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His cheeks got hot as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Wasn’t sure exactly what kind of soup you liked. Or salad. So I got three different kinds of each. And I even got a couple slices of their six-layer chocolate cake for dessert if you want.”
Eden chuckled as she put her napkin on her lap. “Oh, I want. Never turn down chocolate cake.”
Chandler’s tense shoulders relaxed as he grinned. “Agreed. Remember the time I came over to your house and walked in on that cake eating contest? I never saw such a small girl shove so much food in her mouth at one time.”
“Ha!” Eden laughed. “I won, though, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did.”
They each filled their plates and chatted about his talks with the cops at her house, enjoying the food and the conversation. But eventually, Chandler noticed she’d stopped eating and was just pushing lettuce around on her plate.
“Everything okay?” he asked. “You ready for cake?”
She winced slightly as she shook her head. “I think I’m full, actually.”
“Right,” Chandler said, feeling oddly disappointed. He realized that her stomach must still be tender from the abuse it had taken earlier. A rich chocolate dessert probably wouldn’t sit well. He wiped his mouth and stood to gather their plates. “Sure. Listen, I know you’re beat. Why don’t you go to bed? I’ll clean this up and see you in the morning.”
She nodded her agreement…but didn’t actually get up. He looked back at her, concerned. “Do you need help getting there?”
“What? No!” Eden said. “Sorry. I’m just…” She sighed and covered her face with her hands. “If I tell you the truth, you have to promise me you won’t laugh.”
“I swear,” he said, deathly serious.
“I’m scared.”
“Scared?” Chandler blinked at her a second, stunned. “Of me?”
“No.” She shook her head, meeting his gaze. “I’m scared of whoever is after me. I don’t think I can sleep after what happened tonight.” She sat back and took a deep breath. “I guess it’s just now hitting me how close I came to dying. And if you hadn’t been there, I…”
Chandler nodded. He’d had conversations like this before with guys, usually on the battlefield or right after. The mortality buzz, he called it. “But I was there. And you’re okay now, Eden. It’s my job to make sure you stay okay. You are safe, and that’s all that matters.”
“Hmm.” Her brows drew together as she fiddled with the buttons on her pink pajama top. “You’re right. Thanks. You’re good at the whole pep talk thing.”
He snorted. “I’ve had lots of experience.”
While he packed away leftovers and tidied up the kitchen, she wandered into the great room and flopped down on the sofa, clicking through TV channels. Apparently, there wasn’t much on.
“Try the streaming channels. We can watch a movie or something,” he called to her. “You want some hot chocolate, since we’ll be up for a while yet?”
“Sure,” she called back. “You want scary or suspenseful on the movie?”
“Either is fine with me.” He made their cocoa and carried the cups into the great room, handing her one before taking a seat on the opposite end of the sofa from her.
She peered down into her cup and smiled over at him. “You remembered the marshmallows.”
“Of course I did.” He grinned. “Think I’d forget the talking to you gave Adam that time when he forgot them?”
Eden laughed and the lilting sound drifted around him like sunshine. Warmth started low in Chandler’s gut fizzing upward until he put a quick kibosh on it. He couldn’t go there. No matter how comfortable it might feel sitting there with her now. She needed him to protect her, and he couldn’t do that if he was mooning over her like a lovestruck teenager.
They started the movie, some action-spy flick with more guns and ammo and explosions than real plot, but it was a nice distraction and they chatted and laughed and generally avoided any more discussion of the events of the day or the case.
At one point, during a lull in the onscreen action, Eden looked over at him from beneath the blanket he’d gotten for her. “I’m sorry you missed dinner with your parents tonight. I really do think it’s cool you’re so close to them.”
He shrugged. “It’s fine, really. I’ll be over there next week anyway. We’ve made it a weekly thing to catch up since I retired from the SEALs after my dad’s heart attack.”
She nodded, staring at the screen again. “I remember when that happened. I’m glad your dad’s doing better now.”
“Me too.”
