The Second Chance Hero (2 page)

Memorial Day—the following year

Kim hated this.

It was a beautiful day—the unofficial first day of summer—and she was standing with Tom’s family around his grave at the Calverton National Cemetery on eastern Long Island. They came every month. Sometimes she was with them. Sometimes she wasn’t. Lately it was getting harder and harder to stand there and hear about their wonderful, honorable son. The man who could do no wrong. How she was so
lucky
to have had him in her life.

That it was a privilege to be loved by a man like him.

The problem was she didn’t feel lucky or privileged. In fact, she doubted if he really loved her at all. How could he when he cheated on her?

Tom Albanese was a model marine. Larger than life, even as a kid, he was strong and brave and loyal to his buddies. He was a good leader, and she wished he hadn’t died. But he wasn’t loyal to her and she couldn’t let it go.

So as she stood there, listening to his family take turns talking to his headstone, Kim was wondering what they would do if she made a run for it.

She was next. His youngest sister, only nineteen, was standing next to her and pouring out her heart. They missed him. She knew that, and she did, too. But Kim lived in a silent world of hurt and betrayal that wouldn’t allow her to grieve, wouldn’t allow her to miss him the way they did.

How could she love and miss a man she obviously didn’t know?

“Kim, honey,” his mother said through her tears. “It’s your turn to talk to Tommy.”

“Not today, Mrs. Albanese.”

“Come on, you’ll feel better.”

“No,” she said quietly. “I don’t want to talk.”

“But Tommy would want you to.”

That was it. Unwilling to keep up the charade, unable to keep faking it, Kim turned and walked away.

His sister, Jenna, one of her best friends, grabbed for her, but Kim brushed her off. She wasn’t going to be disrespectful to his family, but she didn’t give a shit about anything Tom may have wanted from the great beyond. Kim would have liked to avoid the breakdown that forced her to leave the navy, the nightmares that were keeping her from being a nurse anywhere because she didn’t know if she could handle it. Hell, she wanted to trust people again.

She walked and walked. Past the rows of headstones adorned with small flags. Past other families paying respects, finally settling on a bench close to the main entrance. She had to stop running. From her grief. From her past. From everything.

“Kim! What the hell?”

She looked up, and coming toward her was Tom’s oldest sister, Christina. Tina was one of the good ones, but she was fiercely loyal to her family. She was a doctor and she’d been the only one not to press her too hard about what had happened.

“You got the job of coming after me?”

Tall and leggy, she sat on the bench with a huff and smiled. “You are damn quick for someone so small.”

“Am I?”

“Yeah, but the real question is why did you bolt? What’s going on, Kimmy?”

Kim’s eyelid started to twitch, a sure sign her nerves were getting the better of her. She needed to tell her. Needed to be honest, but how? “Tina, I can’t do this with your family every month. I can’t stand here and live this over and over again.”

“I know it must be hard for you.”

“Not for the reasons you think . . .” Shit. She didn’t mean to say that out loud.

Of course, his sister didn’t miss a beat. “I don’t understand.”

She had to cut ties with them. It wasn’t fair to her and it wasn’t fair to them to keep pretending that she was going through the same thing. She wasn’t. They were mourning the loss of their son and brother. Kim was mourning the loss of, well, everything. “I won’t be coming around anymore.”

“Kim, you’re family. Take some time if you need it, but don’t do that. I mean, you’ve already cut Jenna off and it’s killing her, but Tom would have wanted us to be there for you.”

She shook her head. How could she tell his sister that Tom didn’t even want to be there for her? That after asking her to marry him and promising to love her forever, he cheated on her.
“I know you might think this is selfish, but I have to deal with this my own way.”

At first, Tina didn’t say a word, and in truth, Kim didn’t want her to. His sister rose, circled behind the bench several times, getting her bearings, no doubt, and figuring out what this all meant.

“He loved you. You wore his ring. His memory has to mean something.” There was no sympathy in her voice now, just betrayal. Anger. “What the hell happened over there?”

“I know this seems cold, but every time I come here, I relive that day. I need to back away from it for a while.” That wasn’t a lie. She did relive it. She relived every minute of seeing the MP from his base cry when they told her he was dead. “As far as what happened? I watched my fiancé die a violent death. Let’s leave it at that.”

And he took my heart with him.

Kim knew she’d probably just destroyed her relationship with Tina and everyone else in the family and that upset her, but she couldn’t keep living the lie. “I’m not feeling the same things all of you are. I’m grieving, but it’s different.”

“You’re not telling me something.” Tina dropped her head in her hands. “Are you ready to move on? Is there someone else?”

