“You don’t own a dog.” Her white-blond hair danced about her face. She’d lopped off several inches, and the pale, straight layers kissed the underside of her jaw. The short style enhanced her delicate bone structure and made her green eyes pop. “Unless you got one and didn’t tell your mother.”
Best friends for decades, their mothers had few secrets. “I’m pet free at the moment.”
“Then I can’t help you.”
“Let me buy you a cup of coffee.”
“It’s ninety degrees.”
“An ice cream, then. Last I heard, Red’s Diner still sells vanilla-and-orange swirl.”
At the mention of the diner they’d frequented, the corners of her mouth turned down. “Maybe another time.”
When she pivoted and started to walk away, he caught her wrist in a light hold. “Your mom’s birthday party is Sunday night.” His mom, Dee, had been planning the event for weeks. She wanted to give Barbara a sixtieth birthday celebration that would hopefully get her mind off of her illness. “Do you really believe our families won’t be evaluating our every move?”
“I’m sure we can manage to be civil.”
“Can we? You aren’t even willing to let me buy you an ice cream.”
He hadn’t been this close to her since she ended their engagement a decade ago. Her perfume, a pleasant blend of oranges and bergamot, transported him to another time, to when they’d been each other’s closest confidantes. Friends since middle school, it wasn’t until their senior year that he’d realized friendship wasn’t enough anymore.
A garbage receptacle toppled over. Tori cringed, her gaze darting around to the neighboring homes.
“Something wrong?”
“I’ve had a weird feeling these past few days...” She grimaced. “It’s nothing. That’s what I get for reading back-to-back murder mysteries.”
He did his own scan of their surroundings and found nothing out of the ordinary. No one stirred outside the mint-green house next door advertising tax services. Directly across the street, three gardeners worked to tidy the double lot belonging to a swanky bed-and-breakfast.
“Don’t dismiss your instincts. If you think—”
“Forget it.” She leveled him a look that reminded him that their days of sharing confidences were long gone. “Look, Cade, if you want to talk, let’s talk about my brother. You have to convince him not to enlist.”
Over the years, Jason had become the little brother Cade never had. When the eighteen-year-old had confided in him about his dreams of a military career, he’d warned him Tori wouldn’t be pleased.
“He’ll be an asset to the Corps. He’s strong, physically and mentally. There are opportunities for advancement, and he can take college courses later on. Your mom gave him her blessing.”
He didn’t have to ask why she wouldn’t. Her experience as a military kid had been characterized by frustration and disappointment. A respected member of Force Recon, her father Thomas James had been involved in secretive missions more often than he was home. His frequent, unexpected absences had put a strain on his marriage and caused his daughter to become disillusioned. After his untimely death—which, to this day, was shrouded in mystery—she used to say that she lost her father to the military long before.
Her eyes flashed. “I know you’re married to the Marines, but that doesn’t have to be Jason’s future.”
Cade wrestled with fresh hurt and disappointment that carried him back to the day she’d cut him out of her life. He’d known she wouldn’t like his decision to enlist, but he hadn’t dreamed she’d refuse to marry him because of it. Their breakup was the reason he’d almost flunked out of boot camp.
The June heat ratcheted up a notch. He tugged off his cover and ran his hand over his hair. “My life may not be perfect, but it’s a good one. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished. Whether or not Jason joins, it’s ultimately his decision, not yours.”
“Thank you for reminding me how little you value my opinion,” she retorted, hurt glistening in her eyes. “It didn’t matter ten years ago. I see nothing’s changed.”
Tori backed away. He was reviewing the ways he’d messed up when an explosion rocked the ground beneath him. The sound of a nearby lawnmower was eclipsed by the roar of twisting metal. A wave of intense heat billowed toward them. With Tori’s scream ringing in his ears, he lunged for her.
Cade’s big body pressed Tori into the sunbaked earth, his arm heavy across her back and his cheek tucked against her neck, as bits of fiery debris rained down on them. Brittle grass poked her skin. Her right wrist throbbed.
“What happened?” She tried to move, but her human shield wasn’t budging.
“I don’t know.”
His weight shifted above her, and his exclamation spurred her to take advantage of his distraction. She inched out from underneath him and clapped her hand over her mouth.
Orange flames devoured her car seats. Her rearview mirror dangled in front of what used to be the windshield. Black smoke rolled and curled high into the sky, aiming for the branches high above their heads. Her car was nothing more than a hulled-out shell.
“My car,” she breathed, choking on the acrid taste invading her mouth.
Cade curved his arm around her waist and helped her stand. “Are you hurt?”
“I don’t understand. How? Why?”
“Tori?” He shoved his face close, his ocean-blue eyes churning.
“I’m fine.”
Her car wasn’t, though. Rushing out the front gate, she strode to the end of the driveway for a better view.
Cade followed on her heels. She pointed to the detached garage, thankful it was too full of overstock and gardening tools to be used for parking. “Do you see any damage?”
“Nothing obvious.” He nodded grimly to the side of the house. “Your upstairs window’s broken.”
“My bedroom. I should make sure whatever busted the glass doesn’t catch the house on fire.”
“I’ll come with you.”
In normal circumstances, she would’ve refused the offer. Memories of Cade permeated the house. Her mom had purchased it fifteen years ago, when Tori was just thirteen, and transformed the first floor into a paradise for dogs and the second into a rentable apartment. Cade and his family had helped with everything from tagging merchandise to installing bathroom tile. After a renter had been found and the shop opened for business, he’d continued to pitch in whenever he could. He and Tori had swept floors, passed out sales flyers and even convinced Barbara to carry bakery-grade dog cookies.
But right now, Tori appreciated the company. Her heartbeat hadn’t yet resumed its usual rhythm and her legs felt rubbery. She kept expecting something else to go boom.
Inside, she ascended the stairs hugging the left of the foyer. Cade’s heavier tread pelted behind her. She quickly unlocked the door at the top of the steps and entered the short hallway.
“Doesn’t smell like anything is burning.” She tapped a pile of cardboard boxes. “Watch your step. I haven’t gotten around to unpacking everything yet.”
“You’re to be commended, Tori. Leaving your position at the library and your home in Tennessee in order to come back and give your mom a break couldn’t have been easy.”
The admiration in his eyes put a lump in her throat. “She needed me.”
“Not everyone would be willing to make that sacrifice.”
While it was true her mom’s