Melting the Ice by Jaci Burton Read Free Book Online

his number. She vehemently said no, which had caused Drew to smirk and all the guys to give him a hard time.
    She liked the hard time part, and as long as they weren’t hitting on her, which they weren’t, she was fine with it.
    Actually, they were a great group of guys, all missing their families as much as she missed hers. Most of them had stayed in the city for Thanksgiving because their families lived too far away to visit.
    “We’re getting short on gravy,” Carolina said to Lakeesha Divant, the director of the mission.
    “I’m on it,” she said. The woman was like a general, shouting orders to some of her staffers.
    Carolina had been in awe from the moment they’d walked into the mission this morning. Everything had been set up and ready to go, the food had been prepped the night before, so all they had to do was start serving when they opened the doors. It saddened Carolina to see that even at seven thirty in the morning a line had already formed outside.
    People were homeless and hungry, and they knew today would be a good day for a full, hot meal. Of course the mission provided a hot meal every day, but there would be a big crowd on Thanksgiving, and the regulars wanted to be sure to get in line early.
    “Here’s a refill on the gravy.” A big burly guy brought the container out.
    “Thanks, Jim.” She’d familiarized herself with all the staff this morning, making it a point to get to know everyone who worked there. Some of them were formerly homeless themselves, and now were thrilled to have jobs working at the mission. Lakeesha made them work hard at it, too, and they were all grateful to be earning their keep.
    “Just workin’ up an appetite for that great lunch we’re all gonna eat later.”
    Carolina grinned. “My stomach is already growling.”
    She served for another couple hours, until the crowd began to thin around one thirty.
    “Not even one complaint,” Drew said, who’d come up behind her. He’d spent most of his time in the kitchen, so she hadn’t seen much of him other than when he helped Jim with restocking.
    She moved out of the way as another of the staff took her place. “Why would I complain?” she asked as she untied and removed her apron and swiped a loose hair from her eyes.
    “You worked hard today.”
    “It was worth it. Just look at how happy everyone is.”
    “Yeah. For some of them, it’s the only meal they’ll eat today.”
    She hated thinking that.
    “And I’m hungry, so how about we eat?” he asked.
    She nodded. “I’ve been smelling that delicious food for hours. I’m ready to grab a plate.”
    They did, and found a seat with Lakeesha and a group of older men who made room for them at their table.
    “These are our veterans,” Lakeesha said, introducing her and Drew to Ronald, Oscar, Lewis, and Bailey.
    “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you,” Carolina said. “Thank you for your service.”
    “Ma’am,” Ronald said. “Thanks for serving up the meal today. It’s mighty good.”
    “I think you can thank Lakeesha and her staff for all of the work that went into preparing the meal. I just helped serve.”
    “But without all of you who give up your Thanksgiving, we’d never be able to do all this,” Lakeesha said with a smile. “And our people would have to wait in even longer lines. So thank you.”
    Carolina looked over the men, unable to imagine what they’d been through in their lifetimes. “I can’t think of a finer group to spend Thanksgiving with.”
    “Me, too,” Drew said, then asked them all when and where they served. The men launched into a discussion of their military service, and while Carolina ate, they fascinated her with war stories, some from Vietnam, some from the Gulf. She noted they avoided anything unpleasant, preferring instead to share positive, fun stories about brotherhood and good times shared.
    She didn’t blame them. She was sure there was plenty of unpleasantness that stayed with them at all times.