Jack And Crush, page 10
“Oh, you mean a woman who is honest and hardworking, and would never cheat on anyone?” Fletcher replied. Ava rolled her eyes.
“No, someone who looks like trailer trash. She’s beneath you, Fletcher.”
“I learned my lesson with you; not only is beauty in the eye of the beholder, but sometimes there’s nothing under a pretty exterior but a rotten core. And yes, she’s beneath me quite often. And on top. And bent over in front of me. And any other position we can dream up.” He grinned at the stunned expression Ava wore next.
Lillie spoke before anyone else could say anything. “I, for one, would have to give an ounce of a shit about your opinion to be offended, and I don’t,” she said to them before taking Fletcher’s arm and heading toward the Mustang. When they were inside with the doors closed, he turned to look at her.
“I am so turned on right now.”
She laughed. “We’ve sufficiently offended her delicate sensibilities.”
Fletcher snorted and they both laughed.
Chapter 8
It was strange how life worked out sometimes. Lillie met a man who worked as much as she did, and also enjoyed his Sundays off with as much gusto. He held the same basic beliefs as she did: don’t be a douche to others, don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t cheat.
And he was standing next to her in his dress uniform while people milled around the art gallery peering at her soul pinned to the walls. Like those butterfly boards, their wings forever stuck in a wide open position. She had no way of knowing yet how it was going, and she only prayed not to be a laughing-stock.
“Breathe, Lillian. It will be all right,” her mother said from her other side. Lillie was pleased Carol had accepted the invitation to come, and even more pleased that she had been nice when meeting Fletcher.
Fletcher, however, was more practical. “And if it’s not a roaring success, I’ll pick you up off your lovely ass and you’ll try again next time.” Lillie grinned at him for completely understanding her. Carol huffed.
“What does that mean, that you don’t think she’ll be successful?”
“Of course I think that, but the reality is, it won’t necessarily be on the first try. And that’s okay. She’s not going to let one show define her life.”
Lillie nodded at him, but she was eager to settle the boil-over her mother was creating. “Mom, he’s right. You both are. I appreciate your optimism, just as much as I appreciate his realism.” She grabbed a drink off the tray of a passing waiter, handing it to Carol.
“I think Eli and I will look at the pottery,” Carol muttered and walked off.
“I didn’t hurt her feelings, did I?” Fletcher asked after Carol had moved on.
“Possibly; it’s not hard to do.” Lillie linked her arm with his, smiling up at him. “Think of her as the same age as the children she teaches, and you’ll forever be equipped to deal with her.”
He smiled at her. She wasn’t too much shorter than him in her heels. “I honestly think tonight is going to be huge for you, I just don’t want you to feel disappointed if you have a set goal in mind that doesn’t happen.”
“I love that you understand me so well, so don’t feel like you have to apologize.” She ran her hands along his lapels. “Have I mentioned how attractive I find you in your uniform?”
He pecked her lips. “Once or twice. I can’t imagine you’ve forgotten how gorgeous you are in your dress?”
She had agonized over the black lace dress that she’d finally chosen, but she was in love with it. It made her warm to think he appreciated it. It fell to her knees with long sleeves, but mostly sheer lace with only a small amount of lining to cover the most important parts that weren’t for public consumption. She’d pulled up her chaotic hair and managed to tame most of it into a suitable updo.
“I don’t hate Eli,” she said suddenly. It had weighed on her mind since she met him. He seemed nice enough.
“I don’t either,” Fletcher responded. He understood enough by now how her mind worked, and wasn’t surprised by the change in subject.
“I was a bit shocked at first, you know? But it’s been three years, she deserves happiness. And he appears to dote on her.” She frowned. She really did want her mother to be happy, and if Eli made Carol happy, so be it.
“You’re right, so don’t add your mother to your list of worries, okay?”
“You know me too well. It’s kind of scary.” She grinned up at him.
The night was a success, and she was more than thrilled to have had all of her dad’s pieces sold for asking price. Her own pieces had been picked through, a handful sold. The rest would remain on the gallery walls until they sold. Carol was happy and teary-eyed as Lillie told her that Carter’s work had sold out. Lillie was incredibly pleased that she’d put his art out there as he’d always meant to do. It was a fabulous feeling to make her mother proud of her and to feel like her dad was smiling down on her.
Fletcher was back at work on Monday morning, after driving to the base late the night before. He was tired, of course, but it had been worth it to see the way Lillie’s face lit up as she learned that her father’s work had sold. She had more to bring to them, and more of her own to replace the five of hers that sold.
