Letters from Home (Love Beyond Reason #1)(10)

“Aren’t you cold?”

Lena glanced up at the sound of her sister’s voice. “Hi, Maria.” A shiver ran through her. “I guess I am.”

Standing, she hooked arms with her as they went inside. “Zack wants to do something tonight. You feel like heading out? Maybe get a drink over at Quinn’s?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Maria said with a laugh. “Let’s put the call out. Just us kids, away from the house, out on the town. Pre-Christmas celebration.”

The kitchen held the warmth of the afternoon sun, and she went straight to the pantry for a box of cookies.

“I heard about the phone call from Phillip.”

Lena rolled her eyes as she ate a cookie. She shouldn’t be surprised. “Word travels fast.”

“I got a text from Cat, who heard from Juan, who talked with mom this morning.” Maria grinned, and Lena let go of her own worries enough to laugh.

She shook her head. “Ay, Dios mío. You see why I joined the Army?”

“Yeah, well, I also heard from Donna that you were at the coffee shop with Zack this morning.” Maria poured herself a glass of juice. “My big sister is getting around.”

“Hardly. I was out for a run, and Zack just happened by. Pure coincidence.”

“Mmhmm.”

“What does that mean?”

Maria shrugged. “I like Zack.”

“Well, maybe you should ask him on a date. He’s not interested in bossy, old me. We’ve known each other too long.” But her heart gave a jealous beat at the thought of her sister liking Zack.

Life could be so unfair.





Chapter Five


Zack worked a problem out on his computer as the afternoon wound to a close. He saved the file and would forward it to his boss in Sacramento first thing tomorrow. There was a small glitch in the program. A phone call to work out the kinks was inevitable, but for now, he had a date to get ready for.

A date with Lena. A first.

Hearing that she’d fallen in love with those letters, the guy who wrote those letters. The excitement of that had quickly faded to worry. What had he done in those letters to create such affection? Half the time, he’d merely been rambling on about nothing. Could he live up to whatever it was she’d found in them? What if she was disappointed?

No, he refused to believe that she’d be disappointed when he surprised her on Christmas morning. But then… He’d been like a brother for so long. What if she couldn’t get past that? What if seeing him in a different way was impossible?

…

Lena put on her tight, going-out jeans and her shimmering, red top with the deep V in front and back. Black leather boots and a wrist full of bangles finished the outfit.

“Cat, you coming?” She hollered for her sister in the bathroom.

Mom came into the foyer with a kitchen towel in her hand. She wore a new Christmas-themed apron that had Will Cook For Gifts written across the top. “Juan will bring your sister home before eleven. She has choir practice in the morning.” She turned to him. “Don’t be late, hijo.”

“Yes, mom,” he answered in a sing-song voice and kissed her on the cheek. She whipped her towel at him before he could get through the front door.

“Be careful,” she called to all of them as they all piled into Dad’s truck. Maria took the wheel.

“We should get into a game tonight. Have a scavenger hunt in town.” Cat leaned forward and stuck her head between the two front seats. “We’ll break up into teams. It’ll be fun.”

Lena grinned. “Yes, let’s do it.”

“No, no, no.” Maria groaned. “I have to be up early for work. And Cat has to be home, too. It’s already eight thirty. Let’s just go sit and enjoy a cold adult beverage!”

“Boo,” Lena answered. “I want to do something fun. If it’s not a scavenger hunt, it’s going to be something else.”

They pulled into the parking lot at Quinn’s, and it was packed. “I guess we weren’t the only ones with a good idea. Sheesh.”

“The bars always get busy the week before Christmas,” Maria answered. “People are either celebrating or crying.”

Lena laughed. “Crying?”

“Sure. Break-ups, lost loved ones, or just plain single.”

Lena put an arm around her sister’s shoulders. “You won’t be crying in your beer tonight, will you?”

“Heck no.” Maria stood straighter. “I love being single. I’ll even drink to it!”

“I’m going to play a game of pool,” Juan announced, taking the lead up to the door.

Cat blew him a raspberry. “Fine. You know when you don’t want to have real fun or do a scavenger hunt, it’s because you’re old.”

Juan held the door and rolled his eyes.

Lena patted his shoulder as she passed through. “Gracias.”

She took two steps into the dimly lit room and found Zack, sitting at a table just inside the door. Carla, one of their classmates from high school, stood next to him in an apron. She held a pad of paper and laughed at something he said. But he glanced over and smiled when he met her gaze.

His smile struck her, and the noise of her family and the crowded bar faded, leaving her prisoner to the pounding of her own heart. She knew his smiles, half-smiles, and just plain non-smiles—like those he gave before screaming at his platoon of soldiers to give him fifty. This was none of those.