Page 15
Jacques leaned in the window. “No AC?”
“Two-sixty,” she said proudly.
“Two windows down at sixty miles per hour.” He laughed. “That’s a tough life in southern Louisiana. The humidity alone will melt you.”
“I’m used to it,” she said. “It makes me feel closer to my father.” Her smile slipped a little. “He and my mother died in a ten-car pile-up during a thunderstorm on their way to Pensacola.”
“I’m sorry,” Jacques said.
“What about you?” she asked. “Do you still have your folks? Any siblings?”
“I lost my father to a heart attack when I was in high school. I have a little sister, though she’s not so little anymore. She married an Army pilot and has two preschoolers that keep her busy. They live in Colorado. My mother followed them out there to be close to her grandbabies and help my sister.”
Her brow furrowed. “Do you get to see them?”
“At least once a year, I try to make it out to see them.” He smiled. “The kids grow so fast.”
“Sounds nice,” she said, her heart pinching a little in her chest. “You must be close.”
“We are. My father’s death made us realize how important it is to stay connected, to be there for each other, especially when it matters.”
Danny wished it had been the same for her.
“Are you close with your brother?” Jacques asked.
“Not as close as we used to be.” She sighed. “As kids, we did some stuff together, like working on Grandpa’s truck with Dad. Caleb was already fully entrenched in the Army when our folks died. I was just starting basic. He was halfway around the world in Germany, and I was in basic when the folks died. Distance and being in different places in our lives make it hard. He has no desire to come back to Louisiana anytime soon, if ever.”
Jacques frowned. “I thought he was retiring.”
“He has a civilian job lined up in DC.”
Jacques nodded. “I get it. So many retirees are still too young to stop working, even when they’re drawing retirement pay. Are you going to his retirement ceremony?”
She nodded. “That’s the plan. But then it’s a few weeks out.” Danny stifled a yawn.
Jacques stepped back. “I’ve kept you long enough. Go home and get some rest.”
“I’m going,” she said. “Thanks for staying.”
He gave her a crooked grin. “Even if you didn’t want me to?”
“I’m sure it wasn’t convenient for you to stay so late after your friends left,” she said. “I don’t want you to go out of your way for me.”
“You’re not an inconvenience. You’re a friend. Friends look out for each other.” He patted the side of the truck. “Now, go. I’ll follow you home.”
Danny turned the key in the ignition. The engine rumbled and stalled. The second time it sprang to life, announcing itself loudly.
As she drove home, Danny’s gaze shot to the rearview mirror again and again, a warmth she hadn’t felt in a long time spreading through her chest.
He’s one of the good guys, Rene had said.
Danny was beginning to believe it.
Not only did Jacques follow her home, but he also waited for her to climb the stairs to her apartment and go inside. She texted him as soon as she was inside and had locked the door.
Danny: I’m in. All clear.
Jacques: See you tomorrow. Sweet dreams.