Lillie was fulfilled, and it made her irresistible. They’d made plans for the coming weekend for him to spend the night at her house. It had been just over two months since the last time he’d stayed there, only the next time he knew there would be no running.
Interrupting his thoughts was a knock on his office door, and he started to stand as his superior officer stuck his head in. “Stay seated, Sergeant Bennett. I need to speak with you.”
Fletcher was immediately alarmed at the tone in his commander’s voice. “Of course. Is something wrong?”
He came in and sat down in the chair across from the desk. “There’s been an emergency in Kandahar. The GEOINT officer in company C was injured severely yesterday evening, their time. He’s been medevaced to Germany, and then he’ll be brought home once he’s stable. We need you to fill in.”
The words came out of his mouth clearly, but by the time they registered in his brain, Fletcher couldn’t understand the point. There was no way he was going back to the desert, he’d only been home for three months. He had Lillie now, he couldn’t leave her behind while he was possibly killed.
“They’re looking for a classified terrorist, and they’ve narrowed him down to a small town. Problem is, he knows how to go underground. They’ve been using the imagery to pinpoint his heat signature when he comes up for supplies. It’s a critical mission, and they’re short one man. You’re the best, Bennett, I’m not going to lie.” He dropped a file on the desk. “These are your papers. Take the next two days to prepare, but then I expect your ass to be on the tarmac at zero-five-hundred.”
On autopilot, Fletcher saluted him right before he got up and left his office. Then he just sat there staring after him, stunned.
Lillie was bringing a crate of clean glasses up to the bar from the back when the front door swung open. She was behind in her work due to being tired from the weekend, but still riding the high from the gallery showing, so she called out absently without glancing up.
“We’re not open yet, hun. Give me thirty, I’m almost done here.” Sometimes she regretted unlocking the door early, but most of the time it was fine.
“Lillie.”
Her head jerked up sharply at the sound of his voice. It was off, something was wrong. He should be at the base, not in Abbott. Oh, God.
Blindly, she met him halfway across the floor. He wrapped his long arms around her, his height engulfing her as he squeezed her too tightly. It isn’t tight enough.
She pulled away, running her hands down the sides of his face and to his shoulders, as though checking for injuries. “What’s wrong?” she whispered.
“I have to go back,” he choked out, the tears in his eyes making them look like endless turquoise pools.
“Back? Back where?” There was a prickling feeling at the base of her skull, and nausea rolled through her.
“I have to deploy. On Wednesday.” His voice was nothing but a hollow shell.
The white noise in her head was forcing the words to muddle in her mind. “But y-you haven’t been back very long. That’s not how that works,” she whimpered. Words could hurt, despite the saying. They could rip you to shreds with little effort.
“It’s an emergency; the guy that does what I do, he was injured. The mission is very important, and they’re close to finishing it.” He fisted one hand in his short hair, pulling hard.
“How long? How long are you leaving me?” she asked, her voice breaking.
The pain shot through his eyes, his flinch making her feel like an asshole. “I don’t know. Until the mission is complete.”
“I’m sorry, I’m not handling this well. Please, forgive me.” She leaned into him, hugging him to her. His coat was still cold, and she thought that her body would never warm up again.
“It’s hard for me, too, you know. I just found you, I don’t want to leave,” he said desperately.
She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She could do this, knew exactly how to do this. “Wednesday?” He nodded. “Then you’ll stay with me. Tomorrow we’ll pack your things and close up your rental. You might as well turn in your keys, tell Mr. Wallace you don’t know when you’ll be back. We can pay him for the broken lease if you want. We’ll spend the rest of the day together, whatever you want to do. I’ll take you on Wednesday unless you want to leave your car there.”
“Don’t sound so fucking efficient. This is my life we’re talking about,” he said, his voice raised in his anger.
She took a step back, but did not cower. “I know that Fletcher, don’t think I don’t. But this is what I need to deal, and I’ll help you deal any way that I can. But don’t tell me how to feel,” she said, her own voice rising in agitation.
Remorse filled his face as his brow smoothed out and his mouth thinned. He closed the small distance, engulfing her again. “I don’t mean to fight, I’m so sorry. The tension has me on edge.”
Luke found the two of them standing there in the middle of the bar, wrapped around each other. He cleared his throat. “Is there something going on?” he asked cautiously. Lillie was crying, and he would hate to have to kick Fletcher’s ass. Not to mention, he didn’t have any chocolate on him.
“He’s deploying Wednesday,” Lillie responded, her face still in Fletcher’s coat.
