A Soldier's Return (6 page)

Will stared at him, and Jim, after a moment, said, “You don’t think so?”

Will shook his head. “She’s too smart for that. I irritate her when I try to protect her, because she’s not very big. But there are a lot of things that require a woman. She knows that.”

It was Jim’s turn to shake his head. “I tried to compliment her twice this morning, and she turned them both back on me, accusing me of being sexist.”

“That doesn’t sound like Carrie. Maybe I’ll ask Vanessa what’s going on.”

“We might know more if we knew where Carrie spent her evening last night,” Jim added, not looking at Will.

Will chuckled. “Interested, are you?”

“No, of course not! I mean, Carrie is attractive, but I’m not cut out to be—to have a relationship.”

“Once burned, twice shy?” Will asked.

“Not in the sense you mean. I—I fell in love with a young woman but she died in a car accident.”

“Jim, I’m sorry.”

Jim toyed with his spoon. “Yeah, I don’t seem to bring good luck to people I love. So I’m not looking for anyone.”

“Jim, surely you don’t believe that. Just because one woman—”

“And everyone in my family,” Jim said slowly. “That’s why I wasn’t sure I should contact the girls.
They all seem to be doing well.” Jim cleared his throat and picked up his glass.

“You believe you’re a jinx?”

“Yeah. That first night I was worried about Rebecca’s baby. I’m glad everything went right for her.”

“Jim, you can’t be serious. You had nothing to do with your parents’ death. Nor could you have been expected to take care of your brothers and sisters at your age. I don’t know about the woman, but I don’t think—Were you driving when—”

“No, I’d shipped out a couple of days before Lani was killed.”

“Then that definitely wasn’t your fault. And Wally was killed in a war. The miracle is that you came through it without a scratch.”

“Not exactly without a scratch,” Jim said, frowning. He still believed he had a bad effect on people he was close to, but maybe he was wrong. It just seemed that all the people he’d loved had died. That was why he was hesitant to become fond of his sisters.

“That’s right. You said you were wounded,” Will said.

“A couple of times,” Jim muttered.

“Where were you wounded?” Will asked, letting his gaze rove over him.

“I got some shrapnel in my leg and I had a crash landing that broke my arm.”

“We’re glad you made it through,” Will said. “But seriously, Jim, I think you need to apply some logic. You think you cause bad luck, but you don’t think it was luck that you came through okay?”

“I know how to take care of myself, Will.”

“So now that you’re an adult, take care of those you love. That solves your problem. Right?”

“Maybe.” Jim shrugged his shoulders. He wasn’t going to argue with Will.

The waiter brought their orders, which, much to Jim’s relief, ended that conversation.

As they ate, he mentioned the appointment he had later with the apartment manager where Carrie lived. “I thought I’d look at it before I said anything to Carrie.”

“Good idea,” Will said through a mouthful of BLT.

Yeah, Jim said to himself. Will thought it was a good idea…but would Carrie?

“Say hello to your new neighbor!”

Carrie looked up from her desk at Will’s cheerful greeting. She’d been so wrapped up in her work that she’d hardly noticed a couple of hours had passed since she’d returned from lunch with Vanessa. She gave Will a confused look. “What are you talking about?”

“Vanessa told us about the empty apartment in your building, and Jim rented it today.” He clapped a rather sheepish-looking Jim on the back.

Carrie didn’t move for several seconds, trying to withstand the sinking feeling deep inside her. How was she going to avoid Jim when he lived right across the hall? Still, she remembered her manners and her professionalism. “That—that’s nice, Jim. When are you moving in?”

“Today,” he said, staring at her.

“But it doesn’t come furnished,” she exclaimed, frowning.

“I can camp out until I get some furniture. It will save me a lot of money.”

“I told him he should take the rest of the day off to shop, but he said he doesn’t know where to go. I’m no good at that kind of stuff, Carrie. Can you show him where to find things?”

“Wouldn’t Vanessa be better at that?”

“Jim will be shopping on a budget. Besides, Vanessa’s never bought furniture,” Will pointed out.

If she refused, Will would want to know what was wrong. She hadn’t been able to explain it to Vanessa. With Will it would be even worse. “Yes, of course. I can make a list of good places for you to go to.”

“Will said I could have the rest of the day off and he’ll wait for the desk. Is that okay?”

“Of course. It will only take a few minutes to make the list.” She picked up a pen and got out a clean sheet of paper.

“You know where I can go?”

“Yes, I know several places. There are some consignment shops in the area. Secondhand furniture is a lot cheaper than brand-new. Is that all right?”

“Probably, if it looks nice.”

She nodded and started writing.

Will interrupted her. “Carrie, I think it would be better if you went with Jim. After all, he doesn’t know the area like you do.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine. Right, Jim?” After all, he didn’t appear to want her help.

Unconvinced, Will replied, “I’d feel better about everything if you’d go with Jim, help him get set up. Is that okay with you, Jim?”

Carrie felt a sense of doom. Even Jim wouldn’t deny what Will wanted.

“Sure…if you think you can spare her.”

“Of course I can. It’s for a good cause. You two go shop and I’ll wait for the deliveries.”

