Stonehill series collect.., p.106
Stonehill Series Collection, page 106
She swallowed, cursing herself for the way her voice cracked and the tears that made her vision blur. “As disappointed as you were in me, I was even more so, and I carry that with me every day. But for the first time in a really long time, I have someone in my life who sees beyond my mistakes and believes in me. I will not let you ruin that because you don’t understand. Daniel has issues. I know that. But so do I.”
Marcus reached out for her, but she turned when the order wheel squeaked again. Sara looked through the window, but quickly walked away.
“Lunch rush is starting. You need to go so I can focus on cooking.”
“Let me help. I can cut fries or—”
“No. I just want you to leave. And don’t come back until you’re ready to give Daniel a chance.”
She focused on the ticket that had just come in, but listened as Marcus sighed and finally walked out. A tear dropped, landing on the paper and smearing the ink. As soon as the doors stopped swinging, Jenna leaned on the counter and let several body-wracking sobs leave her. That was all she allowed. A few seconds of hurt, and then she drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Pushing down the emotions, as she’d become so accustomed to doing, she cleaned her face, washed her hands, and dug into filling orders as the lunch crowd rolled in.
“Jenna,” Sara said through the window less than half an hour into the lunch rush, “I can’t keep up. I need some help in the dining room.”
She flipped two burgers. “I have food on the grill and in the fryer, Sara. Just do the best you can, okay.”
“Jenna,” she practically begged, “I’m alone out here. I need someone to bus tables.”
She looked desperately at the timer on the batch of fries she was making and then checked the doneness of the food on the grill. “Two minutes, okay? I’ll come out and clear some tables in two minutes.”
As soon as she cleared the cooking food off the grill, she filled the plates, checked the ticket numbers, dashed the food out, and then hurried back to get a tub to dump the dirty dishes into. She dropped that into the sink and rushed through cleaning as many tables as she could before hurrying back to the kitchen to wash and take on the next set of orders. She pushed herself through the same cycle several times over the next hour and a half. Finally, the orders slowed and she could take a moment to breathe. She took in the messy kitchen and that same old feeling of being overwhelmed hit her. The sink was overflowing with dishes. Food had dropped all over the floor in her hasty preparation. Sweat soaked her T-shirt and hairline. And the shadow of her fight with Marcus was looming over her, pressing down on her spirits like a lead blanket.
She swallowed down her sense of desperation before it could consume her. She had just made one pass with the broom when the back door opened. Daniel stepped in and his face instantly fell.
Before he could demand to know what happened, she choked out a pathetic sound. “I fired Scott and kicked my brother out. The lunch rush was a disaster.”
He was on her, his arms around her, and she had to fight the need to fall apart.
“Baby,” he breathed. “You should have come to get me. I could have helped.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. Somehow.” He kissed her head. “Give me this.”
She didn’t argue when he took the broom and started sweeping the floor. Sara came in with another pile of dishes. She looked around until Jenna took it from her. “I’ll have help here tomorrow,” she promised.
“I’m going to kill Scott when he shows up,” Sara huffed.
“He did. I fired him on the spot. He won’t be back,” she muttered. Turning, she gave Sara a shrug. “Sorry. I just reached my limit when he showed up late again. That’s the second time this week.”
“I get it. I just don’t want another day like today. I can’t keep up with serving and clearing tables.”
“I can clear tables,” Daniel offered. “I can’t do much else, but I can stay on top of the tables.”
“That’s all I need.” Sara grabbed the disinfectant to wash tables and was gone.
“Thank you.”
Daniel gave her a slight nod. “I’ll sweep. You hit those dishes.”
Daniel thought he was going to have to carry Jenna up the stairs. He would, too, if she needed him to. She was dragging, and not just physically. She hadn’t offered him a warm smile once today. That was tugging at his heart in a way he’d never expected.
He locked the door as she started up the stairs. Cleaning up had taken a bit longer than normal since Jenna hadn’t been able to do her usual upkeep throughout the night, but together they tackled the dining room and kitchen and stacked the clean dishes. She even chopped some vegetables for the morning omelets before giving in and telling him she couldn’t stay on her feet one more minute.
Gripping her hips, he helped her climb to her landing. As soon as they were inside her apartment, he steered her to the bed.
“I need to shower,” she moaned.
“You need to rest.” He left her there as he went to the bathroom and started filling the tub. He returned and tugged her shoes off. “Now, I don’t know much about spoiling women, but I hear hot baths go a long way after a hard day.”
She sighed and closed her eyes. “You’re the best.”
He smiled as he tugged her socks off and then pulled her into a sitting position and kissed the tip of her nose. “I’m working on it.”
She finally smiled at him, lifting heavy eyelids as she did. “Thank you for helping today.”
He tugged her shirt up, lifting the image of Tony Danza over her head. “I’ll always help. All you have to do is ask.” He unhooked her bra, released the fastener on her pants, and pushed them along with her underwear over her hips. She put her hands on his shoulders as he kneeled down to help her step out of her jeans. When she was naked, he walked her to the tub. She sighed as she sank down, and he went to work on washing her, gently digging his fingers into her muscles.