“No. That’s not it.” It wasn’t. She didn’t know if she’d ever be able to trust anyone again, so she didn’t know if moving on was in the cards for her. “I can’t explain it.”

“I don’t understand, and I don’t think anyone else will, either. You’re family, Kim. Family sticks together.”

“I’m not family. He died.”
He betrayed me.
“We all need to accept it.”

She didn’t know if the Albaneses would ever accept it. Tom was the only boy. He was worshipped. She and Tina sat in silence for several minutes; the only sounds were birds flying overhead and the breeze rustling the leaves.

“Are you doing okay?” Tina finally asked. “We’re all worried about you.”

“I’m getting there. It’s slow going, but I am. I really just need to focus on myself for a while. I mean, my new job is great. Nothing gets you farther away from war than taking care of a baby.”

“You like being a nanny?”

“I do. The change has been good for me.” Her job as an au pair to a beautiful little girl had done the most to heal her broken spirit. Harper, her boss, had become a good friend and had welcomed Kim into all aspects of her and Anna’s life.

His sister stood and nodded. “I’m not going to say I understand. I don’t. But get back in touch when you’re ready, okay?”

Kim didn’t think she’d ever be ready. There was too much pain associated with the relationship, and it wouldn’t be fair to destroy their memories of him.

Staying away from Tom’s family, even if it did end up being temporary, would be hard, but she couldn’t help but feel relief as she got in her car and pulled out of the cemetery knowing she wouldn’t have to go back there until she was up to it. Everything she’d accomplished since she’d left the navy had been a series of baby steps.

This time she’d taken a giant leap.

***

Owen was still exhausted. He’d been back from his deployment for three weeks, but it had been an especially tough tour. Six men in his company had died. Six, starting with two just weeks after he arrived. It sucked, and it always would.

The smell of fresh coffee made him think about his need for caffeine even though he’d slept a ridiculous fourteen hours. But he had to get moving if he was going to be on time for the big barbecue at Jason and Meg’s house. He was looking forward to seeing everyone, getting back into the groove with his friends, but his brain had been all over the place for a while. He still hadn’t been to work because he hadn’t been able to focus, and thinking about anything more than a sail and a beer made his head hurt. But he did find he was getting itchy to do more, to get back to his life.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t getting work to do. Jason Campbell and Nate Bayard, his partners at Reliance Software and his best friends, sent him plenty. He was just doing it from the deck of his boat when he felt like it. Also not like him.

He poured himself a cup of coffee, put in the milk and four sugars, and looked out the back window across the harbor. It was going to be a gorgeous day, sunny and warm but not too hot. Which was good because he was done with the fucking heat. Nothing sucked worse than an Afghan summer.

He’d missed a lot being away from home this past year. His parents finally sold their old house and bought a great condo on the North Fork as well as a place in Florida for cold months. Meg and Jason had had a baby and were expecting another, and Harper, their director of operations, who was pregnant when he left, had given birth to a little girl. She was marrying into that damn Rossi family, too. Sipping his coffee, he grinned, wondering if there was a secret Rossi sister for him.

Great.
He had to go and think about women. Now he’d have a raging hard-on for not keeping his thoughts in check. Although, since he hadn’t been laid in months, he could get hard thinking about a bag of potato chips. Beyond the sex, though, he was starting to hate the whole being alone thing. This last tour showed him family was everything, and while a warm body in his bed was nice, he was starting to wonder about what his life would be like moving forward.

When his cell phone buzzed, he figured it was one of three people calling: Jason, Meg, or his mother. He was surprised when he saw Harper’s name on the caller ID. “Hey,” he said, answering the phone. “You finally decided to call me.”

“And your fingers are all broken?” Leave it to Harper not to cut him any slack at all. Which was good—he needed to get back to the real world and there was no one better to help him with that than Harper Poole.

“I’m glad you called. How’s the baby?”

“She’s the most amazing thing in my life, and you’ll get to meet her later on, Uncle Owen.”

“Awesome. And when is the wedding?”

“November. After the World Series.”

She said it like the play-offs were a given. Harper was engaged to Kevin Rossi, a superstar catcher. “That’s optimistic.”

Harper laughed. Owen figured she was running her personal life, and relationships, the same way she ran Reliance Software—with total control. If she told Kevin to be in the World Series, the man would be smart to listen.

“Owen, I need a favor.”

“Name it.”

“My au pair, Kim, was driving in from out east and she hit a pothole—the tire and wheel are done. Can you pick her up and bring her to the barbecue?”

The clock on the stove told him he was going to have to hurry. “Ah, sure. Where is she?”

