Casualty of Love Read online

  Casualty of Love

  by

  Faye Morgan

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  © December, 2020. Faye Morgan

  CASUALTY OF LOVE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places, businesses, and incidents are from the author’s imagination, or they are used fictitiously and are definitely fictionalized. Any trademarks or pictures herein are not authorized by the trademark owners and do not in any way mean the work is sponsored by or associated with the trademark owners. Any trademarks or pictures used are specifically in a descriptive capacity.

  No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form (electronic or print) without permission from the author. Please do not participate in piracy or violating the author’s rights.

  © December, 2020. Faye Morgan

  CASUALTY OF LOVE

  Six years ago, Jenna lost her husband—on Christmas Eve

  Still reeling from the tragic loss, Jenna Dixon struggles to make a good life for herself and her young son. With the holidays upon her, Jenna must try to hold it all together for herself and her child despite painful memories and regrets plaguing her. This year, though, she plans to turn their lives around; she applies for a loan. The new bakery business she’s planned will support her and her willful son, Jayden.

  But she’s denied the loan and it seems like everything starts falling apart again.

  Lance Donovan returned home from a tour of duty in Afghanistan to discover stunning news. His marriage is falling apart, but he agrees to let his—soon to be—ex-wife stay... for now. Barely able to get his breath and struggling with the still-fresh grief of losing his best friend, he decides it’s time to reconnect with his late friend’s wife.

  The two rekindle their friendship—but something’s changed between them.

  She seeks refuge in his arms, he finds peace in hers. Will her son accept him? Can he learn to trust again? Will this be the holiday they heal and discover a new beginning?

  CHAPTER ONE

  Whoever said Christmas was a season for merriment, hope and joy, probably needed to spend a day—heck, maybe a week—in her shoes.

  While she prepared the icing for the cupcakes that were cooling on the rack, Jenna glanced out of the window. Snow fell in big, heavy flakes. The yard looked glorious, blanketed in all white. But she didn’t have time to enjoy it all. She was on a tight schedule. In an hour, she needed to leave for her meeting at the bank.

  “Mom, I found the mittens,” Jayden, her son, announced as he marched into the kitchen. “They were under my bed.”

  Jenna turned towards the only light in her life. Her twelve-year old son—the reason she lived and breathed.

  A tall boy with cropped hair, his cheeks retained the baby fat that would soon disappear. He would be a teen next year and those round cheeks would fade away.

  For now though, he was her little boy, her rock—she loved to take care of him. A smile curved over her lips at his rueful expression. “Honey, if you’d cleaned the room yesterday like I asked you, you would have found them.”

  His grin looked sheepish, but also a little naughty. “Yes, mom.”

  “Now, you need to pop the second tray of cupcakes into the oven.” She filled the icing in the tube, ready to prepare the first batch. “And then whisk the batter for the third batch.”

  “Awww, mom!” He groaned. “I wanted to watch a show on Discovery.”

  “If you hadn’t earned a punishment, you could’ve been doing that right now.” Expertly, she applied the emerald-green icing on the cupcakes. She picked up the sprinkles, dropping them on top. Perfect. Her baking skills were legendary. That’s why, despite holding two jobs, Jenna took orders on the side for parties and other events. Of course, her ultimate goal was something else. She wanted to open her own bakery and she’d already set things in motion. If everything went as she expected at the meeting with the bank, she would be able to quit her jobs and start her own business within a matter of weeks.

  When she glanced at her son, who seemed to be studiously whisking the batter, love welled in her heart. Her pride and joy, but sometimes—like most pre-teens, he messed up. After having been caught smoking pot in school with some older kids, he was grounded for two weeks and enlisted to help fulfill her pre-Christmas orders. It would be a good lesson, he could learn the value of hard work, figure out that it didn’t pay to defy his elders and hopefully, never do it again.

  Raising a child single-handedly wasn’t the easiest job, but she always felt up for the challenge. Today, she was filled with optimism and hope. If the meeting went well...it became her mantra. The meeting will go well...She kept repeating it in her head as she boxed the first batch of chocolate fudge cupcakes.

  Together, they worked at a brisk speed, mother and son.

  The doorbell chimed. Jenna took out the second batch and left it on the cooling rack. “Let me see who that is.” She pointed her finger at her son. “You keep whisking that batter, mister.”

  When she opened the door, her heart began to race. “Lance! Come in.” She stepped aside to allow him to enter. “Oh, my god! How are you?” She grabbed his arm. “It’s been too long.”

  The handsome, hunky Lance Donovan had been one of her husband’s oldest friends. They joined the army together after high school. Jenna was a year younger than they were, but she hung out with them often enough in school, especially after she and Seth started dating.

  The years were kind to Lance. His wide, angular face looked slightly thinner than she remembered, but the vibrancy in his aquamarine-blue eyes seemed to be the same. They were startlingly sharp and bright. He wore his sienna-colored hair, rich and dark with those reddish undertones she’d always admired, a bit longer than she remembered, but it added to his allure. Lance never lacked female company and when he got married, there were many women who were left with broken hearts.

