Kate Hoffmann - Seducing the Marine

He remembered how hot and desperate it used to be between him and Olivia. He’d been a boy pretending to be man. He’d learned a few things since then. Maybe she had, too. If they did make love again, it would be different than before. They were different.

Will drew a deep breath and let his imagination take over, dissolving into a lazy fantasy of undressing her. His fingers twitched, old instincts still alive and well. Funny how sometimes he struggled to remember words or simple tasks, yet seduction seemed to come back so easily.

But then, this was his fantasy. Reality would have to wait for later.

* * *

DRIFTS OF PLOWED snow lined the streets of Calumet, some of the piles nearly obscuring the houses behind them. The weather had cleared and an arctic front had dipped down from the north, making the air frigid.

Olivia reached out to crank up the heat in the Lexus. When she looked up, she noticed a lone figure walking down the side of the street, and she slowed as she drove around him. It was only at the last second that she realized it was Will.

She hadn’t seen him since last week, and though she’d tried calling a few times just to check in, they’d never been able to connect. Olivia had decided to stop calling when it occurred to her that he might be ignoring her on purpose.

She pulled the car over in front of him and honked her horn. Will jogged up and opened the passenger-side door. “Get in! It’s freezing out there.”

Will did as she commanded, and when he was settled in the passenger seat, he brushed his hood back and pulled off his gloves. “It’s not that bad,” he said.

“What are you doing out there?”

“Just taking a walk,” he said.

“In subzero weather?”

“Like I said, I didn’t really notice the weather.”

“Did you walk from your sister’s place?” Olivia asked.

Will glanced over at her. “No. From the lake cabin,” he said.

“Six miles? Why didn’t you call me? I could have come to pick you up.”

He smiled crookedly, and Olivia felt a measure of satisfaction. She felt good when she could get him to lighten up a bit. He seemed so somber...so sad. “There,” she teased. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“Walking into town?”

“No, smiling.”

He turned away, fixing his gaze outside the passenger window. “Sorry,” he murmured. “I’ll try to be more obliging.”

“No,” Olivia said. “I don’t want you to pretend.”

“Where were you going?” Will asked. “I thought you’d be at work.”

“I’m driving up to Copper Harbor. I’ve got a project that I need to check on. Do you want to come with or would you rather continue your stroll?”

He considered her offer for a few seconds, then shrugged. “I’ll tag along.”

She pulled out into the street and headed north out of town for the half-hour drive to the end of the peninsula. “Funny how we keep running into each other,” she said.

“Yeah,” Will replied.

“Kind of a bitter day for a walk,” she commented.

“Sometimes I just have to get out,” he said. They drove along in an uneasy silence for the next few minutes as Olivia racked her brain for a topic of conversation. They’d enjoyed themselves a few nights ago at the coffee shop, rekindling their friendship. But now suddenly all that progress had been lost and they were more like strangers again.

Will seemed completely comfortable with the silence, lost in his contemplative mood, but Olivia suspected that idle chitchat was exactly what he needed. He’d been cooped up in the cabin for far too long. “It’s good that you’re getting more exercise. It will clear out all the cobwebs.”

“You want to talk? Let’s talk about you. Tell me about this project of yours,” Will said.

Olivia sat up straighter. “It’s very exciting. It’s an idea I had when I was in medical school and part of the reason I wanted to come back here to work. I got some grant money to start some community wellness centers. They’d be staffed by nurse practitioners. All services would be completely free and it would be a central location with information about nutrition and health insurance and smoking cessation and—and— Well, the clinics will make huge difference. We’ll help people locate the resources they need to lead much healthier lives. And it will all be free. I’ve been able to raise enough money to open ten locations throughout the Upper Peninsula.”

“You seem very passionate about it.”

“It’s going to be very important. Because there’s a small population here, we can study the results and how well these wellness centers work, then we can expand to other rural areas. It means I have to commit to staying in the area for a while, but that’s no hardship. I want to stay here and improve the lives of people in this area.”

Will nodded. “I think it’s a brilliant idea, Liv.”

“We’re hoping to put our offices in the schools because they’d have the most visibility, and if we don’t find rental property, we’re going to look at trailers.”

“If anyone can make it work, Liv, you can.”

She glanced over at him. “Really?”

“You’ve always been the person who makes things happen. That’s what I admire about you.”

“It’s good to know you’re on my side. My boss at the clinic isn’t thrilled with the idea.”

“Why not?”

“He believes these people should visit their family practitioners for this information. That we can’t keep an eye on their health without a doctor watching over them. I argue that this is a way for people to get good information so they know when to go to the doctor. And if money is taken out of the equation, they’ll come.”

They spent the hour-long drive discussing the details of Olivia’s plan and at times, the mood in the car turned almost lighthearted. But when she tried to steer the conversation toward him and his health, his mood darkened immediately.

It pained her to see Will so uneasy with himself. He’d always been a quietly confident guy, but now, faced with the prospect of socializing, he acted like a cornered animal, ready to bolt at the earliest opportunity. She wasn’t sure she understood. “Why is talking so difficult for you?”

“I don’t know,” Will said.

“Yes, you do. What are you afraid of, Will? You’re safe here. You don’t have to look out for bombs or enemy soldiers.”

“There are bombs everywhere,” he murmured. “Just not the kind you’re thinking of.” He drew a deep breath. “After living in that world, I’m not sure I’m fit to live with normal people.”

“It’s going to take some time,” she said. “You’ve been conditioned to be watchful and suspicious of people. Those feelings don’t go away overnight. We can talk about this.”

“No,” he muttered. “No, we can’t.”

“I’m a doctor. Whatever you say to me is just between you and me.”

“Wouldn’t it be that way if you weren’t a doctor?”

“Yes, of course. I’m just telling you that you can trust me not to reveal anything that you mention to me.”

“Let’s just leave the war where it belongs,” Will said.

They drove the rest of the way in silence. When they reached Copper Harbor, Olivia followed the directions the real estate agent had given her and found the small log building near the waterfront. The place had once been a souvenir shop but was now abandoned and run-down.

“This is it?” Will asked.

“Yeah. The agent unlocked it, so we can go in and look,” she said.

They walked to the front porch, trudging through foot-deep snow. Will reached out and took her hand as they climbed the steps, then opened the front door. The agent had turned on the heat and it was surprisingly comfortable inside.