Peace of Mind
Copyright© 2021 by DB86
Chapter 35
Landon spent a restless night. As much as she tried to think ahead, the onslaught of the all-too-painful memories last night lingered.
He worried about what had brought them about. The kiss? His growing attachment to Grace? Guilt? He needed to talk to Dr. Michaels on his next visit to the center about all this. Was he ready for a romantic relationship? Would it set him back or forward?
At first light, he gave up on sleep and brewed a pot of coffee. He filled a thermos, opened the door for Scout, and started up the path to the lookout on the mountain.
Once there, he sat on the rock overlooking the town and watched as the sun filtered through scattered clouds and painted streaks of gold across the lake. He continued to watch as cars started to move through the streets.
Landon tried to pinpoint Grace’s house from there, but he wasn’t sure he found the right one.
He took a deep swallow of coffee. It was strong, the way they drank it in the army. He rested against the rock, listened to the birds trilling their morning song, and put his hand on Scout’s thick fur. He looked up and gave him a big dog smile.
The leftover tension from last night’s flashback gradually faded away as the sun burned off the early-morning dew and a fresh breeze stirred the tall pines. Darn if he wasn’t falling in love with this place. And that wasn’t a good thing.
He took a deep breath. He had to start thinking about the future, something he had refused to do before coming to Middletown. He hadn’t wanted to think about a life without the army. Middletown was a temporary refuge. The fact that he liked it more each day didn’t change that.
He had to get a more permanent job and decide what to do about his mother and his younger sister.
Scout whined next to him. He didn’t know how he could have survived without him.
Activity increased in the town below.
Middletown was a piece of heaven. So different from the violence thousands of miles away. He tried to push the memories away, but they kept returning. The faces of his team danced in front of his eyes. All dead now.
He was alive. And he felt so lucky and so guilty at the same time.
Every time he reminisced about last night, his body ached for something that went beyond a kiss. He had felt alive, really alive, for the first time in months, and that felt like a betrayal to those who died.
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