“Okay. Can you go now, Carrie?” Jim asked.

“Yes.” She reached down for her purse and then stood. “I’m ready.” What else could she do?

“Okay. Let’s go. But we’ll take my car so my knees aren’t against the dashboard,” he quickly said.

She turned to look over her shoulder. “If you prefer.”

Three hours of intense shopping managed to provide Jim with a leather sofa and love seat, coffee table and end tables, two lamps, a kitchen set and a king-size bedroom suite, without mattress and box springs.

Carrie had told him he needed to buy those new.

All of them had been purchased at low prices because they’d been gently used before.

“Wow!” Jim said as they got back in his car. “That’s incredible. And it didn’t cost nearly as much as I thought it would.”

“Do you think you’re through?”

He looked at her in surprise. “There’s more?”

“You have no dishes, silverware, pots and pans, sheets or towels. I’m afraid they’re all necessary. We can go to Target and get all those things…if you want.” She was offering him a way out, because she didn’t think he’d want her assistance.

“Yeah, I’m ready. With you for a guide, we’ll be through in no time.”

“Am I pushing you into making decisions? If it’s too fast, we can quit for tonight.”

“No, I definitely want to go on, but I do need to eat
some dinner. How about you join me? That’s the least I can do for all your time. Then afterward, we can go on with our shopping.”

“Oh, no, that’s not necessary. I—”

“Don’t tell me you’ve already made plans. I haven’t given you any time to make plans,” he said, leaning down to see her face since she’d ducked her head.

“I was just going to say that—that there’s no need to buy me dinner because…”

“You’ve given up food for Lent? No, it’s not spring, so that can’t be it. You’re like a camel and can go without food for days at a time?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Jim!” she snapped.

He waited until they were in his car. “I’m going to get Vanessa to go over to my apartment and wait for the deliveries. It’s great that they can deliver this evening, isn’t it?”

“Yes, as long as you pay extra.”

He grinned. “I’ve saved so much money, that’s not a problem. In the meantime, I owe you dinner. And I always pay my debts.”

Carrie was too tired to argue with his firm statement. After he got Vanessa on the phone, he drove both of them to a small Italian restaurant. “I hope you like Italian,” he murmured.

“Yes, I do. And this is a lovely restaurant.”

“Good.”

Once they were seated and had ordered, she said, “Vanessa was okay with waiting for your deliveries?”

“Yeah. Makes me feel humble, though. She was happy to do something for me.” He shook his head.
“I’ve come back into her life after twenty-some-odd years and she thinks it’s an honor to help me out.”

“It is. Vanessa loves the feel of family around her.”

“She’s always had family,” Jim pointed out.

“You never met Vivian’s husband.”

“You don’t mean Will, do you?”

“No, Herbert. He was extremely old-fashioned and domineering. I don’t know how Vivian managed to live with him as long as she did.” Carrie shivered. Her father hadn’t had a clue as far as finances went, but he wasn’t cold and domineering like Herbert Shaw.

“Not like Vivian, I gather,” Jim said wryly, watching her.

“No. They were opposites.”

The waiter brought their food. After he left the table, Jim said, “It’s funny how opposites attract. I had several guys under me marry women who were as different from them as night from day.”

Carrie said, “But you only heard one side of the marriage, right? So you don’t know if that was accurate or not.”

“True. And I didn’t have any desire to investigate,” he said with a grin. “In spite of their complaints, they seemed happier after marriage than they did before.”

“And that fact didn’t tempt you to marry?”

Jim stiffened in his chair. “No. No, that didn’t tempt me. A soldier’s life is hard on women.”

“Unless she’s a soldier, too?”

“Don’t try to accuse me of being sexist again, Carrie.” After a moment, he added, “I’ve worked with women soldiers in certain situations and they did a great job.”

“Good. But I would think a marriage between two soldiers would double the problems in a marriage.”

“Yeah.”

They ate for several minutes without talking.

Finally Jim said, “I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable today.”

Carrie tensed. Then she drew a deep breath. “Don’t worry. Tomorrow you’ll have your own desk and your computer should be there soon after we open the office.”

“Good. I’ll have to set up my desk, too.”

“Yes, and then everything will go back to normal.”

After studying her silently, he said, “What’s normal?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Everyone working. We haven’t gotten a lot done, what with your arrival and Jamie’s birth.”

“Right. The faster I pick things up, the better off we’ll be. I think I can do a lot right away.”

“And you’ll want to schedule a meeting with Mr. Michaels. He needs to be reassured.”

“Have you worked with him before?”

“Yes,” Carrie said, dropping her gaze to her plate. Why tell Jim that Mr. Michaels’s cases were the easy ones? They still needed to be done.

“Is there something you’re not telling me?”

He was too perceptive for his own good. “There’s a lot I’m not telling you, Jim. I can’t explain everything we’ve done for the past five years. Some things you’ll have to find out for yourself.”

“Okay, I’m a believer of that philosophy. I think you learn more by doing than listening.”

They finished their meal and returned to the car,
where Jim asked for instructions to find the nearest Target. Carrie gave him the information and then sat back, allowing him to be in charge. It had been a long day and she was tired.