“At the Starbucks on Main Street in Huntington.” Making a few mental calculations, he figured he could be there in about forty-five minutes if he hurried.

“No problem. Does she need me to do anything else? Is the car being moved?”

“Yes, we handled that.”

“Okay, tell her to sit tight, have another latte. I’ll shower and be by to get her in a bit.”

“You’re sure? I’d get her, but I’m picking my mom up at the airport. Who the hell travels on Memorial Day weekend?”

Harper’s mama, that’s who. Someone else he had to meet. He’d been hearing a lot about Diane Snow.

“I’ll see you soon,” he said, happy to have something to do.

“Thanks, Owen.” There was a pause—which usually meant Harper was thinking. “I’m glad you’re back. And that you’re safe.”

“Thanks, babe. I actually have a scar to show you when I see you.”

“A scar! You were hurt?” She kept yelling but he couldn’t make out anything she was saying.

“Calm down! It was just a scratch. Three stitches.”

“Don’t scare me like that! Dumb-ass. You’re good otherwise?”

Wow, this was a softer Harper. He thought Jason and Nate had been kidding when they’d told him she’d mellowed. Even with all the ranting, he could tell she was really upset. “No worries, I’m good. Still adjusting to the real world, but good.”

“Kim was over there. She doesn’t talk about it much.”

“Your nanny was in Afghanistan?”

“Yeah, but like I said, she doesn’t really talk about it.”

“It’s hard to explain to people. Some days it’s like living inside your worst nightmare. Other days the boredom could kill you.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re back. I might actually have to hug you.”

Owen laughed, ready to respond, but Harper ended the call before he could say anything else, probably because she was going on emotional overload.

He felt good. Relaxed. Looking at the clock one more time, he knew he had to get moving.

He had a lady to rescue.

Owen parked his new Range Rover about half a block away from Starbucks. Town was pretty busy for a holiday weekend Sunday, but then, Huntington was always busy. The shops were trendy and the restaurants plentiful. He couldn’t wait to sit at a sidewalk table at his favorite Mexican place and enjoy a cold beer and some great food. He liked the whole vibe, which was why he chose his house on the water in Centerport rather than an apartment in Manhattan. He got enough noise and chaos when he was deployed.

Harper had texted him a quick description of Kim—a little over five feet tall, long, wavy dark hair—so he put up his radar as soon as he stepped inside the coffee shop. After Harper told him she’d been in the military, he wanted to know the nanny’s story. Everyone who served had a story.

Making a quick visual sweep of the place, Owen relaxed a little. It was half full. There were families with kids, couples, and a few singles scattered around. It was nice. Safe. No one here was trying to kill him.

And that was Owen’s story in a nutshell. His last tour made him feel like he had a big old target on his back. In reality, it was probably true. He’d been on an adrenaline high for the last eleven months. Constantly on guard, always ready to fight. He guessed his exhaustion was really a crash.

He took a few more steps into the store and looked down the long side where there were even more chairs and tables. There in the back, sitting in an oversize leather chair, was a woman who matched Harper’s description.

Harper had said Kim was tiny and she wasn’t kidding. From where he was standing it looked like the woman was being swallowed by the big chair. Her head was down, her mane of hair falling forward while she tapped something into her cell phone.

His long legs closed the distance quickly, not knowing what was driving his curiosity. Still a few steps away, the girl looked up, and Owen stopped dead. Dark hair, gray-green eyes . . . beautiful.

Holy shit.

It was her.

It was the nurse who’d collapsed in his arms at the hospital. The one who lost her fiancé, who found out he was cheating.

The one he hadn’t been able to get out of his head. The one he’d thought about every damn day since.

He knew she’d left Afghanistan. He’d made the drive back to the hospital at one point and the commander of the facility said she’d gone home a few weeks after Albanese had died. They were sorry to lose her. According to her commander, she was his best nurse, compassionate, yet tough as nails in a crisis. But everything she’d suffered had rendered her unable to cope. Since she was coming to the end of her tour, they sent her home.

Owen remembered being disappointed at the news. He’d wanted to see her again. He didn’t know exactly why.

Suddenly, there were a hell of a lot of questions spinning through his brain. The first was him wondering why the universe was fucking with his head. He hadn’t made another move toward her when she stood and approached him. The woman was
tiny
, the top of her head didn’t even reach his chin. Wearing a black dress with little polka dots, flat shoes, and a sweater, she looked like the girl you took home to meet your mother.

Her smile was wide, her eyes twinkled. She was a stark contrast to the distraught woman he comforted less than a year ago.

“Owen?” she asked, extending her hand. “I’m Kim Torres. Thanks so much for coming to get me.”