“We didn’t get much chance to talk today,” he said.
A long breath left her. “I don’t really want to talk about today.”
“You fought with Marcus again?”
“He showed up with his empty apologies and I didn’t want to hear them. I told him to leave.”
“I don’t want you fighting with your brother over me, Jen.”
“We didn’t fight over you. We fought over his inability to let me be an adult and make my own choices.”
He lowered his gaze, focusing on her calf as he ran soapy fingers over her. “He’s right, you know? I’m a homeless man who can’t hold a job.”
“Don’t. Daniel, please don’t. If you start getting down on yourself, I’ll feel obligated to counter all your reasons, and I just can’t right now. I’m too exhausted. Can we just be here? Right here, right now. We’ll sort everything else out tomorrow. Please,” she whispered.
“Okay. But we will talk tomorrow.”
She closed her eyes and sank down in the water as a bit of a smile tugged at her lips. “Know what I want to do next? After the flooring and the vinyl.”
“The plumbing and the electrical.”
She chuckled. “After the plumbing and the electrical.”
“What?”
“I want to take a day off. A real day off. Not half a day. A whole day. And I want to spend it with you doing absolutely nothing.”
“I’ll see what I can do to make that happen.”
“I have to hire more help first.”
“Until then, let me help.”
She drew a breath and he couldn’t help but look at the breasts breaching the waterline. She drew wet fingers over his cheek and in turn, he traced his hand over her stomach, then lower. She closed her eyes and gasped when he slid his hand between her legs. Parting her thighs for him, she moaned as he pushed two fingers inside her. When he pressed his mouth to hers, she panted against his lips, moved against his hand, and then breathed his name as her body gave in to him.
Then she sank below the water. When she emerged, she washed her hair and asked him to get her a towel. He helped her stand and dry and then scooped her up. She giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck, but by the time he eased her onto the bed, her amusement was replaced by lust.
“You need to sleep,” he whispered.
She pulled him down and kissed him. “I need a lot of things.”
He wanted her to rest, but he wanted to feel her, too. She tugged his hand and his desire to feel her won. After coming home from Marcus’s house the night before, she’d cried herself to sleep in his arms. He hadn’t known what to do. All he could do was hold her and wish he had kept his mouth shut. He hated that Marcus had lashed out because of him, but he didn’t think he was wrong. If he and Jenna had hidden the truth from her brother, he would have found out about Daniel’s dishonorable discharge at some point. He’d have found out about his living situation at some point. If Daniel had lied now, the truth would have just seemed worse later.
So he’d been honest. Marcus had lashed out. Jenna had been hurt. She insisted she didn’t blame him, that she understood why he had told her brother the truth, but that hadn’t stopped her tears from falling.
He hadn’t been able to pull her inside of him to protect her like he’d wished, but as he slipped between her legs and held her tight, he thought that was the closest he’d ever get. Moving slowly, gently, taking his time to feel her and let her feel him, was the best he could do. When she clung to him, whispered his name, and told him how much she needed him, he thought maybe she was right; maybe this was enough for now.
Chapter 20
The next day was considerably easier. Daniel got up with Jenna and they headed to the café together. Though she insisted he could sleep in and come down for lunch, he wanted to be there with her all day. She appreciated his effort more than she could have possibly expressed to him. He kept the floor and tables clean and she showed him how to run the dishwasher, which he did throughout the day, loading and unloading as needed to stay on top of the dishes.
By the time the dinner rush ended, she was tired, but not exhausted like she’d been the night before. Daniel had learned quite a bit during his first day “working” the café. She’d even looked through the window and caught him refilling coffee mugs without any prompting from Sara. He seemed so pleased with himself, it kept her spirits up all day.
She was surprised she hadn’t seen Marcus come through the café doors today, but maybe he’d actually heard her and wouldn’t interfere with her relationship with Daniel. Knowing he’d rather brood than try to make amends pissed her off, but she let it go. She wasn’t going to let him get to her. Not when she had so much on her plate already.
Dropping into a booth, she dug into the tub of utensils and dropped a knife, fork, and spoon onto a napkin, expertly rolling them. She couldn’t help but smile as she thought about the day. How perfect it had been to have Daniel there, working beside her. As he mopped the kitchen and she prepared the settings for the next day, she pictured this being part of that future they’d been discussing. Not that he’d want to give up his construction company to bus tables and mop floors, but she didn’t think he’d ever be opposed to helping her at the end of a long day.
Knowing she had a man in her life who wanted to help her, who wasn’t just out for himself, was an incredibly nice feeling.
She grabbed another set of utensils and just as she finished rolling the material, the glass in the front door busted. Jenna screamed, covering her face as another window broke. She threw herself to the ground, protecting her head and face as debris showered over the café floor. The sounds seemed to last forever—glass shattering and bouncing across the scuffed and cracked linoleum floor—and then there was deafening silence.
