Two

TWO

Huck

"Good class this morning."

My coworker, and one of my closest friends, Greyson, turned away from where he was standing on the opposite side of the room, putting away some of the props we'd just used and looked at me. "Yeah, I agree. I don't know what it is, but there's something about these classes first thing in the morning. Everyone is so focused and intense."

"I've noticed that over the last few morning classes, too," I returned. "It's almost like a completely different mindset when compared to the late afternoon or evening classes."

Greyson finished putting the props away and asked, "You don't think it's us, do you?"

I shrugged. "I don't think so. Either way, everyone is getting the training they need regardless of the way we perceive the atmosphere of the classes. We don't need to be worried about it."

Greyson and I worked together at Harper Security Ops, where we had several teams built to handle a variety of different tasks. There was a group of guys who handled private investigations, another that handled kidnap and ransom situations, and a team that focused solely on bodyguard and personal security services. Greyson and I were both members of the self-defense and tactical training unit at Harper Security Ops.

He nodded his agreement. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Are you in on this next one?"

"No. Not unless you need an extra set of hands," I told him.

At that moment, Jake, another member of our team, walked in. Greyson returned his attention to me and said, "Looks like you're off the hook."

I let out a laugh as I moved toward the door. "What's up, Jake?"

"How's it going, Huck?"

"Alright, I guess. We just had a great class, but I'm heading out now to grab some food," I returned.

Seemingly shocked by that declaration, Greyson asked, "Are you telling me you haven't eaten today? How did you get here so early and teach a class on nothing? I would have been ready to pass out about five minutes into it if I didn't eat."

"I was up earlier than usual today, so I had breakfast hours ago," I explained. "I'm not going to make it several more hours until lunch, though, so I thought I'd stop over at that new diner that opened a couple months ago. Have you been there yet?"

"Which one?" Jake asked.

"Betty's. It's over on Liberty Street."

Jake shook his head. "I heard of that place. A couple of people have said it's fantastic, but I haven't tried it. Brynn's pretty big on meal prepping and cooking at home, so on the rare occasion that we do go out, we tend to do it fancy. But I'd definitely check it out if you recommend it."

"I'll let you know when I get back," I promised. Shifting my attention between Jake and Greyson, I asked, "Do either of you want me to bring back anything?"

"No, thanks. I'll see you when you get back," Greyson answered.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm good. Brynn packed food," Jake replied.

Greyson grunted. "One of these days, we'll know what that's like, Huck."

Laughing, I nodded. "Yeah, I don't know about that. I feel like you and I are the only unlucky ones left. Are we ever going to find the one?"

My friend shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. It's not for lack of trying. I'm beginning to think there are some of us destined to be single for life."

Though I might have been exaggerating slightly about us being the only ones left, I wasn't far off the mark. The truth was, it wasn't more than a few years ago when nearly every single person at Harper Security Ops was single or casually dating. That had recently changed, and now, we had more guys working here that were married, engaged, or in serious relationships with staying power. Some members of the team were even expecting children.

One by one, they seemed to be dropping like flies. And if I was honest, at the very beginning—when Royce hooked up with Tarryn, or Nixon got together with Mallory—I could recall thinking they were the suckers. It was clear the women who'd come into their lives were the kind of women that made them want to settle down, and I thought it was the rest of us who were the lucky ones.

But it seemed I was wrong.

Royce and Nixon got things started, and it wasn't long before everyone else followed their lead.

Well, mostly everyone else. There were still a few of us left who were single, but we were outnumbered at this point. Even if I was happy for everyone who'd found someone, I could admit I was feeling the sting of jealousy.

Being single was not all it used to be. I was ready for something more permanent. I just wasn't sure what I was doing wrong and why I hadn't found her yet.

I groaned in response to Greyson's statement about us being single for the rest of our lives, but before I could respond, Jake felt compelled to be encouraging. "I hope you don't believe that. It'd be a crying shame if you didn't get to experience what so many of us have had the chance to experience. Who knows, Huck? Maybe you'll meet your girl at the diner."

