A Soldier's Return. RaeAnne Thayne

Eli had only been back in town for thirty-six hours and had been working or sleeping for most of that time—or visiting his father—hitting all the local hot spots hadn’t exactly been on his priority list. “Not yet.”

      “You can’t miss it. Trust me,” his father said.

      “You could come with us,” Skye offered with that charmer of a smile. “Mom says maybe we can even get cheesy bread. They have the best cheesy bread.”

      “It’s been a long day,” Melissa said, a trace of defiance in her voice. “I need a few carbs to the rescue.”

      He wanted to suggest she also might need to rest and ice her wrist, but he didn’t want to stand in the way of a girl and her carbs.

      His father shifted on the bed and yawned, his mouth drawn and his eyes clouding with exhaustion.

      “We should go,” Melissa said, picking up the hint. “Come on, Skye.”

      “Do you have to?” Wendell said, though Eli heard the exhaustion in his voice.

      “I should go, too, so you can get some rest. That’s the best thing for you, in case your doctor hasn’t mentioned it.”

      “He has,” Wendell said glumly. “I hate being in this hospital bed.”

      “You know what they say about doctors making the worst patients. Try to behave yourself. I’ll stop by tomorrow.”

      “Thanks.”

      His father rolled over, and Eli could tell he was already dozing off. He followed Melissa and her daughter out of the room.

      “That was thoughtful of you, bringing a care package to my father,” he said when they were out in the hallway. “It obviously touched him.”

      “Dr. Sanderson has been nothing but kind to us since we moved back to town. It’s the very least we can do, giving him a few things to help him pass the time while he’s laid up. He’s a wonderful man, your father.”

      “He is.”

      “Seriously. I’ve worked with a lot of jerk doctors in my day and your father is a breath of fresh air, as compassionate to his staff as he is to his patients.”

      “It’s always good to hear my own opinion confirmed by those who work closely with him.”

      “Not gonna lie. He’s my favorite of all the doctors I’ve ever worked with. You have big shoes to fill.”

      “My feet will never fit in those shoes. Why do you think I haven’t come home before now to try? I just have to do my best to stumble along as best I can while I’m here.”

      That was probably more revealing than he intended, at least judging by the probing look Melissa sent his way. He opted to change the subject. “So you’re off to have pizza?”

      “Yep. Like I said, we always have pizza on Friday night,” Skye told him. “Pizza on Friday, Tacos on Tuesday. The rest of the time, we like to mix things up.”

      He found it charming that she included herself in the meal-planning process. As precocious as the girl seemed, he wouldn’t be surprised if she could fix a gourmet meal all by herself, given the chance.

      “That’s good. You wouldn’t want to be too predictable.”

      “What are you having for dinner?” Skye asked him.

      “I don’t know. I haven’t crossed that bridge yet. Unfortunately, I do not have a pizza-on-Friday tradition, but it sounds good.”

      More than likely, he would head back to his father’s house and make a sandwich or heat up a TV dinner—neither of which sounded very appetizing compared to the carbtastic wonders of A Slice of Heaven.

      “You could come with us,” Skye suggested.

      He glanced at Melissa, who looked taken aback by the invitation. She didn’t seem crazy about the idea, yet Eli was surprised at how very much he wanted to accept. The idea of eating alone again at his father’s house held no appeal.

      “I don’t want to impose on your night out together.”

      “We eat together every night,” Skye said. “Besides, pizza always tastes better when it’s shared. It’s a scientific fact. Anyway, that’s what my mom says.”

      “Funny. I don’t remember learning about that in school.”

      He sent a sidelong look to Melissa, who shrugged and blushed at the same time.

      “You must have missed the breakthrough study. Plus, when you share a pizza, the calories don’t count.”

      “Good to know. I wasn’t aware.”

      “But you’ve probably had a long day,” she said. “Don’t let us pressure you into it.”

      He should gracefully back out of it. She didn’t want him there anyway. But he found he wasn’t willing to do it. He wanted pizza and he wanted to spend more time with her. Neither craving was necessarily good for him, but that didn’t seem to matter.

      “I haven’t had pizza from A Slice of Heaven in years. Now that you’ve planted that seed, I’m afraid nothing else will do except that. Thank you for inviting me.”

      She paused, then gave a smile that seemed only a little forced. “Great. Do you remember where the pizza parlor is?”

      “I could probably find it in my sleep. I’ll meet you there.”

      “See you.” Skye tugged on her mom’s hand. “Let’s go. I’m starving!”

      She followed her daughter out of the rehab center, and he watched them go for a moment before following closely behind.

      As delicious as the wood-fired pizza was at the beloved seaside pizzeria, he found Melissa and her daughter even more appealing.