When do you leave?”
“I head back tomorrow morning. Quick trip. Um, this evening?
Nothing.”
“Please let me take you to dinner?”
There was silence as Nic gasped. “You’re in New York?”
“Yeah…staying at my parents’. Dinner?”
*****
Nic took a taxi to the address Paul gave her. He’d offered
to pick her up but she had graciously declined. She would meet him. As she
stepped onto the curb, Paul walked quickly to her, a big smile plastered to his
face.
“How did it go?” he asked.
Nic shrugged. “Not sure. The principal seemed nice and the
couple of Human Resources people I met were friendly. Guess I just wait and
see. They aren’t making a decision for another week or two until they’ve
interviewed all the selected applicants.”
“Well, let’s celebrate anyway,” Paul grinned.
They walked into an Italian restaurant that Paul would have
walked by without noticing had he not known what he was looking for. He’d
called Janie and asked her for a suggestion and this is the one she chose. She
said it was the first place Matt had taken her so it held a special place in
her heart. They still ate there regularly, now bringing their children with
them.
The hostess greeted them and showed them to their table. She
gave them each a menu and then disappeared.
“You look well,” Nic smiled. “I’m glad you weren’t hurt in
Afghanistan.”
“Me?” Paul scoffed. “I’m tough as nails,” he chuckled.
“But one of your men died?”
That sobered Paul right up. “It was one of Ed’s team.”
“What?” Nic gasped. “A man I met at the barbecue?”
Paul nodded, a somber air encircled them. “It was Cody. I
really didn’t know him that well, but it is sure hard. It doesn’t matter which
unit they’re with. When we lose one, we all mourn.”
“Was he the one with the twin boys?”
“Yeah, and his wife is pregnant. Ed’s having a hard time
dealing with it too.”
“Oh that’s terrible,” Nic whispered. “I don’t know how the
families do it.”
Nic’s words echoed through his mind as the waiter arrived
and filled their water glasses and placed a basket of breadsticks on the table.
Their attention turned to the menus and they placed their
order and the waiter turned and left.
“How’s your roommate?” Paul asked.
And the conversation turned to Evelyn and Nic’s job at the
bar and then she asked about Paul’s family so he told her all about baby
Isabelle, the newest Lathem, and the plans his mother now had for making an
annual family cruise.
The waiter brought their salads out and they ate in
comfortable silence. Once their entrees had been delivered, Paul decided to ask
Nic the question that had been on his mind most of the day.
“I’ve decided to leave the Navy.”
Nic looked up at him, her mouth open, her fork ready to go
inside. “Why?”
“I would like to have a life. I want to be home at night and
have a family. And like you said, it’s really hard on the families.”
Nic nodded. She could see how that would be the case. “So
are you…just done?”
“No,” Paul replied. “I have to finish my tour. It ends at
the beginning of August.”
“That’s just a few months away.”
“Yep. And most of that time will be spent off doing training,
so I won’t be in San Diego much.”
“Well, maybe that will help to make the time go by faster,”
Nic smiled.
“I was wondering if I could email you, you know, keep in
touch.”
Nic’s breath hitched in her throat. Her heart stopped
beating for just a second or two as she looked at Paul’s face. His blue eyes
seemed to be searching her face for an answer. What do I say?
He smiled and her heart began beating again; she could feel
it smashing into her ribs. His eyes sparkled and she felt a little lost.
“Nic?”
“I think I’d like that,” she said softly. “I’d like that,”
she nodded.
*****
As she stepped out of the taxi, Nic took Paul’s offered hand
and he escorted her to the front door
“I head back tomorrow morning. Quick trip. Um, this evening?
Nothing.”
“Please let me take you to dinner?”
There was silence as Nic gasped. “You’re in New York?”
“Yeah…staying at my parents’. Dinner?”
*****
Nic took a taxi to the address Paul gave her. He’d offered
to pick her up but she had graciously declined. She would meet him. As she
stepped onto the curb, Paul walked quickly to her, a big smile plastered to his
face.
“How did it go?” he asked.
Nic shrugged. “Not sure. The principal seemed nice and the
couple of Human Resources people I met were friendly. Guess I just wait and
see. They aren’t making a decision for another week or two until they’ve
interviewed all the selected applicants.”
“Well, let’s celebrate anyway,” Paul grinned.
They walked into an Italian restaurant that Paul would have
walked by without noticing had he not known what he was looking for. He’d
called Janie and asked her for a suggestion and this is the one she chose. She
said it was the first place Matt had taken her so it held a special place in
her heart. They still ate there regularly, now bringing their children with
them.
The hostess greeted them and showed them to their table. She
gave them each a menu and then disappeared.
“You look well,” Nic smiled. “I’m glad you weren’t hurt in
Afghanistan.”
“Me?” Paul scoffed. “I’m tough as nails,” he chuckled.
“But one of your men died?”
That sobered Paul right up. “It was one of Ed’s team.”
“What?” Nic gasped. “A man I met at the barbecue?”
Paul nodded, a somber air encircled them. “It was Cody. I
really didn’t know him that well, but it is sure hard. It doesn’t matter which
unit they’re with. When we lose one, we all mourn.”
“Was he the one with the twin boys?”
“Yeah, and his wife is pregnant. Ed’s having a hard time
dealing with it too.”
“Oh that’s terrible,” Nic whispered. “I don’t know how the
families do it.”
Nic’s words echoed through his mind as the waiter arrived
and filled their water glasses and placed a basket of breadsticks on the table.
Their attention turned to the menus and they placed their
order and the waiter turned and left.
“How’s your roommate?” Paul asked.
And the conversation turned to Evelyn and Nic’s job at the
bar and then she asked about Paul’s family so he told her all about baby
Isabelle, the newest Lathem, and the plans his mother now had for making an
annual family cruise.
The waiter brought their salads out and they ate in
comfortable silence. Once their entrees had been delivered, Paul decided to ask
Nic the question that had been on his mind most of the day.
“I’ve decided to leave the Navy.”
Nic looked up at him, her mouth open, her fork ready to go
inside. “Why?”
“I would like to have a life. I want to be home at night and
have a family. And like you said, it’s really hard on the families.”
Nic nodded. She could see how that would be the case. “So
are you…just done?”
“No,” Paul replied. “I have to finish my tour. It ends at
the beginning of August.”
“That’s just a few months away.”
“Yep. And most of that time will be spent off doing training,
so I won’t be in San Diego much.”
“Well, maybe that will help to make the time go by faster,”
Nic smiled.
“I was wondering if I could email you, you know, keep in
touch.”
Nic’s breath hitched in her throat. Her heart stopped
beating for just a second or two as she looked at Paul’s face. His blue eyes
seemed to be searching her face for an answer. What do I say?
He smiled and her heart began beating again; she could feel
it smashing into her ribs. His eyes sparkled and she felt a little lost.
“Nic?”
“I think I’d like that,” she said softly. “I’d like that,”
she nodded.
*****
As she stepped out of the taxi, Nic took Paul’s offered hand
and he escorted her to the front door
Similar Books