Rolling my eyes as I moved toward the exit, I mumbled, "That's unlikely. I'll be back in a little bit. Have a good class."

"Later, Huck," Greyson said.

"Later."

I pushed through the door and left. About fifteen minutes later, I'd made it to Betty's. Since this was my first time here, I took a moment the second I stepped inside to look around and take in the space. It was clear the place was new. Everything was shiny and clean, and from what I could tell, the staff was pleasant. I was immediately seated in a booth and given a menu.

And that's when it happened.

It wasn't more than two minutes into my perusal of the menu when I felt a presence beside me. A feminine voice started speaking before I even lifted my gaze from the menu.

"Good morning. Welcome to Betty's. My name is…"

The woman's voice trailed off the second her eyes connected with mine. I couldn't say I didn't understand why. My gut clenched as something constricted in my chest. I was certain my eyes were deceiving me.

But just to be certain this was real, and in an effort to help her, I decided to complete her sentence. "Josie."

She blinked her eyes several times, clearly feeling some of the same as I had been. When she'd deduced that I was sitting in front of her, she breathed, "Huck."

Damn.

Damn, I'd forgotten just how much I liked the way her delicate voice sounded saying my name.

Snapping myself out of the fog and disbelief, I rose from my seat and immediately moved to hug her.

She flinched.

Fuck, she flinched.

In an instant, I pulled back and allowed my eyes to roam over her. "I'm sorry."

The second she got my apology, she shook her head and seemed to relax. "No. No, you don't have to be sorry." She reached her arm out, indicating it was okay to give her the hug I'd originally intended to, and when I did, I could admit I held on to her a little longer than would have probably been considered acceptable or appropriate for two people who weren't dating one another.

But I couldn't help it.

I couldn't believe she was here.

For the first time in all these years, Josie Day was right in front of me. And until I saw her, I didn't realize just how much I'd missed her.

When I finally loosened my hold on her and took half of a step back, I said, "It's so good to see you again."

She offered a shy smile in return. "You, too. You look… You're all grown up now."

My eyes roamed over her from top to toe, and there wasn't a single thing I didn't like about what I saw. She was still several inches shorter than me, with her shiny, dark-brown hair. Though it was pulled back from her face, I guessed it fell to about just a few inches past her shoulders. Her skin was flawless, her almond-shaped eyes even bluer than I remembered.

She was just… pretty.

God, she was pretty.

The corners of my mouth tipped up in a smile, something unexplainable moving through me. "Yeah, I guess we both are."

Her face flushed, the tinge of pink I'd forgotten about displaying itself on her gorgeous cheeks.

Recognizing that she wasn't going to be the one to continue the conversation, I took the lead. "How have you been?"

Pain slashed through her features, but as quickly as it was there, it was gone. "I've been okay. What about you?"

"Things have been going well," I answered, trying to ignore all the signs she'd given me in a matter of minutes that indicated she hadn't been okay at all. "I wish I would have known you were working here. I would have stopped in sooner."

"Is this your first time?" she asked.

I gave her a nod in response. "Yeah."

"Well, then, what can I get for you?"

I didn't know whether to take her redirection as a clue that she wasn't interested in discussing anything about our personal lives, or if she felt it was necessary to do her job without wasting time.

Since I was still in shock at the sight of her again after all these years, I lowered myself back into the booth and said, "I was thinking of going with the Belgian waffle and eggs."

"Excellent choice. How would you like your eggs done?"

"Scrambled."

"And you have your choice of white or wheat toast," she said.

Josie hadn't taken her attention off of me. Despite holding a pad in one hand and a pen in the other, she didn't write anything down. I wanted to believe it meant she was feeling the same as I was and was confident that she wouldn't forget a word I said. No matter what happened here today, I didn't doubt I'd spend the next several days recalling every last thing about this interaction with her.

All of it.

