A Change of Heart by Barbara Longley Page A

“I’ll pay you back for whatever you spend, and once I get my next paycheck, I want to take you out to dinner somewhere nice.”
    “You don’t need to pay me back, honey. I gotta eat anyway, which also means I gotta cook. Besides, I’d love to have you homefor supper, and I’m always happy to meet your friends. Is she someone from work?”
    “He. It’s a
he
, Mom.” She braced herself, knowing her mom would jump to the wrong conclusion.
    “Well, that’s even better.” Claire’s tone rose to an enthusiastic pitch. “I’m off this comin’ Wednesday.”
    “Ted is my boss. We’re just friends.” Even if she longed for more, it wasn’t meant to be. “I owe him. He gave me an advance on my salary so I could stock up on groceries, and…um.” Did she really want to tell her about the pepper spray, the stun gun, or the bet? No. Especially not the bet part. Her mom had done the best she could, and Cory didn’t want to hurt her feelings. “He’s been really welcoming and helpful. I want you to meet the man who started Langford & Lovejoy Heritage Furniture, and I want him to meet you.” With another start, she realized this was the truth. “I’ll bring dessert.”
    Her mother was the sweetest, most generous and hardworking soul in the world, and she’d raised her only daughter right. Claire Marcel hadn’t had access to higher education, and it wasn’t her fault she’d lost her husband in a war overseas. She’d been left a single parent struggling to make ends meet, moving to Indiana to be close to Cory’s paternal grandparents. Her mom had hoped her in-laws could help her out, but they hadn’t been much better off. Babysitting had been the only support they could offer, and they did so willingly, glad to spend time with their only grandchild, especially since they’d lost their only son.
    “All right. I know just what I’m gonna make. I’m lookin’ forward to seeing you and this new friend of yours.” Her voice wavered. “It does my heart good to know you’re nearby and doin’ so good.”
    “Don’t worry about me, Mom.” The backs of her eyes stung.“Things are going great, and I’m feeling better every day. If Ted is free that evening, we’ll be by around six. I’ll call tomorrow and let you know.” They said their good-byes and hung up, and Cory busied herself with cleaning and preparing for the week ahead, keeping occupied until bedtime.
    She settled on the recliner and opened her laptop to check her e-mail, looking for any word from the Yale law clinic. Her nightly ritual—she ended each day hoping for news that would…what? Free her? Not likely, but checking every day had become her obsession, and every day she hoped for good news, news with the power of vindication.
    She shut her laptop and leaned back, closing her eyes. Nothing today.
Unfit to serve.
The bitter disappointment darkened her otherwise bright, shiny day, one of the best she’d had for a long, long time. Steering her mind in another direction, she pictured the piglets she’d tried to hold. Their wiggly bodies darting zigzags through the barn brought a smile to her face. Ted’s smug expression, his gray eyes alight with amusement flashed through her mind. Her breath caught. Such a great guy, if only she weren’t damaged goods.
    Her thoughts started to drift, and she rubbed her tired eyes. She should get up, get ready for bed. Instead, she remained where she was, her mind taking her back, going over everything for the thousandth time. Lord, she wished she could’ve changed the outcome…done something differently…The memory took hold, and she was back in Afghanistan, back in base camp with its never-ending grit blowing into everything…
    “Go out with me, Marcel. I’ll treat you right.” Staff Sergeant Barnett crowded her space, backing her into a corner of his cramped office, running his hands up and down her arms while his eyes raked over her with lascivious intensity.
    Shivers of revulsion followed the