Damn.

What the hell was he supposed to say now?
Nice to meet you?
He’d already met her.
Nice to see you again?
Not likely, because it appeared she didn’t remember him, and he wasn’t about to bring
that
memory flooding back.

“My pleasure,” he managed as he took her hand in his. It was warm, soft. “Sucks about the car.”

Perfect. Way to sound like a dork.

“You’re telling me. Anyway, I appreciate that you came to get me. Would you mind if we stopped at Harper and Kevin’s? I really hate to ask, but I wanted to change before the barbecue.”

He thought about her slipping out of that little dress and his brain fogged. Damn, he was in big trouble. “I don’t mind. Just tell me how to get to their house.”

“It’s a bit out of the way. They’re in Oyster Bay. Are you sure?”

“Not a problem.” She stood there, staring at him, so goddamn cute. Smiling. Playing with her hair. Smiling some more. Why was she doing that? Shit. Was she trying to get him to stroke out?

“Are you ready?” he asked.

Her eyes widened. “Oh! Of course. Yes.” She grabbed her denim jacket and bag, and he indicated that they should leave through the front door, leading the way until they got to the street and settled into a steady pace, side by side.

“It’s going to be fun today,” she said, her voice silvery, light. Different than what he remembered. “I really appreciate being included in everything.”

“From the sound of it you’re like a member of the family.”

“I hope so.” She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, bit her lip.
Was she nervous?
“I love Anna, and Harper has been a wonderful friend to me.”

He took the key fob out of his pocket and opened the passenger door of his big black SUV. She smiled shyly as she climbed in the truck, and Owen wondered what he’d done right.

He didn’t know why he was so happy to see Kim Torres again. Maybe it was that they had a shared history. Maybe it was the physical attraction, but Owen felt there might have been something more. He was a smart man, a practical man. He didn’t jump to conclusions. He’d been to war; he’d built a business. Yet, he had no doubt that this pint-size woman could take him out at the knees. Normally that would be a red flag for Owen. He didn’t date seriously, and avoided emotional entanglements.

He had a feeling that was about to change.

***

Once Owen closed the door, Kim allowed herself to take a breath. “Holy hell,” she whispered. Never in a million years did she think she’d be so affected by a man. She had worked in a military field hospital. She’d been engaged to a marine. Yet there was Owen Kent, tall, broad, gorgeous, and Kim had lost her breath. Literally lost her breath.

His eyes were electric blue, bright, and with a spark she’d never seen, and his dark hair was short, sprinkled with a little gray at the temples. But it wasn’t just the looks.

No, Owen Kent was a lot more than an average hot guy.

Harper told her he’d just gotten home from a yearlong tour in Afghanistan, and not much else. But Kim could see it. Owen carried himself like a man who had put his life on the line. Bravery and service weren’t just words for someone like him, but part of who he was.

They rode in silence except for the music he’d put on the stereo, and her giving directions. And while she might have felt comfortable with him, there was a charge in the air, something between them that she couldn’t yet understand.

“So,” she said. “How have you been since getting home?”

Owen grinned. “Better than many, I’m guessing. I’m okay, but it was a rough year.”

“True enough.” She knew a lot of guys who came home without limbs or the ability to function in society. For some, war was just too much. “What will you do now?”

“I’ll go back to Reliance. If they still have my job for me.”

He worked for Reliance? She couldn’t imagine Jason, Nate, and Harper not giving a veteran his job back. Not in a million years—she knew they were hiring more vets than ever. “I’m sure they will. They’re such good people.”

He chuckled. “I’m not worried. If Jason says no, I’ll just kick his ass. Think I can take him?”

She was sure he could. The man was a marine officer. That made him a lethal weapon. “I, uh . . .”

“Don’t worry. I won’t leave any visible marks. I worked Intelligence for a few years.” He winked. “We’re good at keeping things under the radar.”

Kim wasn’t sure if he was joking or not, and because of that, she decided she shouldn’t say anything else. But every time he looked at her, smiled, or winked, she could feel a little pop down low in her belly. Damn.

Fifteen minutes after leaving downtown Huntington, Owen pulled down the long driveway of Harper and Kevin’s house in Oyster Bay.

It was a large, ornate Victorian with a huge wraparound porch and gingerbread trim. They’d finished remodeling only recently and had moved their little family and Kim from the city as soon as they could. It turned out Harper loved living there, and Kim did, too. There were quiet beaches close by and there was room to breathe and move. Something she’d never had a lot of. She’d grown up in a neat little three-bedroom, Cape Cod-style house in Seaford on the South Shore. But four kids and two parents in a small house put privacy at a premium. Now she had the entire guest cottage to herself. Two bedrooms, a big bathroom, and blessed, blessed quiet.