It was a full two hours later when they finally returned to the apartments. Lugging packages, they walked up to the second floor, to the apartment opposite Carrie’s. Jim knocked on his door and Vanessa opened it.

“Oh, Jim, the furniture is beautiful! You did a great job. And so fast!” Vanessa said, drawing her brother and Carrie into the apartment. “I arranged it, but you can change it however you want it.”

Jim stood there surveying the furniture he’d bought. “It looks great the way it is. Good job, Vanessa,” he said, stooping to kiss her cheek. “Now, you and Carrie can start unpacking while I go bring up the rest of our purchases.”

He disappeared before Carrie could object.

“What all did you buy?” Vanessa asked, eagerly reaching for one of the sacks.

“Everything he needs for an apartment. At least I hope so.” She opened a box of dishes, setting out a service for four in cobalt-blue.

“I like that color,” Vanessa said as she opened the pots and pans.

“So did Jim. Amazing you’d have the same taste, isn’t it?”

“I guess so. But I can’t believe he managed to buy so much in such a short space of time. I know I couldn’t do that.”

Carrie shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe you could if I was helping you—and you didn’t have a place until you did.”

Vanessa looked at Carrie with a questioning look. “Are you okay?”

Carrie gave her friend a hug. “Yes, I’m just tired.”

“Sit down while I unpack. It’s like Christmas, isn’t it?” Vanessa enthused as she returned to the table where the bags had been dropped. Just then the door opened again and Jim returned with more boxes and packages.

“This is it,” he announced, taking deep breaths. “Those stairs are going to keep me in shape.” After a quick glance at Carrie, he added, “Like your friend there.”

Carrie ignored the implied compliment. “I’m glad we were able to do so much, but if you don’t mind, I’m going to bed now. It’s been a long day.” With a nod she slipped from the room.

Vanessa looked at her brother. “Did you do something to Carrie?”

“Nothing more than wear her out trying to find everything I need.”

“Except a mattress. Where are you going to sleep?”

“Tonight on the sofa. I’ll get a mattress tomorrow.”

“But you haven’t even bought any food. How will you manage breakfast in the morning? Promise you’ll come to our house for breakfast. Please?”

“Okay, if you’re sure Betty won’t mind.”

“You could come spend the night, too. It would save your trying to make sense of all this tonight.”

“No, Vanessa, I’m staying here tonight, but I’ll be over in the morning. What time?”

“Eight-thirty? You could bring Carrie, too. She hasn’t come to breakfast in a while.”

“I’m not sure she’ll come, but I’ll try,” he promised and hugged his sister good-bye. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

C
ARRIE WAS UP
at her usual time the next morning. She’d had no trouble going to sleep last night. This morning, after stretching, she almost felt normal.

Until she remembered that Jim was just across the hall. She thought she’d had herself under control. Until yesterday. She’d gotten way too involved in his life. But that was over, she vowed. He had what he needed.

Jim was all set up in a nice apartment, albeit in the wrong place, with everything he needed. Today things would return to normal.

A knock on the door startled her. She put down the skim milk she was drinking and walked over to peer through the peephole.

Swinging open the door, she tried for a pleasant tone. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” Jim replied, adding a lazy smile. “Vanessa invited us both over for breakfast this morning. I didn’t know how early you’d be up, so I—”

“Thanks, but I just finished my breakfast.”

He looked over her shoulder, as if trying to verify her words. “A glass of milk?”

“I have skim milk in the morning along with toast.” Then Carrie got angry with herself for giving him those details.

“Come with me. You’ve got room for a little more breakfast, and Vanessa will be disappointed if you’re not there.”

“No, she won’t, as long as you’re there,” Carrie snapped.

Jim’s eyes narrowed. “Is that what’s wrong? Are you jealous of the attention Vanessa’s been showing me?”

Carrie drew a deep breath. “No, I’m not jealous at all. I’m thrilled for Vanessa that you’ve finally come home. But I have already had my breakfast and I’m going to work.”

“You’ll be the only one there. Will will be having breakfast with all of us. He’ll be expecting you, too.”

“He’ll survive. Thank you for stopping by. I’ll see you at the office.” She started closing the door, thinking she’d ended the conversation.

Jim put his foot in the door, stopping her. “You’re going to upset everyone if you don’t come. Is that what you want? To create a stir?”

Carrie dropped her head. She couldn’t win! “No, that’s not what I want,” she muttered in a low voice, “but—”

“Come and have a cup of coffee at least. You can slip out early if you think it’s necessary.”

His suggestion made sense, but she hated going along with him. After a moment of silent debate, she lifted her chin. “Fine, I’ll come for a few minutes. Then I’ll go on to the office.”

“Good. Want to share a car?”

“How would I go to the office early if we only have one car?”

“I could come later with Will.”

“Fine. Let me get my purse.”

Jim stood there, his face showing no emotion. What did he have to frown about? He’d won the argument, Carrie reminded herself.

After getting her purse and keys, she locked her door and led the way down the stairs. When they reached the parking lot, she headed to her own car.

“Wait a minute,” Jim called. “Let’s take my rental car.”