  He almost looks good enough to eat. The thought popped through her head, unannounced and unwanted. In comparison, she probably looked old and dowdy.

  “Jenna, you look great.” He negated her thought almost as if he’d heard it.

  But of course, that wasn’t possible.

  “Thank you.” She laughed, still feeling a bit self-conscious. “When did you come back?” How long are you here for? The question no army wife or friend dared to ask, because the time was always too short. When Seth was in the army, she never asked him about the length of his holiday. It became a taboo question. He would offhandedly tell her at some point and she would be grateful for the couple of weeks she had with him.

  Lance’s lips lifted in a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I took an early retirement from the army,” he declared. “Got some—things to work on.”

  She told herself not to ask any questions. She couldn’t. Not with her history. “That’s great, Lance. Welcome back.” Where had he been posted? Iraq? Afghanistan? She didn’t know. She suddenly remembered her cupcakes. “Come on into the kitchen. I was just doing some baking.”

  While she led him into the kitchen, memories flooded in. Of him with Seth, of all of them together. Their picnic trips together, of a road trip they went to before Lance got married. He’d been very close to Seth and understood her pain. He missed Seth terribly after his death and spent a lot of time at their house, hanging out, helping her with chores, or just sitting there, letting her know he was around and available for assistance. She appreciated his concern, even relied on him on those early days to get her through, but then he went away—and she learnt to make do without any support.

  Now, since he was back, she wondered what their relationship would be like. It wasn’t a vacation for him. He’d be here for good. Then like all others, he would get busy with his job and family. She would hardly see him. The thought of how she would lose him to the everyday grind of life sent a shaft of pain straight through her heart. The feeling was unexpected and strange. She didn’t have any claim over him. He belonged to another woman.

  “Yeah,” he replied. “Something sure smells delicious!” At the door, he stopped and stared at the tall boy, who quickly gulped down the cupcake he’d inhaled in his mother’s absence. “Wow! Is that Jayden? Look how he’s grown.”

  Jenna forgave her son for eating the cupcake. She’d made some extras. “Isn’t he? He’s twelve years old.” She ruffled his hair and grinned. “Pretty soon, I’m going to have a teenager on my hands.”

  Jayden shot her a look that said, ‘Mom, why are telling this dude my business?’

  Lance shook his head. “He sure does look like—Seth, you know. The resemblance is uncanny.”

  Jenna dared not glance at her son. He didn’t like when people compared him to his father. She could understand his ire though. Seth died five years ago when Jayden was only seven. Then for most of his childhood, Seth had been posted abroad. He didn’t remember h
is father or anything much that he did with his old man. “Yeah, he is,” Jenna finally spoke, thinking she needed to change the subject to something safer. “So, how is Lisa?”

  There. That should do it.

  “I haven’t seen her yet.”

  Say what? She didn’t know how to react. “Not seen her yet?” Something’s off, way off.

  He laughed.

  Though, once again, she felt as if he was faking it. What the heck is going on?

  “I just came directly from the airport. I’m going home now. Just thought I would drop by to say hello...”

  A man who hadn’t seen his wife for more than a year, didn’t drop in somewhere else unless there were issues that needed to be sorted out at home. Is there trouble in his marriage? Jenna didn’t keep in touch with Lisa. Although, Seth and Lance were close friends, somehow she and Lisa never hit it off. They met socially with the men, but they were just too different. Lisa was younger and a little pampered, too. As an only child of rich parents, she boasted an air of entitlement that Jenna could only dream of.

  The proverbial privileged child of over-indulgent parents.

  In many ways, she was Jenna’s opposite. One of four children and started part-time work at fifteen. In college, she worked throughout to support herself. There’d never been a time in her life when she didn’t have to earn money. Even when Seth was working, she worked as a sales assistant in a boutique and on weekends as a chef’s apprentice.

  Jenna poured the last batch of cupcakes into the molds and popped them into the oven. She plucked a plate from the cupboard and placed some cupcakes on it. “I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you. And now that you’re back, you can have a normal life.”

  One that I never had a chance to live.

  “Yeah, sure.” Lance’s gaze traveled to Jayden who still hadn’t said a word. “How are you doing?”

  “Fine, thank you.” Jayden’s glance toward his mother looked secretive, but a little hostile.

  Jenna understood his concerns. For some odd reason, he’d become fiercely protective of her and didn’t like any man who hovered near her. But Lance was Seth’s friend. There wasn’t anything Jayden needed to worry about.

  Or was there?

  Why did Lance come here instead of going home? Weird. She saw his gaze settle over her as she covered the cupcakes with foil. He was a nice guy. She liked him. But this was a strange situation. She didn’t want him to confide anything about his marriage to her. At least not yet. Hopefully...not ever. For one, he’s married and two, he was her husband’s oldest friend. Why did he show up here? Did he want to talk about Seth? Well, she didn’t. At least, not now. “Would you like some coffee? A cupcake?” she offered.

