helluva lot of trouble.â
âHeâs right,â Noah added. âYou canât walk away from the air force to follow up on an old friend. Iâll go.â
âAnd leave your wife and child?â Ryan shot back.
Caroline walked around the edge of the stainless steel table and headed for the bickering group. âIâll go,â she announced, standing behind Lily.
Four heads turned toward her.
âWhat?â Ryanâs movie star brow furrowed. âYou donât even know her. Just because you overheard her talking to her husbandâÂâ
âI do know her.â Caroline kept her tone strong and even.
âWhat the hell? Are you from Palo Alto?â Ryan cocked his head.
She shook her head. âI know how she feels. Alone. Afraid. Iâve been there. Most days, I still am. I can help her.â
Maybe.
But she suspected she had a better shot than Ryan. He might love her like a sister, but he still loved her. And bonus, Caroline had already tossed away her military career.
âNo,â Noah snapped. âYou canât go, Caroline.â
âLooks like I missed the party.â Joshâs happy-Âgo-Âlucky voice sliced through the tension as he pushed open the door leading to the staff parking area. âChange your mind about letting her take a dinner break, boss?â
âYour girlfriend just volunteered to visit California,â Lily said.
Josh turned to her and raised an eyebrow. âWeâre going on a road trip?â
âNo.â She looked straight into his beautiful green eyes. âJust me.â
âForgetting that you donât have a car or a license?â Josh said. âI happen to have both. And a pile of vacation days ready and waiting to take my girl on a trip.â
âIâll manage on my own. I donât need to drag you into this.â
Or the little side mission sheâd been plotting since Ryan first announced his intentions to follow Helena to California.
It had been over a year since sheâd run away fearing Dustin was hot on her trail, ready to turn her inâÂor worse. And listening to Helena, sheâd realized that running came with its own issues.
She needed to see for herself that her former CO no longer posed a threat. On her way down to Palo Alto, she planned to swing by Dustinâs hometown. But no one needed to know that part of her plan.
âSo youâre dumping me?â Josh asked. âBefore the third date?â
âJoshâÂâ
âI donât pretend, Caroline.â He pushed through the group and headed for her. Lily stepped aside to make room for him.
She could have backed away. Ran. But no, she was done rushing off at the first hint of fear. And Josh didnât frighten her. Although if she stepped back and thought about his public insistence that they were honest to God dating she might say . . .
Yes, join me.
He stopped within armâs reach and raised his hand. His finger brushed her right cheek. âAnd I have a rule about letting my girlfriend walk or, hell, hitchhike across state lines.â
âYou and your damn rules,â she muttered.
He smiled and lowered his hand. âIâll take that as a yes. When do we leave?â
âTomorrow. First thing.â
He nodded. âIâll pick you up at seven. And Iâll bring the coffee and doughnuts. Seeing as this will be our third official date and all.â
âBefore you go,â Ryan jumped in. âWe need to talk.â
âIâm listening,â she said, keeping her gaze fixed on Josh while Ryan demanded to know her plan.
Josh had changed into a long-Âsleeve, button-Âdown shirt for their one-Âhour dinner date. Heâd dressed up for her. He liked her. But if they had any hope of moving beyond âlike,â she needed to face her past. She would knock down her fears one by one on this trip. And then maybe they would have a
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