If I Didn't Know Better (The Callaways #9)(33)

"I know," Mia said. "I always looked forward to her postcards. Even though she died too young, I find some comfort in the fact that she lived every day to the fullest."

"That's all anyone can do. I'm sorry about her passing," Barton added. "Are you living here now?"

"Only temporarily. I'm cleaning out her house. My mom inherited the property. I think she'll probably sell it, but not any time soon."

"Maybe you'll discover something valuable tucked away. You can take it on one of those antique shows, and find out you're a millionaire," Barton suggested.

"Somehow, I don't think that will happen," she said with a laugh.

"You haven't seen anything that looks like it could be worth some money?"

"Not yet. But I've barely scratched the surface."

"Just remember. Some things that look like junk turn out to be priceless."

"She's an art historian," Jeremy put in. "If anyone knows what she's looking for, it's probably Mia."

"I've never met an art historian," Barton said.

Jeremy laughed. "The places you go to meet women—that's not surprising."

Barton shrugged. "I'm a simple man with simple tastes. Anyway, I have to go to my mom's house. I'll see you tonight, right?"

"I can't promise."

"Sure you can. You want something to happen, you make it happen."

"It's not that easy."

"Yes it is." Barton slapped him on the back, and Jeremy winced as pain shot down his arm. "Oh, man, I'm sorry," Barton said quickly. "You look so good. I forgot about your shoulder."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it."

"How's the rehab going?"

"It's going."

"And the ribs?"

"Only a memory."

"We'll talk later."

"Sure." After Barton left, Jeremy sat back down at the table, massaging his left shoulder with his right hand.

"Your friend is right, Jeremy. It's easy to forget you were hurt," Mia said. "Every now and then, I see the pain in your eyes, but you cover it up very quickly."

"It's not that bad."

"I didn't know you'd hurt your ribs, too. You didn't just trip over something and fall, did you?"

He stared into her enquiring eyes and knew he owed her more of the truth. "There was an explosion. I cracked a rib and had some internal bleeding. They had to dig metal out of my shoulder. But I was lucky."

"That doesn't sound lucky."

"When you consider the alternative, it is."

"Did any of your friends not make it?" she asked quietly.

"Not that time, thank God."

"But you've lost friends?"

"Too many."

"And yet you want to go back. Why?" she asked, bewilderment in her eyes.

It wasn't an unusual reaction. Civilians didn't understand what it meant to fight, to be part of something bigger than yourself, to work on a team that was trained to kill and also trained to protect one another. He thought of how best to explain it.

"Because there are more battles to fight, and my team needs me."

As he said the words, he wondered if they were really true anymore. He'd been one of the best, but he was smart enough and realistic enough to know that he might not ever reach the physical strength he'd had before the blast.

He let out a sigh and looked out at the ocean. "I have to admit that part of my life seems very far away right now."

"I feel like my life is far away, too," she said. "Angel's Bay feels like not just a safe harbor but also a good place to start a new journey."

"I never thought of this town as a safe harbor. For me, it was a place I couldn't wait to leave."

"Was it the town you couldn't wait to leave or your father?"

"Probably my father."

"Have you ever tried to talk to him about the past?"

"I went by his apartment when I first got here. It was afternoon, so he was already on his third or fourth drink. I'd called first, hoping that he might postpone happy hour until after our meeting, but he didn't. I told him about Ashlyn. He said he wasn't surprised I'd be so irresponsible as to have a kid somewhere in the world that I didn't know about." He paused. "I wasn't irresponsible that night, Mia. I used protection. I don't know how Justine got pregnant."

"Protection isn't always foolproof, and you said there was a lot of alcohol involved."

"True. And maybe it was a little irresponsible, but that was a long time ago. And it was one night."

"You don't have to defend yourself to me. It's like you told me at the park yesterday. It's not the mistakes you make; it's what you do afterwards. When you found out you were a father, you went straight to Ashlyn. And you've been with her ever since. She's got a lot of issues, and it can't be easy, but you're trying. I'm quite impressed."

He couldn't help but be happy that she'd recognized the challenges he'd faced and was still facing.

"Maybe you need to find a chance to speak to your father when he hasn't had a drink," she suggested.