Some Kind of Wonderful: A Holiday Novella (The Cupcake Lovers) Read Online Free PDF Page A

should be lucky enough to have a girl like Maya Templeton.
    They may have only corresponded sporadically over the last several years, but Zach had known Maya his entire lifetime. She was sunshine and rainbows, everything bright and hopeful, everything good, which was maybe why he’d never gone out of his way to visit with her, even when he was furloughed. She’d said he was always welcome, but stepping into her cheery, dewy-eyed world took him out of his comfort zone. Her name alone had reminded him of things he’d missed, things he’d chosen not to pursue, a home he’d left. She represented the innocent time in his life, something quickly gone once he’d shipped out. He’d chosen that solitary path, and as long as he’d known he was protecting people back home, good people like Maya, it was all worth it.
    Except now he was back and Maya was in his face. In his blood. One hug, one punch in the shoulder, and she’d sparked a sexual yearning that raged stronger by the hour. Zach had felt uncomfortable prying Giselle for deeper details regarding Maya’s feelings for that real-estate agent, so instead he’d subtly pumped Giselle for updates on Maya’s life in general, although maybe he hadn’t been subtle at all. Giselle’s attention had started to drift to the plasma screens and pool table, and Zach had scrambled to turn his focus back on her.
    Too little, too late, and a definite disconnect. The conversation with Giselle quickly tanked. Zach’s attempts to introduce pieces of their long-distance correspondence had bombed. Giselle shouldn’t have felt like a stranger, but she did. The fire that had burned between them via the written word was ash. He assumed Giselle’s lack of interest was due to his lack of uniform and his damned bum leg. He’d expected disinterest on her side. But not on his. She was Playboy-bunny hot and he hadn’t felt even a twinge of lust.
    On the other hand, Zach had it bad for the woman sitting next to him, a woman dressed in soft pink fleece bottoms and an oversized sweatshirt featuring Sleeping Beauty. Or maybe it was Snow White. Unlike Maya, Zach had never been able to keep those Disney heroines straight. Unlike Maya, he’d never been a fan of fairy tales or a hard-core dreamer.
    Zach had always been a realist. Now he was a realist and a cynic.
    Early on, Zach had been inspired to serve in the military. In school he’d sucked in science, but he’d excelled in history. He knew the politics, the necessities and atrocities of war. He understood the need to protect and preserve. To fight for the persecuted. To combat evil. He’d joined the Marine Corps to honor his dad and grandfather, both Devil Dogs. He’d entered the sniper program because his uncle had taught him to hunt and he’d always been a crack shot. He’d been the best of the best, and it hadn’t been enough.
    “Whatever happened over there,” Maya said as if reading his mind, “maybe you’d feel better if you talked about it. Letting it fester can’t be good.”
    “You sound like a shrink, and I’ve already been down that road.”
    “I just want you to know … I’m here. If you ever want to talk about what happened.”
    Zach was pretty sure she already knew at least part of what had happened. He’d bet his last dime she’d learned about Ben’s death and the partial circumstances. Then, being an imaginative person, she’d spun all sorts of ugly scenarios, filling in her own grisly details until she’d made herself sick.
    Zach’s chest grew tight, as he knew she was willing to endure his personal nightmare in hopes of making him feel better. Knowing the truth of it, even if he skated over graphic descriptions, would make her ill. Maya wasn’t cut out for the ugliness in the world. He’d always been simultaneously charmed and frustrated by that.
    Right now, he wanted to make sure she didn’t go to bed harboring whatever scenarios she’d cooked up. He wanted to replace fear and death with cheer and