“I’ll bet that takes a toll on someone like you.”
She sighed. “It does.”
Giving in to the urge to touch him, she patted Kieran’s thick forearm. “Maybe I should become a park ranger.”
“Comin’ for my job, are you? I’ll warn you, it involves carrying heavy dogs up the stairs.”
Oh, Liv would like this guy. He had her best friend’s knack for seeing through defenses and pretenses, right to the beating heart of the matter—not that she was pretending with Kieran. Why should she? After this week, she’d never see him again, and that made him a safe confidante for all her messy issues. For some strange reason, he seemed content to listen. In fact, he seemed downright fascinated. Maybe that was just a front designed to get her in bed.
And maybe she was perfectly fine with that.
Chapter Four
Kieranleanedontohiselbows and placed his big, work-roughened hand on hers. “So, a pretty surgeon and her faithful dog come to my lighthouse in search of…” His crooked smile was the most disarming, seductive thing Addy had seen—and felt—in a very long time.
She turned her hand palm to palm with his. “I find myself at a crossroads, and there’s a lot I need to figure out pretty quickly.”
“Personal stuff, or job stuff?”
“Both.”
When she hesitated, chewing her lip, he added, “I’ve found that saying the painful stuff out loud can help.”
“Pretty wise, aren’t you?” But was he patient enough to wade through the quagmire that was her life right now? And did she have the fortitude to lay it all out for him?
“Any wisdom I may have, I came by it the hard way.” He leaned onto his elbows and rested his chin on his knuckles. “Here’s your chance to unburden yourself to a sympathetic stranger with absolutely no skin in the game.”
Why did he have to mention skin? Now she was picturing his. Was it freckled all over, or pale and creamy where the sun didn’t touch him?
Stalling, she mopped up the last of her soup with a hunk of bread and popped it into her mouth.
Kieran’s gaze never faltered.
“Well,” she began, “I have three choices: Extend my military service. I have eleven years in, and I’ll be eligible for full retirement after twenty.”
“You enjoy serving your country?”
“I do.” At least she could say that with complete honesty. “In the Army, I’ve found something I couldn’t find back home.”
“In Bumfuck, Nebraska?”
She spluttered a laugh. “You have an excellent memory.”
“When the subject interests me.” He quirked an eyebrow. “So, what couldn’t you find at home?”
Though she hated to admit it, Kieran was right. Talking it out with a stranger really did help because his opinion of her ultimately didn’t matter, even if she liked him.
For once, she had zero excuses to be less than completely honest.
“In the Army, I found a sense of belonging. Acknowledgement of my strengths. Feeling like my contribution matters.”
“Everyone needs that.”
“And do you get a sense of belonging here?”
His smile widened. “I do indeed. Trappers Cove people are kind. They look out for each other. Sure, there’s some small-town gossip, sometimes a little too much interference in each other’s business, but it comes from a place of caring.” He rubbed his thumb over his bottom lip, his gaze far away. “Never got that from my family of origin.”
“Family of origin? Sounds like therapy-speak.”
