“He died suddenly of a heart attack, and while it rocked all our worlds, it destroyed hers. My brother was just finishing college and had a job, and I’d already been accepted into nursing school. Money was tight, but with the college classes I took in high school and continuing classes during the summers, I was able to graduate in three years. I didn’t have tons of debt, but I had enough that I was going to be paying for years. There was an Army recruiter that came to talk to our nursing class. It seemed like a smart decision. I was athletic enough to be able to handle the physical demands and hoped I could get through the officer training. If I could do that, then the Army would wipe out my education loans for four years of my commitment.
“You asked about what Mom thought, and that’s sort of complicated. After several years of being buried under a thick blanket of grief, she was just starting to figure out life on her own. She didn’t have the money to help me out, had just gone back to work herself, and my brother was getting married, involved in his own life. I don’t think it struck Mom what I was doing until I went away. I’m sure she wished I wasn’t overseas, but she was still a little lost during that time.”
He reached over, his hand taking hers, giving a little squeeze. “I’m sorry, Jeannie. I still have both my parents and can’t imagine losing them now, much less when I was a teenager.”
Nodding slowly, she held his gaze but turned her hand upward so that his palm glided over hers, his fingers curling between hers. He was completely aware of the feel of their linked hands, uncertain if she had the same awareness.
“I missed him horribly. To be honest, over ten years later, I still do. I’ve learned that you never get over grief, it’s simply one of life’s roads that you have to travel along. I used to wonder how my mom could bear it, and once, I told her that I felt certain it was better to not have someone so that I wouldn’t be so lost when they were gone.” She shook her head and a rueful laugh slipped out. “Mom quickly shut down that notion. She told me that the greatest gift in life was love. That as much as she missed Dad, she cherished every moment she’d had with him. And it was those moments that got her through when he was gone. And she told me she wished that for me.”
Her gaze dropped to their hands clasped together on top of the table, and she jerked slightly as though just realizing they were holding hands. Not wanting to lose their connection, he tightened his fingers just enough to let her know that he was very aware of their connection. Her gaze lifted back to his, questions moving among the shadows.
“And have you ever found that?” He knew the question was daring but craved the answer.
Her tongue darted out to moisten her bottom lip, and he so wished it was him.
“No,” she replied. “I’ve never found that kind of love. At least, not yet.”
He leaned closer and watched as her gaze moved to his mouth, her beautiful eyes darkening. So close, a few more inches and their lips would seal together. Instead, he chose to lift their linked hands to his mouth and kissed her knuckles, reveling in the soft skin against his lips. A light whimper escaped from her, and he smiled, silently offering a promise of more to come if that’s what she wanted. And he hoped with all his heart she wanted more.
16
Oh, Lordy, I’m in trouble! As soon as the words moved through her mind, Jeannie tensed, praying she hadn’t said them aloud. When Carson continued his instructions on how to get into Maggie’s computer and phone so that LSI-WC would be able to monitor, she breathed a sigh of relief.
They’d finished lunch with her rambling family dynamic explanation, somehow ending up with her fingers linked with his, his gaze on her face, his mouth so close, and then his lips on her hand. And almost an hour later, she could still feel the tingles on the back of her hand.
He’d taken them from personal back to professional, easing the transition in a way that didn’t seem awkward and certainly gave her control. While she appreciated the gesture, she would not have minded if his lips had bypassed her hand and landed on her mouth.
“Think you can handle that?”
At his question, she blinked, her first thought being, ‘Oh, hell yeah, I can handle that,’ then realized he was asking about the thumb drive in his hand. “Yeah, um… got it.” Her cheeks flamed, and from his grin, she had the feeling he knew exactly where her thoughts had gone. Hating that he’d think she was a ditz, she managed to smile in gratitude when he offered to go over it again. “Sure, reviewing is always good, right?”
“The great thing about this is that you don’t have to be logged on to her computer. Just use the thumb drive, and it’ll take over everything. My guys will be able to see its history, have ongoing monitoring, and will even be able to tell if someone else is monitoring.”
Determined to focus on what he was saying and force images of kissing him from her thoughts, she nodded. “And if there are cameras in her place, where can I do this so no one will see?”
“My people are already tapped into the security of the guesthouse and have found no trace of cameras having been installed through their electrical system. But that doesn’t mean that Penny hasn’t placed either a visual or audio-only device inside. So, you’ll want to look for those first.”
“Sort of like a nanny cam?”
“Exactly. She could have easily placed a small camera or audio device on a shelf, the mantle, or someplace that gives whoever she might be working for a view.”
“But if I’m looking for something, won’t I be seen?”
“Good point, so you’ll do it in the most unobtrusive way possible. Such as cleaning or pretending to search for something.”
Ideas started moving through her head and she nodded. “If I was dusting, then I could look around easily. And if I found something, then I could simply shift it as though I was cleaning around it.”
“That’s perfect,” he said, nodding with enthusiasm. “Just make sure to set it in a different direction so that it’s no longer looking out over the room.”
“Okay, got it.” Excited to be able to go into the guesthouse where Maggie was staying with the ability to see what was happening had her smile widen.
“Looks like you’re getting into this,” he quipped, winking.
Trying to ignore the quivers that ran through her body at his wink, she nodded. “It makes me feel like I’m finally going to be able to do something.
“Good. All right let’s go on to the next thing.” His phone vibrated, and he pulled it out, checked the ID, then lifted a finger to indicate she should wait. “What have you got?”
She wasn’t sure if she should give him privacy, but his hand landed on her leg, and she took that to mean she could stay. He grunted a few times, then said, “Right. Thanks.” As he disconnected, she battled the urge to ask questions.
“Just found out something interesting about Penny,” he said, obviously not minding her knowing what the call was about. Cocking her head to the side, she waited. “She’s not hired by Cheryl, who’s in charge of the Garza household, nor did she fall directly under the main housekeeper.”
Her chin jerked back slightly as her brow scrunched. “Then why is she with Maggie?”