and he'd bring my brother, Burke, and I with him as we got older. We learned to do things that were life skills. There's always something to fix or repair and I can do a fair amount of it. I'm lucky that way."
"Is that why you went into medicine?"
He shrugged. "I went into the Army. Took all the aptitude tests and tested well for the medical field. I liked the idea of helping people. So, I took that as my MOS."
She smiled. "That's wonderful. What a great calling."
It felt like a hot rock dropped into his stomach. He ended up not helping as many people as he'd hoped. Didn't they come to tell him each night how badly he'd failed?
Carley pulled into the lot at the Sandbar and pulled in next to his truck. She grinned at him, and he leaned in and kissed her lips. "See you in a few."
"Okay." She smiled at him, and he sat transfixed for a moment.
"You really are a beautiful woman, Carley Page."
She smiled and her eyes glistened. "Thank you."
He stared a bit longer. His stomach was tight. His heart felt as if it was filled with sand. He nodded and slowly got out of her SUV.
She waited for him to get into his truck. He managed it fairly well. Since his left leg was his wounded leg and he climbed in with his right leg, he managed a smooth entry. Glancing back at Carley, she smiled beautifully. It was ridiculous to feel proud about getting into a truck. But for some reason, the way she smiled at him made him feel pride. His dad would scoff at him for that. Since he was no longer around to tell him off about it, he'd never know.
Carley pulled out of the parking lot, and he followed behind her. As he neared the exit, Jace came out of the building. "Hey, how are you doing?"
He stopped and rolled his window down. It was beginning to get dusky, not dark yet, but not bright anymore. "I'm doing better. I had a nap and a meal. I'm feeling much stronger."
"Good. Take a couple of days off to recoup."
"Nah. I'll be in tomorrow."
Jace shook his head. "Are you kidding me? Take the days you need to heal."
He grinned. "I'm the doctor, Jace. I'm alright. How about I call you in the morning, and we'll chat about it?"
Jace drummed his hands on the window ledge of Mason's truck. "Sounds like a plan. Any word from your military contact?"
"Not yet. He said later today. I'll touch base with him in the morning if I don't hear from him. But he's prompt so he'll call today."
Jace nodded. "Sounds good. Talk to you tomorrow."
Mason nodded and waited for Jace to step away from his truck. He slowly pulled from the lot and drove to his new place.