Page 64 of A Hero Comes Home

“So, have you thought about your Labor Day bakery theme items yet?” Jake was aware that Mayor Ferguson had been bugging her for days to tell her what she planned so it could be put in the Lollypalooza brochure.

“I’ll have the usual red, white, and blue frosted flag cakes and Mookies. In light of the secondary pirate theme, I found some oversized, pirate-ship cookie cutters online that might be nice, except it would take a lot more fancy piping than I might be willing to do, unless I charge double for them, which I don’t like to do.” She gave him a look, fluttering her eyelashes.

“Not a chance!” he said with a laugh. “Not unless you want anatomically correct pirates.”

She laughed, too. “Then, there’s the other secondary theme, the treasure discovery. For that, I’ll do some kind of gold coin Mookies.”

Another secondary theme was the “Hometown Hero” for which she was designing a palm tree cookie with a yellow ribbon tied around its trunk, but she didn’t think she’d tell Jake about that. Best that it be a surprise, and, yeah, she feared he’d put the kibosh on it. Little did he know, the entire town would be welcoming their hero home in their own distinctive way, including Abe Bernstein at his deli which would be featuring Italian hero sandwiches. And Delilah was going to make her cinnamon bun of the day with blueberries, strawberry jam, and white icing. The mercantile ordered in a huge supply of flags for people to wave. The bookstore was planning an “American Heroes” window display.

“The good thing is that I can bake and freeze many of my cookie recipes ahead of time, and do the decorating in the off hours.”

“I’m gonna have to be in that stinkin’ parade, you know,” Jake said, wiping his mouth with a paper napkin. “I promised Doreen. It was either that or agree to be on a dumbass float with a replica of a Blackhawk jet and some military choir singing ‘God Bless America.’ Where does that woman get these ideas?”

“You got me! Did you know she helped plan a surprise wedding for Delilah and Merrill, complete with leftover Fourth of July decorations and a pirate-themed reception at Chimes, that mansion of Gabe’s? And, of course, the Grinch contest last December was the absolute best, or worst, of her schemes for bringing more tourists to Bell Cove, the kind who spend their dollars here and then go home.”

“I read about that. Izzie brought me a bunch of newspapers to read while I was in the hospital.”

“By the way, that was a nice article that Laura wrote about you. Focusing on your family and Bell Cove. I saw Matt clip it out of the paper and put it in his desk for safekeeping. All of the boys are proud of you.”

His face went blank at that. It was a trick he had for not showing emotion. Why would he feel that he couldn’t show his feelings in regard to the boys? Or was it the boys’ regard for him that made him uncomfortable?

“I’ll check to see if your uniform needs to go to the dry cleaners,” she said. “I assume they’ll want you to wear that.”

“Either that or dress like a friggin’ pirate, which I could do with this eye patch and gimpy leg.”

She knew he was sensitive on the subject of his injuries; so, she just teased, “You’d make a very handsome pirate. Sex on the (pirate) hoof, so to speak.”

He grinned, but then asked her suddenly, “Should I have been using a condom?”

“Kinda late to ask that, Long John.” She shook her head at him. “But, no. Not necessary. I’m on the pill.”

He stiffened.

And she could read his fool mind. “Don’t go getting bent out of shape. I got a prescription once I heard you were coming home.”

He tilted his head at her. “So, you planned to have sex with me from the get-go, but made me wait these two weeks before taking the plunge?”

“No, Jacob. They were just in case.”

He looked as if he wanted to discuss the subject more, but then he relented and said, “Just in case you’re feeling partial to a salty dog . . . wanna help this pirate swab his deck? I’m thinkin’ Long John Silver’s boat is smellin’ a bit like bilge water and needs a good shower after all this activity.”

“Just so you know, this wench gives no quarter when it comes to Jolly Rogers,” she said, entering the playful banter. She glanced meaningfully to his “flag.”

A short time later, under a warm shower, she laughed and teased, “Not so much yo-ho-ho-ing now, is there?”

And Jake said, “Aar!”

Chapter 13

Ride, Sally ride . . .

The town bells might have been ringing in the hour, over and over, as usual, but it wasn’t until they reached ten that Jake finally awakened to find himself flat on his back with Sally splatted half over him, her face nuzzled in the crook of his neck, an arm thrown over his waist, one breast on his chest, the other pressing his side, a knee thrown over his happy place. In other words, an invitation to morning sex.

Jake didn’t move. Sex with Sally had been amazing. Having his wife back in his arms was a dream come true. Yeah, an impossible dream, one that might be over in a blip of a second, once she came to her senses, or if he managed to be a bit more noble and think about her and not his raging libido. Hell, for now, selfish bastard that he apparently was, he just wanted to freeze the moment, inhaling her sweet scent, memorizing the feel of her smooth skin against his rougher edges, cherishing the honesty of her lovemaking.

But then Jake muttered a swear word as he realized the implications of the ten bells. They’d overslept!

“Hey, babe, wake up,” he said, kissing the top of her spiky hair. “I forgot. I have an appointment at two o’clock in Hatteras.” A two-hour drive in the off-season could be up to four hours with tourist traffic and ferry delays.