“You’re going to be boyfriend of the year.”Fisher licked the peanut butter off his thumb.“You’ll be able to ride that wave for a few weeks at least.”
They ate in silence for a while.They had spent so many hours a day together that none of them felt the need to fill the silence with useless banter.They ate and then stood in unison to take their trays to the belt that carried them off to the dishwashing section in the back.
Fisher said, “You’re off to a good start.Ready to finish losing?”
Jerry looked at his watch.“Nah.I concede.Split up my stuff.I’m going to pick Olive up and take her home.”
“Oh!Man down!Man down!”Brock teased.
“Her knight in shining pickup truck,” Fisher grinned, slapping him on the back.“Be careful.Call if you need us to get you out of a ditch or something.We’ll send a Chinook.”
“Yeah.You know they did that back in the late 80s once.”Jerry put his cap on and checked his pockets to make sure he had gloves.
Fisher said, “Not completely sure you have the same amount of stars on your shoulder boards to merit that kind of treatment, Sergeant First Class.”
“Est quod est.”Jerry quoted the Latin for it is what it is.“And it’s ‘promotable.’Sergeant First Class promotable.It’s going to take an hour to de-ice the truck.”
“I’d help, but…” They walked outside, and Brock looked up at the sky.The snow had slowed down considerably.“Well, you know, it’s cold out here, bro.”
Jerry laughed and waved them on, then carefully walked out of the courtyard and over to the parking lot.He used his key fob to remote-start the truck, then went up to his room.He’d give it about five or ten minutes to heat the windows from the heater inside the truck before he attempted to get the ice cleared.
Clarksville, Tennessee
Casablanca’sblack-and-white glow danced across her living room as Olive snuggled closer into Jerry’s side.The empty soup bowls that had contained leftover chicken noodle she’d made Wednesday sat stacked on the coffee table, a faint thyme taste lingering in her mouth.
She tilted her head, studying him.She liked the shape of his face, the beard that covered his jaw, the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled.In the weeks since Christmas, she’d relished every moment spent with him and wanted more and more.She shouldn’t have accepted his offer to come get her.She should have just stayed put.But the thought of another day not seeing him had not appealed.
“Still can’t believe you drove through that,” she murmured, her Alabama drawl soft against the film’s dialogue.
Jerry’s grin flashed, dry and quick.“Four-wheel drive’s no joke.Couldn’t leave you stranded.Plus, I missed this.”His fingers brushed her arm, sparking warmth under her sweater.
She smiled, snuggling closer.“Well, you are certainly my hero.”
The movie rolled on.Rick and Ilsa at the airport, tension in the scene thick.They would always have Paris.Olive enjoyed the layers of solid muscle and the heat of his body beneath his clothes as she snuggled into him.Yet despite his raw strength, each time he made contact with her to stroke her arm or tuck her hair back, his touch felt so gentle, as if petting a newborn kitten.
Jerry shifted, his voice low.“Speaking of not leaving people behind—Phil called this afternoon.”
“Ozzy?”She perked up, remembering the time years before when she had met Phil Osbourne and all the stories Jerry had told her about his team’s former medic.
“Yeah.He and Melissa set the date.They’re getting married on a cruise in May.”
“A cruise?”She shifted so she could face him fully.The movie droned on, but she wasn’t paying attention anymore.“Seems like an odd venue for former SF.Kind of a closed-in environment.”
He chuckled.“I thought the same thing.And no weapons.The security on a cruise ship isserio dicere.”
“What?”
“Oh.That was from the philosopher Seneca.Serio dicere.Meaning to be taken very seriously.Cruise ship security is no joke.”He enjoyed her curiosity and her fearlessness in asking for clarification.
“Showing off again, soldier?”
He chuckled.“More like I feel comfortable being myself with you.”
She felt heat rush up her neck into her cheeks and squeezed him tighter.His body felt so hard and strong.And warm.“Never been on a cruise.Seems odd to have the ceremony on a ship, too, really.”
“Phil has his reasons.”
“What reasons?”