She swallowed as she eased up, looking around her. “My god,” she whimpered. Every window along the front of the café lay on the floor in a million pieces. Tires squealing just outside jerked her from her trance. “Daniel,” she breathed. Pushing herself up, she screamed out to him. She rushed into the kitchen. The room was empty, but the back door was wide open. Damn it, he’d probably run after whoever had smashed the windows. “Daniel?” she screamed into the alley.
He didn’t respond. He couldn’t. He was lying face down on the old cracked asphalt.
Goddamn. Daniel couldn’t remember the last time his head had hurt so much. The attack north of Panjshir Valley—the one that left him so badly scarred. He jerked his eyes open, certain he’d find himself in a makeshift hospital with wounded soldiers and civilians all around him.
Instead, Jenna leaned over him, offering him a weak smile. Her nose was bright red and her eyes puffy. She’d been crying. A lot. Rage rolled through him and he didn’t even know why. He just knew something had happened and he was pissed about it. She put her hand to his chest and shushed him when he tried to sit.
“Take it easy, Danny.”
He looked to the other side. Charlie was there, looking worried as well.
“What happened?”
Jenna let out a shaky breath. “Somebody attacked you in the alley. Hit you with some kind of tool.” Her voice cracked and her eyes filled with tears. “The doctor says you’re fine. You just need some rest.”
He exhaled as he closed his eyes, trying to grasp what she’d said. “Why would someone attack me?”
Jenna lowered her face but Charlie said, “The police are looking into it.”
There was more to the story. So much more. He was going to press but the door opened and a police officer stepped in.
“Ms. Reid. Can I have a moment?” the police officer asked.
She offered Daniel that weak smile again before leaving the room.
“Charlie?” Daniel asked.
“I need you to think, Danny. Do you remember anything that happened in that alley?”
He closed his eyes. The last thing he remembered clearly was mopping the kitchen. “No.”
“The police think you went out to dump the bucket and got attacked from behind. You fought back. Look at your hands.”
Scuffs and bruises adorned his right hand. He’d gotten a few hits in before having his skull bashed. But he didn’t remember anything.
“Who’ve you pissed off lately, Danny?”
He scoffed. Of course Charlie instantly blamed him. “Nobody.”
“Whoever did this threw bricks through all the café windows. Jenna was there.”
Rage boiled in Daniel’s chest.
“I sent some of my guys over to put boards over the windows, but damn it, Danny, that girl could have been hurt. If you know who did this, you gotta tell me.”
He shook his head. “I haven’t crossed anybody, Charlie. I’ve just been trying to get my shit together.” He ground his teeth together when Jenna came back into the room.
“It wasn’t him.” She looked at Daniel, taking her seat again, and then frowned as she focused on Charlie. “I thought we agreed to let him start feeling better before you questioned him.”
“You said,” Charlie grumbled. “I didn’t agree to anything.”
She put her hand to Daniel’s cheek. “Scott’s alibi checks out. He didn’t do this. The police are still trying to locate the man who was in last week—the one who grabbed me. There’s a traffic camera just down the street, so they’re going to check the footage to see if they can get a make on the car. The moneybag that I’d left on the counter with the morning’s deposit was missing, so this could have just been a random robbery and vandalism. We don’t know yet.”
“The police think it was personal since you were attacked and the café was so badly vandalized. If you can think of anybody you’ve crossed, Danny—”
Jenna cut her gaze to Charlie. “We don’t know anything yet,” she said more forcefully.
Daniel found her hand and gripped her tightly. “Are you hurt?”
“No. Scared, but not hurt.”
“Come here,” he whispered.
She collapsed onto his chest. He hugged her close, buried his nose in her hair, and reassured himself she was safe. By the time he eased his hold on her, Charlie had left them alone. She took a few deep breaths.
“How’s the head?”
“Not so great. You called Charlie, huh?”
“He’s been sitting with me the entire time. Worried.”
“He thinks I pissed someone off.”
She shook her head. “The police think it was younger kids. You just happened to be in the alley so they hit you.”
“Is that what you think?”
She bit her lip, clearly trying to fight her tears. “I have to because the idea that someone would do all this with the intent to hurt one of us terrifies me.”
“You look exhausted.”
“It has been a long day.”
“What time is it?”
She glanced over her shoulder to a clock he hadn’t noticed was there. “Almost four.”
“In the morning? Have you slept?”
“No.”
He winced as pain ricocheted around his skull when he moved, but he scooted over enough to make some space for her. “Get up here.”
“Daniel.”
“Jen. Come here.”
She kicked off her shoes before climbing into the bed and putting her head on his shoulder.
Having her so close made his headache seem less intense. Her scent filled him, and he could breathe a bit more easily. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
“Positive.”
“I should have been there.”
She chuckled lightly. “I’m sure you would have been if you hadn’t been out cold in the alley.” She brushed her fingers over his hand, the one with the wounds. “Did you happen to see who did this?”