  “No, thanks. I just wanted to see you.” He appeared at a loss for words.

  She could see he’d also caught on to the incongruity of the situation.

  Still, he made no move to go. “Are you working?” he asked then shook his head. “Sorry. Silly question—I meant, where are you working?”

  “At a bakery downtown and on weekends, I go over to the hospital to work in the cafeteria. I took a day off today.” The look in his eyes was enough to convey his sympathy. She didn’t want it. Sure, she had to work harder than others did, but not so much more than many single mothers she knew who spent most of their time putting food on the table. “The money is good.”

  “And the cupcakes?”

  “Just a side order,” she said in a breezy voice. It was for a purpose, however. She wanted to save enough money to buy a Nintendo Wii U Deluxe Set for Jayden. He’d had his eye on it for a long time, but she simply didn’t have enough cash to buy it. Now she would. With this and a couple of other pre-Christmas orders, she would make it work. Her son wasn’t going to be deprived of things just because he didn’t have a father. She was quite willing and able to fill in both roles.

  “That’s great.” He stood. “I—well, I should go.”

  Jayden shifted slightly as if he longed to seize the man’s hand and drag him to the door. “Mom wants to open her own bakery,” he blurted out, the first thing he’d said since Lance stepped into the room. “Soon.”

  Lance lifted his eyebrow, perhaps sensing the resentment in the boy’s tone. “Yeah? That’s great.”

  Jenna felt a bit nervous at how he just blurted it out, but yeah, it was her secret dream. “I’m working on it.” She picked up the plate she’d prepared and held it out to Lance. “Here, take this with you. And give my love to Lisa. It’s been a long time.”

  “Yeah, it has. Now that I’m back, maybe we can hang out again?”

  Jenna saw the scowl on Jayden’s face. Not happening with her son around. He wouldn’t like it. “Sure,” she said easily. As if Lisa would let him spend time with a widow and her son in any case. She moved in different circles, but she could tell Lance needed to hear it. Was it because he still wasn’t over Seth’s death? She sure hoped that wasn’t the case. Jenna didn’t have the energy to devote to his grief. She had her own issues to sort out.

  When he reached forward to take the plate from her hand, his fingers brushed over hers. It was an innocent gesture, a subconscious one. But she felt a sizzle and burn. It seemed so unexpected, so bizarre, that she snatched her hand away even before he could hold the plate properly.

  It wobbled but he gripped it before it fell on the floor. His gaze immediately darted to hers.

  She could see that he was on to her. For an instant, she saw something in his eyes as if he wanted to snatch her hand back and draw her toward him, but then the look disappeared. Maybe she imagined it, or was projecting her feelings on to him. A burst of desire? Something she’d buried a long time ago. She hadn’t allowed herself to think about another man ever since Seth died. She didn’t have the time to indulge in a meaningless relationship. Jayden was the man in the house. For now, it was enough.

  Does Lance feel something, too?

  If she faced some facts, she would admit their chemistry was old. She’d felt it ever since they first met, but Seth was the one who won her heart. She loved him, but she was always aware that Lance liked her. He never made a move, never even hinted, but she knew it with a woman’s intuition. Now, the feeling seemed even more intensified.

  Then there’s the fact that he’s married. He just came back from army duty and probably had his own demons to fight. Well, she couldn’t help him with that. Not after what happened to Seth. Then, to top it off, she was the mother of a pre-teen son.

  Nothing could ever happen between them.

  “Thank you.”

  She could tell he wanted to say much more, but didn’t quite have the words. Good. She also didn’t want to raise those issues. “Goodbye, Lance.”

  He nodded, as if he understood her conflicts.

  She led him out to the door, Jayden trailing behind them. After he left, she went to finish the rest of the cupcakes. Even though he would come back, Lance could never be a part of her life. She had her own path to walk on, and he had his. They were two people who were bound by old and tragic memories...there wasn’t anything more to it. Yet, something coiled and shifted deep inside her. Desire? Need? Longing? She didn’t know, but this unknown feeling made her feel more positive about life than she’d felt before she set eyes on him.

  Lance Donovan was back—and surely, something was bound to change.

  CHAPTER TWO

  As Jenna completed the rest of her work, her gaze drifted to the clock on the wall, she was aware of her son scrutinizing her as carefully as he would watch a soccer match. Something brewed in his mind and although, she felt sure she knew what it was, she didn’t want to be the one to open the topic for discussion.

  He shifted in his seat. “Why did he come here?”

  There! Her sweet boy suddenly acted like the man of the house. “He just wanted to say hi, baby. He was your dad’s best friend.”

  “Dad’s been dead for five years,” Jayden stated in a petulant voice.

  Jenna didn’t want to say anything. She didn’t have the right words even now, after all these years. Instead, she opened the oven and took out the tray. She left the cupcakes out to cool as she put icing on the second batch. “I have to leave now, Jayden. I’ll drop you off at Mathew’s house.”