* * * *
Danny’s Main
Copyright © 2015 by Lisa N. Paul
ISBN: 978-0-9892465-8-2
All rights reserved.
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products, bands, and/or restaurants referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Dedication
To you, the Believers,
Happily Ever After does exist when you find the person you are meant to love and are willing to fight for every single day.
To you, the Achievers,
It is through your example that I have seen how brilliant love can be when the newness wears off and the beauty beneath shines through. Thank you for showing me that while Ever After may not always mean days filled with happiness, they will always be days filled with love.
L
Table of Contents
Title Page
Chapter One – Customer Service
Chapter Two – Lysol and Vagisil
Chapter Three – I Wasn’t The One Who Needed Help
Chapter Four – Are You Crazy?
Chapter Five – Thank God For That
Chapter Six – Now You’ve Got Her
Chapter Seven – Took Tommy Jones
Chapter Eight – Ended Up Being Your Ladder
Chapter Nine – Wanderlusty
Chapter Ten – Hint Number Three
Chapter Eleven – Always You
Chapter Twelve – That’s Gonna Leave A Bruise
Chapter Thirteen – I’m Not Done Yet
Chapter Fourteen – My Cousin Vinny
Chapter Fifteen – Your Mere Existence
Chapter Sixteen – The Empty Contest
Chapter Seventeen – He Was Ours
Chapter Eighteen – Then I Got A Friend
Chapter Nineteen – Moving Not Dying
Chapter Twenty – Danny’s On Main
Chapter Twenty-One – We Can’t Just Take Her On – We’ve Gotta Take Her In
Chapter Twenty-Two – This IS Home
Chapter Twenty-Three – Ashley and Ryan
Chapter Twenty-Four – A Sunday Dinner
Chapter Twenty-Five – First Time For Everything
Chapter Twenty-Six – Silver Lining
Chapter Twenty-Seven – Welcome Home
Chapter Twenty-Eight – The Woman Still Blushes
Chapter Twenty-Nine – The Perfect Day For A Party
Chapter Thirty – Remove The Space
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Chapter One
Customer Service
Twenty-Eight Years Ago
SWEAT TRICKLED DOWN his spine faster than his army dress uniform could absorb it, but that didn’t stop him from trudging into the small bar. He couldn’t wait to peel off his uniform and stand beneath the punishing spray of the shower, but first he needed a drink. In fact, first, second, and third on his list were drinks, followed by a wash down and bed.
The anniversary of his brother’s death always left Danny Marcus gutted, but over the past couple of years, numbness had crept in. It gripped him like a fist squeezing his soul, and no matter what he did to get it to release its hold, to instead feel the burning angst that used to whisper that vengeance was the only way to keep Jeff’s memory from fading, the numbness continued to spread.
When Danny had enlisted and left for basic training just after graduating high school, he relished in the glory of retribution. Payback, he assured his grieving father on the day of Danny’s mother’s funeral. She had committed suicide two years after losing her oldest son, leaving her husband and two younger boys to grieve further.
“Payback won’t bring Jeffrey back, son. It’ll only take you further away.”
His father’s words had fallen on deaf, teenaged ears, but now, Danny was beginning to see the wisdom in his old man’s advice. Being part of the 82ndAirborne Division certainly had helped to fuel Danny’s adrenaline rush, but even the jumps were losing their spark. A restless soldier wasn’t one needed in the air or on the ground patrolling the jungles of Korea—not that his performance was anything less than stellar—so when the opportunity had arisen for a transfer to Fort Meade in the third year of his four-year enlistment, Danny gladly took it.
He’d soon need to decide whether to re-up his commitment to the United States Army or move on to his original path, firefighting. However, that decision wouldn’t be made that evening. Not when the emptiness threatened to consume him. Not when numbness spread through him from his fingers to his toes. Not when his brother’s voice still whispered in his ear.
“Hey there, I’d offer you a beer, but it looks like you may need something a bit stronger.”
“Huh?” That sweet sound certainly wasn’t Jeff.
“I said you look like you could use a drink, Sergeant. What can I get for you?” The honeyed voice could have lulled him to much-needed sleep if not for the alarming beauty of the woman it came from.
“Shot of whiskey,” he croaked, uncertain if he’d left his voice in his memories or at work. Either way, it escaped him the moment he saw the woman’s crystal gray eyes. “A double, please.”
The legs of his barstool scratched the scarred wooden floor as he planted himself on the seat and watched the young strawberry-blonde barkeep pour amber liquid into two small glasses.
“Here you go, Sergeant.”
Hearing his rank still caught him off guard. Just like returning stateside, his promotion to sergeant was brand-new.
“Umm, Sergeant Marcus?”
“Sorry, you say something?” Christ, could he act like a bigger fucking tool? This chick couldn’t be twenty if she was a day, and he was acting like a bumbling idiot. Even though her smile was warm and inviting, innocence personified, her eyes told stories of survival and heartache. Fuck, what could she know of heartache? He needed drinks, not conversation.
“I asked if you’d you like me to start a tab for you?”
“Yeah, sweetheart, keep the tab open and the drinks coming.”
As if curtains were released from their ties, all of the openness in her expression vanished behind a veneer of a smile.