Page 73 of Point of Contact

Trevor stroked the watch band. “He did that when he was a kid, too.”

“There were other guys all around me, but it was too quiet to sleep. Because he wasn’t there.”

Trevor turned to face him, and their eyes locked, understanding arcing between them. “Then you get it, Jess, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I get it.”

Jesse reached around Trevor to open the door for him, leaning close, the fresh, citrusy smell of his aftershave tickling Trevor’s nose. A black SUV was idling in the driveway, and as they walked toward it, Trevor caught a glimpse of bright blond hair behind the wheel.

He pulled open the back passenger door as Jesse popped the hatchback and loaded his suitcase in.

“Hi, I’m Trevor,” he said, reaching out to shake the slim hand the driver turned to offer him.

“Karen. Nice to meet you.”

“Thanks for the ride, Karen.”

“My pleasure.”

“Best boss ever.” Jesse piled into the front passenger seat and grinned at Karen, who reached out and flicked him on the nose.

“No need to kiss my ass anymore,” she said drily. “I already gave you the time off.”

Trevor chuckled as Karen reversed out of the driveway and headed in the direction of the airport. “And I really appreciate you letting me borrow him for a couple of weeks.”

“It’s a hardship, I’ll grant you that. ‘Where’s Jesse?’ ‘When will he be back?’” she whined in a high-pitched tone. “My business will suffer because Colorado Springs’ favorite bartender isn’t on duty.”

Trevor was delighted to see the tinge of red on Jesse’s cheeks in the side mirror. He reached over the seat and pushed on his shoulder. “Popular, is he?”

“Very.” Karen glanced at Jesse. “That Brandon guy was in looking for you again last night.”

“Not interested,” Jesse said flatly. “He blew it.”

“No second chances, huh?”

Jesse shook his head. “Nope.”

“Well, between him and all the disappointed ladies I’ll have to deal with, I expect a damn nice souvenir from Hawaii. Just so you know.”

“You got it.” Jesse reached to tug on the curl hanging over her shoulder, and she winked at him.

It wasn’t long until they pulled up to the departure curb, and Jesse leaned over to kiss Karen’s cheek before getting out of the SUV to unload their bags.

“Thanks again, Karen,” Trevor started to say, and Karen turned in her seat, her eyes solemn.

“You’re welcome. From one Gold Star family to another.”

Trevor blinked. “Oh. You lost someone over there, too?”

“My twin brother. Iraq, 2003. He was a Marine, killed by an IED.”

“Karen, I—shit, I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks, Trevor. But real quick, I just wanted to ask you, have you ever heard of TAPS?”

Trevor nodded. “Yes. There was a brochure in the paperwork my casualty assistance officer gave me, but I never called them.”

“You should.” Karen reached over the seat to hand him a card. “They do good work. When you get back, I’ll be happy to go to a support group with you. The first meeting is always the hardest.”