“Wow,” Owen said, looking at the house. “I never thought Harper would end up in suburbia, but she did it big. That’s some house.”

“It’s even more beautiful inside. Gorgeous moldings, big open rooms, and the kitchen is amazing.”

“Cool. Give me the dollar tour.” Killing the engine and exiting the truck, he made his way around the car faster than she could gather her things.

He opened the door for her, smiled that lady-killer smile, and when he offered his hand, like an idiot, she took it. Good Lord. The man made her ovaries ache.

When he touched her, when he folded his large hand around her small one, her world rocked. More than the earlier handshake, his touch, his scent, his presence made her feel calm and safe. Over the past year, Kim never felt safe, never felt calm. This connection was personal, and Kim had the sense she’d been here before. Been with him before.

“Is something wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

She shook it off. “Just a little déjà vu. Weird.”

“You want to talk about it?” He held onto her hand and Kim didn’t want to let go of the feeling. The déjà vu was strongly connected to him, and as much as she felt compelled to tell him, there was no way she was going to.

Owen Kent represented something, but at this point, she didn’t know what. He was connected to her past, a past she really wasn’t prepared to share. But he seemed so grounded, so down-to-earth, that she considered his offer. This was a good guy. One who probably understood what she was going through, but who wasn’t going to tell her how to think or feel.

That morning with Tom’s family was a hard reminder that for most of her life, someone had been telling her how she should feel about things. Whether it was her family, Tom, or his family, everyone had some expectations. The Albaneses were a close Italian family, and Tom was the only boy among three sisters. They’d been neighbors since his family moved next door to hers when she was five and he was seven. It was quite possible she fell in love with him then, but it wasn’t until ten years later, when they were both in high school, that he noticed her as something other than the pest from next door, more than his younger sister’s friend. He was everything and he always made sure he had total control of his environment.

That kind of attitude made him a great marine. He moved up quickly, took charge, and if he was afraid, he never let it show. Men like him tended to absorb everyone around them and Tom was no different. He’d certainly absorbed her.

And now his family was trying to do the same thing.

“Kim?”

Oh, shit. Owen was talking to her.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You kind of zoned out there.”

“Sorry. I’m fine. Really. I was at the cemetery this morning, I guess my mind wandered. It’s nothing . . .”

She moved toward the house, but Owen caught her hand again and all of that lovely warmth filled her instantly. “The offer is real. If you need to talk, all you have to do is ask. Okay?”

“What, should I just call you up someday?”

“Anytime.” His blue eyes locked on hers and she found herself wanting to drown in them. That was some powerful mojo he had going. “Nobody understands what you’ve been through better than someone who’s been there, too.”

That was true. What surprised her was that Owen was dead serious about being available, but she also doubted he’d been through what she had.

“Thank you, Owen. But I’m okay.”
Liar, liar, pants on fire
. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate his offer, but she wasn’t going to expose her bruised and battered heart to a perfect stranger. Her family didn’t even know the whole story, and right now it was best for Kim if the whole humiliating experience stayed under wraps. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s get moving. I hear they’re steaming a bushel of clams and I don’t want to miss it.”

That was the way she’d been dealing with everyone lately. She changed the subject before the emotions hit her, before she lost control.

Her reentry was uneventful considering she’d pretty much had a breakdown. Losing Tom was one thing, watching him die was something else, but the cheating put her over the edge. Everything she’d known to be true, everything she’d believed, was a lie. Kim was just about at the end of her service requirement when it all went down. When she opted for a discharge rather than another stint in the reserves, no one tried to talk her out of it. The psychiatrist at Bethesda wished her luck.

They knew a basket case when they met one.

It was better now, but instead of going back to her regular job as a critical care nurse, it took months of hiding out at a friend’s place in Hawaii for her to feel like she could face her family or Tom’s family, and it was awful because no one could really help. She knew her distance was breaking her parents’ hearts. That her brothers and sisters missed her. But they didn’t understand why she didn’t want to be around them. They didn’t understand why she didn’t go back to nursing. They didn’t understand anything.

Because no one knew the truth.

***

Owen fully intended to tease the crap out of Harper when he saw her. The very sophisticated, urbane, I’ll-never-settle-down director of operations had gone into full domestic goddess mode. Her house was a showpiece. The kitchen alone was bigger than several rooms in his house and equipped with every possible amenity. Apparently, Harper liked to cook. And bake. There were three large mason jars filled with different types of cookies.