Winter Reunion by Roxanne Rustand

such esteem.
    Now he gave Carl a level look. “I didn’t hear about it until this afternoon. If you’d told me sooner, I would have come over.”
    â€œYes. Well. Of course,” Carl blustered. “I…we just didn’t know. We…didn’t figure you were happy about your mom’s will and all, and you haven’t been here much.”
    Had he seemed as surly as Carl?
    Unapproachable?
    At this rate the residents would have plenty to complain about if Nora or that other lawyer stopped by, and they would have good cause.
    â€œI just figured someone would call if they needed anything.” Dev cleared his throat. “I’ll start coming to the house every day from now on, just to check in. Maybe we should also have a clipboard inside theback door so you can all leave me notes. Would that work?”
    Carl nodded slowly.
    â€œBut I’ve got to admit something you probably already know,” Dev added. “Give me a weapon and a mission, and I’m good to go, but there’s a lot of home maintenance that I’ve never done before. So if you have any advice, I’ll be glad to hear it. Mostly. Even if my pride gets in the way.”
    â€œDeal.” The old man’s voice cracked, revealing just how much it meant to him to be useful, and a moment later his mouth softened into what might pass for a rusty smile.
    â€œI’ll jog back to the motel to get my car. Then let’s take a look at that screen before we go after your shoes, okay? Maybe we can drop it off at a hardware store to be fixed.”
    Â 
    At the motel, Dev changed into khakis and a navy polo shirt, clipped his phone to his belt and climbed into the Jeep. The motor roared to life when he turned the key.
    His phone rang.
    He palmed it, read the ID screen and felt his heart take an extra hitch. “Beth.”
    â€œI…um…”
    The residents were wary of calling him, and he’d been too self-absorbed to even notice. Now he could even hear a hint of wariness in Beth’s voice, and he felt a stab of regret.
    â€œWhat’s up?”
    â€œWell…I heard that you got some news today.”
    He tightened his grip on the phone. Reva or Carl must have called her the moment one of them was out of sight. He felt an instant surge of rebellion at their interference.
    That news revealed weakness. Failure. And it was nobody’s business but his own.
    â€œDev?”
    â€œIt’s nothing.”
    â€œThen you shouldn’t sound so angry.”
    He took a deep breath. “I’m only angry at myself. Not you.”
    She was silent for a long moment, obviously waiting for him to elaborate. “I hear you didn’t get medical clearance for going active again.”
    He stared at the faded paint and torn screen on the motel unit in front of the Jeep. Just being here made him feel depressed. Maybe that was it—it was just the motel. He’d be able to handle everything else once he moved out of here.
    â€œThis is like pulling teeth, you know.” She cleared her throat. “Look, I want you to know that I’m sorry. You’ve been hit with a lot of trouble recently, and it just isn’t fair.”
    â€œFair isn’t a word I’ve been using much lately.”
    â€œSo…give me details.”
    â€œMy shoulder. Hearing loss.”
    â€œIs this forever? Are you out of the service for good? ”
    He gripped the phone tighter. “Only as far as combat is concerned. I can continue in some other area.”
    â€œ If you choose to re-enlist,” she said softly. “But you’d hate being in some office job.”
    â€œWhat else am I going to do?” The words came out more harshly than he’d intended. “The Marines have been my life since I was nineteen. And even here—how am I supposed to be able to help those people at Sloane House when my own life is a mess?”
    She fell silent for a minute. “I was sorry