Gina had dreaded this dinner for Kirk, even though she’d known it was inevitable. Of course her parents wanted to see him, and so did her brothers. Even Mario’s kids were curious about the guy they’d seen on TV. Mario let his three mop-tops meet Kirk, then took them home so they could put up their Christmas lights.
After that, there was no avoiding the gush-fest that Kirk’s presence inspired.
He deserved it, she kept reminding herself. He was so successful, more so than almost anyone she knew. No other Lake Bittersweet kid had gone to war, performed heroic acts, written a bestselling memoir, and then appeared on TV with world-famous news anchors. It was incredible, what he’d accomplished. He deserved all the attention and she didn’t begrudge him a minute of it.
The problem was the feel
