Now, I hadn’t expected any of them to flat-out say no, but to see the looks of eager excitement blanket all their faces was startling.
“Wait, is he one of your Army buddies?” Lucy asked, sitting up straighter.
“Yeah, he’s one of the guys in my squad.”
“Uh, correction there, Serg. I’m your right-hand man,” Sid cut in, his voice muffled by my shoulder.
Shut up, Sid, I thought to myself, even if he was right.
Sid had special training as a sniper spotter while I was a shooter. I needed him, and he needed me.
Together, we made a team. A valuable one.
“Of course he can come!” Grace said. “You don’t even have to ask.”
I glanced at Ricky, looking for his approval, and he widened his eyes, as if to say,Duh, dude, like I’d ever say no.
So, I took my phone off my shoulder and gave Sid the name of the burger place. I asked if he wanted instructions, and he said he was quite capable of using MapQuest, then hung up.
Three minutes later, he was walking through the door with the grace of a bull in a china shop, wearing baggy jeans and a sweatshirt with a Breaking Benjamin logo printed on the front.
“Civilian Serg!” he crowed, heading straight for our table and clapping a hand against my shoulder. “Bro, I wasjoking about the uniform. What the hell is wrong with you?”
I ignored the jab and swept my gaze around the table. “Guys, this is Corporal Sidney Sprague,” I said. “Sid, this is my friend Ricky and my sisters, Lucy and Grace.”
Ricky was the first to extend his hand. “Hey, man, nice to meet you.”
Sid’s face lit up with an even wider grin as he accepted the gesture. “You too, Rick.”
It was surreal to watch them shake hands as two completely separate parts of my life came together. And after Lucy said hi and Sid shifted his sights to acknowledge Grace, it was even more surreal to watch my little sister’s eyes light up with immediate interest.
“Hi,” she said on a held breath, holding her hand out across me.
“Well, hello there,” Sid replied as his hand engulfed hers right in front of my face. One side of his mouth lifted in a sheepish half smile as he inclined his head toward me, never taking his eyes off Grace’s flirtatious stare. “Serg, I knew you had sisters, but, dude, you never told me they were drop-deadgorgeous.”
“Must’ve slipped my mind, Corporal,” I mumbled, shooting him a warning glare that I hoped said,Back the fuck up.
Sid caught my eye and cleared his throat immediately, dropping her hand and wiping his palms against his jeans. Then he swiped a menu from an adjacent table.
“Well, move on over, Serg,” he said, nudging my shoulder with his knuckles. “I’m fuckin’ starving.”
***
“So, then Serg over here”—Sid jabbed his thumb in my direction—“looks up at the lieutenant—on his hands and knees, remember, his face fuckin’green—and all he can say is, ‘With all due respect, sir,’ before barfing all over this asshole’s freshly polished shoes.”
Ricky and my sisters broke into a bubbly round of laughter. I didn’t want to join them—the embarrassment was almost too much to bear—but the moment Sid started cackling beside me, draping his arm around my shoulders like he couldn’t hold himself up, I couldn’t help it. I leaned forward and laid a hand over my eyes, remembering that unfortunate night when a group of us had been struck with a heinous bout of food poisoning.
Then I sat up abruptly, holding up a finger, and said, “Actually, that’s not entirely true. I don’t think I managed to saysir.”
“Oh yeah, I think you’re right. I think it was more like, s-s-s-sirrr—"
He made a retching sound, hunching over the table with his arm holding his gut, and the group of us busted out into another fit of laughter. Tears streamed from my eyes as I tried to regain my composure, with Sid’s arm wrapped around my shoulders like we’d been best pals our entire lives, and it struck me howgoodthis was. How right and natural it felt for him to be here, included in the small group of people I gave a shit about at home.
And despite what I’d said to him just days earlier, I suddenlywantedhim to meet Laura. I wanted her to know him and see that Iwascapable of having a good, real companionship with someone … even if it wasn’t romantic. Even if it wasn’t with her.
Then Grace and Lucy looked at each other.
Grace sighed, and Lucy said, “I think we should probably get going. We have to wake up early for school.”