“Shit, man, I’m sorry. Lil, we’ll get you covered, whatever you need,” he assured his friend. He went into backup plan mode, going behind the bar to call the others so they could work out their shifts to cover for Lillie.
“I appreciate it, Luke.”
Fletcher and Lillie took a table in the corner, mapping out what they were going to do the next day. Stella came in after Luke called her, and she manned the bar for Lillie since they weren’t terribly busy on Mondays. Fletcher had already stopped by his parents’ house and said his goodbyes, so they had the next day to themselves. She made lists of the things he would need, the things he would pack and store at her house, even a grocery list for things he would bring along.
“Lillie, can we just go home?” Fletcher asked softly, putting his hand over hers to stop her furious writing.
She looked into his eyes, saw the fear and desperation. Hoped her eyes didn’t mirror his, though she felt the same. “Of course,” she answered, closing her notepad. Her hands did not tremble, her steps never faltered. But her heart, her heart was breaking into a million pieces that she feared she would never be able to repair.
She made him something for dinner, fussed over him, forced him to shower while she cleaned the kitchen. When there was nothing left to do with her hands, she sat on the couch and stared into space. She couldn’t think of the consequences of him leaving, couldn’t let him see her hurting. She promised him she’d support him and his career no matter what happened, and that’s what she intended to do.
After his shower, Fletcher dressed and found Lillie in the living room. He was wearing Army sweats and a t-shirt, and his hair was only toweled dry. He looked amazing to her, but exhausted; there were dark circles ringing his lovely eyes. He’d stood by her side the night before and lost sleep over it. Now she would return the favor, even if the stakes were higher.
“Come sit with me, Fletcher,” she requested in a voice thick from withheld emotions.
He only nodded, heading toward her across the room. They curled up together, and she pulled the blanket off the back of the couch. It felt comforting to be held in his warm, fragrant embrace, a moment where she could pretend this was where they’d always stay. She finally turned on the TV, but there was nothing she wanted to watch; she just needed to fill the silence, to drown the words of doubt out of her head.
In the morning, the pair of them were sore from sleeping on the tiny couch. Lillie couldn’t bring herself to wake him when he fell asleep and sacrificed her comfort instead of getting up. She made a huge breakfast, tried to fill the void with chatter, and finally gave up. He was unusually still and quiet, and she tried to be quiet with him.
They spent a large chunk of the day at his rental and got everything packed and cleaned. The keys and a check were left on the counter per the landlord’s request. When his things were all safely tucked in her dining room, they had a late lunch at the diner. Fletcher didn’t have much to say while they ate, and it was starting to scare her.
They were finished and getting in the car when he stopped moving and just looked at her intensely. She raised an eyebrow in question.
“There’s somewhere I want to take you camping.” That wasn’t at all what she thought he was going to say.
“I have a tent,” she replied, a bit confused.
“Do you have sleeping bags?” he asked. He’d planned on waiting until spring to take her to his favorite camping spot, but it seemed like the perfect time to not wait for anything.
She frowned, then nodded. “I have plenty of camping gear.”
Back at her house, she watched him place his packed bag in the back seat of the Mustang, and a slew of camping gear in the trunk. She made a point of not questioning him, just letting him drive them to the edge of town. When he pulled off at what looked like the end of the road, she thought he was out of his mind. They got out, and he shouldered the gear, only allowing her to carry one bag.
They walked. He led the way into the woods, and she marveled at the stillness. When he stopped, they’d been walking for about thirty minutes, but it was worth it.
In front of her was a river, with a small clearing on their side of it. The impending sunset had the sky streaked with shades of coral and lavender. She could imagine its beauty in the summer, with the leaves green and the grass tall. The temperature wasn’t terribly warm, but it wasn’t freezing, either.
Fletcher set up the tent and the sleeping bags, shaking out blankets and starting the generator Lillie found in the shed. It was her father’s, and would power the space heater. He managed to set it far from the tent with the extension cord, but it was still pretty damn loud. She poured a thermos of coffee into mugs and climbed in to shiver against Fletcher’s side. With the flap open, she could see the pine trees and the river, the sky now a cloudy orange.
“I bet this is breathtaking in the spring and summer,” she commented.
“I’d meant to take you then, Lillie. I’m sorry.” His voice was deep, heavy with responsibility. She watched the sun inch closer to the horizon and tried not to count the minutes.
“You still will. I’ll never find this place on my own, and I want you to show me the bluebonnets that must grow when it’s warm.” She kept her tone light, not betraying the fact that she was dying inside.
