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If he had to guess, she was five minutes away from a panic attack, but this woman had guts, there was no two ways about it. “Which store do you want to hit first?”

“Dillard’s.”

Great, CiCi’s favorite store. You had to pass the perfume counter to get in, and he always ended up getting sprayed with perfume. It was a guarantee. It even happened when he’d been a kid and had gone to the mall with his mom.

Brax shut that thought down quick and looked down at Jenny. Yeah, focus on Jenny, that’s the ticket. Such pretty brown hair, all mixed with deep red strands and shimmering gold.

“There’s a directory kiosk,” Jenny pointed with her left hand.

Brax guided her over to the sign, and saw that Dillard’s was on the opposite side of the mall.

Fuck.

“Do you feel like taking a walk outside?” he asked. “I could do with some more fresh air, and I’m thinking after being cooped up in the hotel for so long, you might like to walk around the mall, instead of plowing through the easy way. Am I right?”

The look of relief on her face said it all. “You’re right. I really do need fresh air. Especially some crisp fall air, instead of the hot and humid air of Bangladesh. That sounds wonderful.”

“I can only imagine.” Brax muttered. He turned around and gave her hand a tug as he guided them to the exit. Being a big guy, most people gave them plenty of space, so by the time they got to the outside, Jenny was no longer grinding his knuckles together.

“Have you been here often?” Jenny asked, as they started their trek.

“God no. Malls are not my jam. I asked my sister where to go. She said this would have a variety that would be good. She’d know.”

“It’s been so long since I’d been home that I just couldn’t think of anything. It’s like my mind is mush.”

“Cut yourself some slack. You’ve been through a trauma. You’re probably going to have nightmares and flashbacks and lots of other issues as you process things. Remembering different malls isn’t high on your brain’s list of priorities. How’s it going with your psychologist?”

“Huh?”

“The psychologist that Meyer set you up with after your debrief.”

“Oh yeah. I blew that off.”

They were still holding hands so Brax was frustrated he couldn’t get a good look of her face. “What do you mean, you blew it off?”

“I went into counseling a couple of times when I was in college. It didn’t do any good. Obviously, I’m not meant for that kind of thing.”

Brax saw an empty bench coming up, and he pulled her toward it. Before they sat down, he took off his leather jacket and put it around her shoulders. He liked the way she snuggled into his coat.

“Why are we stopping?”

“I need a moment to catch my breath,” Brax lied.

“Yeah, I so believe that. You were the one who carried me through the forest, without breaking a sweat.”

“Actually, that was Nolan. He knew that I have trouble even lifting my backpack,” Brax teased.

She shifted sideways even further, then took her time looking him up and down. She spent a long time looking at his chest and shoulders. “Yep. You definitely look like a ten-pound-weakling. It’s amazing you made it through Buddy training.”

“BUD/S.”

“Whatever.”

He loved seeing the twinkle in her eye as he realized she’d been teasing. Brax shook his head and laughed.

“I’m thinking we stopped so you could lecture me, am I right?” Jenny queried.

Brax leaned back on the bench, his arms stretching along the back. He crossed one ankle to his knee. “I have a policy never to lecture beautiful women.”