From the way she looked and the sound of her voice to the way she tried to hide her emotions and how good it felt to hold her in my arms.

If I didn't think I'd be kicked out or pegged for a creep, I might have decided on the spot that I wouldn't be going back to work. Would it have been crazy for me to stay here all day just so I could find bits of time to catch up with her?

"I'll go with white toast," I finally replied.

She jerked her chin down slightly with understanding and asked, "And would you prefer the bacon or the sausage?"

As soon as she asked, my lips twitched. Did she recall the conversation we'd had during school when we had lunch together for the first time? "Bacon. Always the bacon."

Something changed in her expression, her features softening. I could have sworn I also saw a hint of longing and desperation in her eyes. Even if I didn't know what that look meant entirely, there was no question in my mind that she remembered what happened all those years ago.

"Right. And did you want any coffee, tea, or juice?"

I'd normally get myself water. Not today. "How about some orange juice?"

Josie offered a curt nod and said, "I'll be right back with your drink, Huck."

"Sounds great. Thanks."

After taking the menu from me, Josie turned and walked away. I wasn't ashamed to admit my eyes dropped to her ass and watched her go.

Once she disappeared behind the double doors that led into the area I presumed was the kitchen, my thoughts immediately drifted back to my senior year of high school.

It was her.

She was the reason I became excited about school. My mom no longer needed to drag me out of bed in the morning, because I was eager to get to my physics class every day just to see her. The days we were allowed to work on the project in class were my favorite, but simply seeing her each day had turned things around for me. I was no longer in a rush to get to the end of the school year, and I certainly didn't feel that need to have days off or the desire to drop out.

Josie never knew.

She didn't know she was the reason I enjoyed my senior year of high school.

And now that I was here with her after all these years, I couldn't help but be reminded of just how much I liked her back then. Unfortunately, I never pursued her the way I now wished I would have, because she was in such a vulnerable place.

I didn't think it would have been good for me to start something with her when I knew I'd be leaving right after high school. My mind had been made up back then—I was joining the military. It just didn't seem fair to do to her.

My eyes were pulled toward those double doors again when they swung open, and Josie stepped through them carrying a glass of orange juice in her hand.

As she made her approach to my table, I couldn't bring myself to look away from her. Question after question popped into my head. I wanted to know what was going on in her life and how she was really doing. The little conversation I might be able to sneak in while she was working wasn't going to be enough.

Josie came to a stop beside my table, set the glass down, and said, "Here's your juice. Your food should be out shortly. I'm so sorry, but I've got to go and check on my other tables."

"Of course," I returned. "Do what you've got to do. I'm not going anywhere."

She walked off again, my eyes continuing to follow her as she stopped at another table to check on the guests there. It was far enough away from me that I couldn't hear the conversation, but it didn't matter. All I wanted to do was watch her while I attempted to come up with a plan.

Not having a plan wasn't an option.

I couldn't do it again.

I couldn't walk away from her today without solidifying another opportunity to see her. Sure, I could continue to come into Betty's for breakfast or brunch at least once a week, but I wanted more than that.

The problem was that I could see it.

I could feel it.

The thing I used to think was all about Josie merely being a loner back in high school was still there. She still had so much uneasiness about her. And she clearly hadn't gone on to get the career she'd wanted. Surely, she wasn't still under her father's thumb. That couldn't be possible, could it? Josie had insisted she was getting out the day she turned eighteen.

Had something happened to prevent that?

It was unclear what I was going to learn, but there wasn't a chance I wouldn't attempt to find out. Before I left here today to head back to work, I was going to ask some questions. Her demeanor had been enough of a clue that I'd need to tread cautiously. It pained me to think things hadn't ever gotten better for her after we graduated.

Years ago, I thought I'd done the right thing by simply remaining her friend while we were in school. Now, I wasn't so sure.

Because if I'd done only one thing differently when it came to Josie, where would my life have taken me?

Perhaps, more importantly, where would her life have taken her?