“Dude, come in. The guys are in the den.”
Jed followed the sound of masculine laughter to the family room at the back of the Valesco family home. He recognized the names of most of Dan’s friends, though he struggled to place their faces. He’d found that happened all the time since he left the Army. Before, he could spot a faintly familiar face a mile away; now he didn’t care enough to notice.
He took a seat on the arm of the couch, eyeing the video game on the flat-screen TV. The fantasy kickboxing characters were almost 3D, so lifelike they seemed to jump out of the screen. Video games had changed since he’d last had the urge to play them.
“It’s like another world, eh?”
Jed glanced to his right. Somehow he’d missed Hector Valesco sinking into the seat beside him. “Sure seems that way.”
“Abuelothinks so too. Sometimes the boys can’t play their games when he’s here. The noise is too much for him.”
Jed had heard that before—how soldiers returning from war couldn’t handle the computerized,Call of Dutygunfire. For a long time, he didn’t get it… didn’t understand how something so ridiculous could wield so much power over a battle-hardened soldier. Hector’s father had fought for Ecuador in theGuerra del 41.How could he be fooled by a simple video game? It didn’t make any sense to Jed until the sight of a lone man talking on a cell phone had scared the crap out of him, and then he understood it all too well.
Dan changed the game. Artificial mortar fire rocked the room. Jed felt the couch vibrate beneath him. Yep. He understood it all right. He just didn’t know how to fix it.
“Jed?”
“Hmm?”
Hector smiled. “Anna’s in the kitchen, son. Go and say hi. I know she’d love to see you.”
Jed admitted defeat and left the room. Hector had always been intuitive. For years, Jed and Nick had been wary of him, their knowledge of father figures based on their own, but over time, Hector’s kind eyes and gentle patience had won them over.
Anna was less subtle in her affections. “Jed! Come in, sweetie. Sit down, you look tired.”
Jed let her hustle him into a kitchen stool. He’d learned a long time ago that it was pointless to resist. He leaned forward and put his head on his arms. Suddenly, he really did feel too tired to hold himself up.
Anna bustled around him for a while, and Jed let her chatter soothe him into a light doze until the noise of ceramic on granite roused him. Anna placed a mug of something herbal in front of him. “It’s lemon balm. Carla said you like herbal tea.”
Jed sat up and drew the mug closer to him. He didn’t feel like testing his aching stomach, but the smell was nice. “Thanks.”
Anna took a seat beside him, sipping delicately at her own mug. “Carla said Max is staying with her. I think she likes the company, but Max… he’s not…. How do say it in English? He’s not a city boy, no? He likes his mud and his chickens.”
Jed had to smile at the endearingly accurate depiction of Max. It was simplistic, but so true. At least, true of the Max he knew.ThatMax enjoyed the city but craved the peaceful sanctuary of the quiet cabin by the lake. In that respect, they were the same.
“It’s not like Max to leave his home, Jed. Did something happen between you?”
The reminder that he’d driven Max out of his home stabbed Jed in the gut, but he ignored the pain and considered his answer. He wouldn’t bother with most people, but Anna was different. She had a way of getting under his skin. “We argued about something. Something he hadn’t told me.”
“Ah, I see. So Max has a secret? It can’t be a bad one. A boy like that has a good soul. You know this is true.”
“I know.”
“So, why punish him for something he cannot tell you? You have always carried secrets, Jed. I saw them in you when you were a boy, and I see them in you now. You fight so hard to protect others, and perhaps Max is the same. You are in love with him, no?”
Anna’s words cut deep, too close to the truth. Jed let out a shaky breath. Could he tell her? Could he really explain the clusterfuck his undeniable love for Max had become?
The oven timer beeped, breaking the spell. Anna squeezed his arm and rose to retrieve a dish from the oven. She set it on the counter, and the smell of the bubbling food hit Jed like a truck. His stomach rolled.
He stood and backed away. Reading his intentions, Anna moved to intercept him. “Don’t go, sweetie. Stay and have something to eat. You’ll feel better then.”
If only she knew. Jed sidestepped her, holding his hands up. “I’m sorry. I have to go. Tell Dan I said good-bye.”
He made it home in time to puke and collapse on the couch with a tentative plan to drive to Portland in the morning. Whatever…whoeverMax was, he deserved the sanctuary of his own home.
Sleep found Jed and he woke early the next morning to Kim standing over him, the incriminating passport in one hand and the black-and-white photos in the other.
“Interesting reading material to keep on your kitchen table, Jed. Get up. We need to talk.”