Cosette took a deep breath, and her smile grew. “You’re wearing it.”
“The cologne you gave me?” At her nod, he said, “Of course I’m wearing it. I want to smell … irresistible to you.”
Cosette set the dishes in the sink, wiped her hands dry, and admitted, “You are irresistible to me in every which way.”
Isaac grinned.
“I really appreciate you wearing the cologne,” she said. “Vance wouldn’t wear my cologne, said it was ‘box store’ cologne.” She tossed her hair, angry at the memory for surfacing when she might have been having a moment with Isaac. She was inexperienced, but she wasn’t stupid. Well, maybe she was stupid. She’d just brought up Vance.
Isaac’s grin fled. “Cozy,” he murmured. “We need to talk about some … stuff.”
Cosette didn’t like the sound of that, but when he took her hand and led her to the couch, she sat down close beside him. The perfect smell of the cologne she’d created mingled with his body chemistry, flooding her with good feelings that repelled Vance’s belittlement. “What do we need to talk about?” she asked.
“Vance.”
She blew out a breath. Maybe she couldn’t push Vance away just yet. “Why would we want to talk about him?”
His blue eyes were somber as they met hers. “I love seeing your happy personality restored. At the risk of getting hit, you are … adorable.”
She smacked his arm, mostly because he’d said she’d hit him, but she knew what he meant. “I want to be my happy, carefree self again too. Aside from getting frustrated with you yesterday, I’ve felt more like myself with you here than I have in a while.”
He nodded. “I’m glad. I’ve watched some friends and teammates go through horrible stuff. I’m no psychotherapist, but sometimes I was all they had, as I’m their captain and one of the few who believes in God. Most of the time I would pray with them and then just let them talk. Some still needed medication and therapy when we got back to base, but for some it was enough.”
“You’re so impressive,” she said. “I love that you could help them, and that you’re strong enough to be a man of faith and not be embarrassed about it or hide it.”
“Thank you.” He paused and studied her. “Do you want to pray and talk about what happened with Vance?”
Cosette’s eyes widened. She’d been too slow to figure out what Isaac was trying to do. She couldn’t tell him about how Vance had romanced her up until a few weeks ago, when he’d brought her to Vegas and started a campaign of belittlement. She and Isaac had just started to connect, to hopefully become a couple like she’d always dreamed of. Telling him all the things Vance had found wrong with her would paint her in a horrible light and probably make Isaac question why he’d want to be with her. Vance was a low-life jerk, but there was a grain of truth in all he’d seen wrong with her. She was flighty, unpredictable, awful in social situations, inexperienced at kissing … On and on the list went. “Um … no.”
“No?” Isaac looked stunned; this was obviously not the answer he’d been hoping for.
“I’m fine, but thank you so much for offering. I’ll remember this if I ever need to talk things out.” Cosette stood and swept the wrinkles out of her dress with her palms. “So how are we going to tour the island if we have no car?”
Isaac stood too. His blue eyes filled with concern, and his mouth pursed. “You’re sure you don’t want to talk?”
“Very sure. Thank you so much. Are we walking, then? Running shoes might look a little funny with this dress, but that’s all right.” She gave him what she hoped was a blinding smile, certain that her responses weren’t right, but she didn’t care. She was not talking to him about Vance.
Isaac swallowed, passed a hand over his jaw, and then said, “I found a golf cart in the shed.” He tilted his head outside. “Should be a fun way to explore.”
She clapped her hands together. “That’s perfect. Can I drive?”
He finally cracked a smile. “Why do I have the feeling I’m taking my life into my hands?”
“’Cause you’re a wuss.” She laughed at calling this ultra-tough special ops hero a wuss. “I’m an amazing driver. Especially in a golf cart. My parents loved to golf, but I stank at it. Too much patience for no reward. So they’d let me drive the cart around.” She wrinkled her nose at him. She hoped he’d think she was being her happy, “adorable” self and wouldn’t pursue the line of questioning about Vance again. “Let’s go!”
She hurried for her bedroom and grabbed some lip gloss, a hat, and her sandals. Her hands were shaking slightly. She clasped her hat between them and bowed her head.Please help Isaac to fall for me and not ask questions about Vance, she begged. Then she squared her shoulders and hurried out to spend the day with Isaac. Nothing could have made her happier. If only there wasn’t the black cloud of Vance hanging over their heads.