imagine.”
“So tell me about Reno!
What did you do besides screw?”
I smacked her arm. “Miranda! Be quiet.” I was laughing now.
“Well, I was just asking!”
“It was pretty low-key. I
hocked my wedding ring and got a hundred and twenty-five bucks for it.”
Her eyes got big as she
sipped her water. “No way.”
“Yes way. Then he got me
this,” I said, pulling the necklace out from under my shirt. If I hadn’t been
wearing a shirt that buttoned all the way up, I wouldn’t have worn it. I
normally don’t wear much jewelry to work, but I didn’t want to take it off just
yet.
Miranda’s eyes got huge
and she reached over and touched it. “Jewelry? Diamonds even? This is getting serious. Oh, my God!”
I nodded. “Oh! And then on
my birthday, Riley took me to that country bar – remember the one we went to
when we were there? What was it called?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I
remember the club. But wasn’t it called the rose something?”
“I think so. Anyway, a
huge bar fight broke out with some military guys and who knows what else. This
huge oaf in a cowboy hat thought Riley was one of them and wouldn’t let us
leave. He lost it when the asshole called me a ‘bitch’ and cold-cocked him. It
was awesome.”
“Wow, drama! That’s what
I’m talkin ’ about!” She flipped her thick, straight
blonde hair behind her shoulder and looked down at her phone as it buzzed on
the table.
I lifted my water glass to
my lips and jutted my chin toward her phone. “Is that your homerun honey?”
Her fingers danced over
the screen and she smiled. “Yup.”
“Where is he this week?” I
asked.
She hit one final button
and set the phone on the tabletop. “He’s home. Can’t you tell by the satisfied
smile on my face?”
“You are too much.”
The server brought us our
salads and we dug in.
“So when is Riley
leaving?” she asked.
I shrugged and swallowed
down a bite. “I don’t know,” I answered casually. “He doesn’t know, either. Probably right after Labor Day.”
“Well, that sucks, but
it’s the way it is with them. Always a new place, a different city, another
assignment… it’s never ending, girl.”
I nodded. “Yup.”
She measured me with a
serious stare from her amber-colored eyes. “Are you going to be okay?”
I forced a smile. “Of course. It’s just a summer thing. We both know that.”
She nodded and smiled,
pointing at the necklace. “It’s more than that, and you know it.”
Somehow I think she could
tell I was only half serious. She was my best friend, after all. I could only
fool her as long as I could fool myself.
***
The week passed quickly
and by Friday, I was more than ready to see Riley. We didn’t get to see each
other during the week very much, but sometimes I’d sneak over to his side of
the base and say hi. I tried not to intervene in his military job, but I just
missed him sometimes and wanted to see him.
We decided to go see some
military movie, a Hollywood version of things that went on during the Iraq war.
It wasn’t my first choice but I never paid attention to what movies were out so
it’s not like I could suggest anything. We arrived at the eight o’clock show
and settled in with popcorn and sodas. Riley held my hand and kissed it as the
previews began to play and I smiled at him warmly. God, he was so good-looking
I couldn’t stand it. I wanted to stare at him all night and not watch the
movie. But that would be creepy so I didn’t.
The movie was okay, kind
of heart-wrenching and sad – and gory in some spots, but I noticed Riley’s
demeanor change during it. He was in a great mood when the movie started, but
by the time it was done, he was not talking at all, and had an expression on
his face that bordered somewhere between worried and sad.
The car ride home was
quiet and I was wondering if I had said or done something. When we reached my
house it was late, but Riley said he wanted to take a shower. He smelled
“So tell me about Reno!
What did you do besides screw?”
I smacked her arm. “Miranda! Be quiet.” I was laughing now.
“Well, I was just asking!”
“It was pretty low-key. I
hocked my wedding ring and got a hundred and twenty-five bucks for it.”
Her eyes got big as she
sipped her water. “No way.”
“Yes way. Then he got me
this,” I said, pulling the necklace out from under my shirt. If I hadn’t been
wearing a shirt that buttoned all the way up, I wouldn’t have worn it. I
normally don’t wear much jewelry to work, but I didn’t want to take it off just
yet.
Miranda’s eyes got huge
and she reached over and touched it. “Jewelry? Diamonds even? This is getting serious. Oh, my God!”
I nodded. “Oh! And then on
my birthday, Riley took me to that country bar – remember the one we went to
when we were there? What was it called?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I
remember the club. But wasn’t it called the rose something?”
“I think so. Anyway, a
huge bar fight broke out with some military guys and who knows what else. This
huge oaf in a cowboy hat thought Riley was one of them and wouldn’t let us
leave. He lost it when the asshole called me a ‘bitch’ and cold-cocked him. It
was awesome.”
“Wow, drama! That’s what
I’m talkin ’ about!” She flipped her thick, straight
blonde hair behind her shoulder and looked down at her phone as it buzzed on
the table.
I lifted my water glass to
my lips and jutted my chin toward her phone. “Is that your homerun honey?”
Her fingers danced over
the screen and she smiled. “Yup.”
“Where is he this week?” I
asked.
She hit one final button
and set the phone on the tabletop. “He’s home. Can’t you tell by the satisfied
smile on my face?”
“You are too much.”
The server brought us our
salads and we dug in.
“So when is Riley
leaving?” she asked.
I shrugged and swallowed
down a bite. “I don’t know,” I answered casually. “He doesn’t know, either. Probably right after Labor Day.”
“Well, that sucks, but
it’s the way it is with them. Always a new place, a different city, another
assignment… it’s never ending, girl.”
I nodded. “Yup.”
She measured me with a
serious stare from her amber-colored eyes. “Are you going to be okay?”
I forced a smile. “Of course. It’s just a summer thing. We both know that.”
She nodded and smiled,
pointing at the necklace. “It’s more than that, and you know it.”
Somehow I think she could
tell I was only half serious. She was my best friend, after all. I could only
fool her as long as I could fool myself.
***
The week passed quickly
and by Friday, I was more than ready to see Riley. We didn’t get to see each
other during the week very much, but sometimes I’d sneak over to his side of
the base and say hi. I tried not to intervene in his military job, but I just
missed him sometimes and wanted to see him.
We decided to go see some
military movie, a Hollywood version of things that went on during the Iraq war.
It wasn’t my first choice but I never paid attention to what movies were out so
it’s not like I could suggest anything. We arrived at the eight o’clock show
and settled in with popcorn and sodas. Riley held my hand and kissed it as the
previews began to play and I smiled at him warmly. God, he was so good-looking
I couldn’t stand it. I wanted to stare at him all night and not watch the
movie. But that would be creepy so I didn’t.
The movie was okay, kind
of heart-wrenching and sad – and gory in some spots, but I noticed Riley’s
demeanor change during it. He was in a great mood when the movie started, but
by the time it was done, he was not talking at all, and had an expression on
his face that bordered somewhere between worried and sad.
The car ride home was
quiet and I was wondering if I had said or done something. When we reached my
house it was late, but Riley said he wanted to take a shower. He smelled
Similar Books
