“But you do know that if that changes, my door is always open?”
“Yes, sir.” I stepped to the doorway. “I do.”
“All right, then. Don’t forget it.”
“Yes, sir.”
Leaving the office, I headed upstairs, taking the steps two at a time. Lunch break was almost over, but I needed to do something before I left for afternoon classes.
My cell phone was in a drawer of my desk. Pulling it out, I grabbed a book and leafed through the pages until I found the notebook paper Willow had handed me a few nights earlier and typed her number.
The phone rang a few times before I heard a cautious answer.
“Hello?”
“Willow? It’s Dean.” I paused, but she didn’t say anything, so I plunged ahead. “I’d like to see you, to talk. Can we meet?”
ChapterNine
Willow
Over the last few weeks, as I began to feel better in the mornings, I’d been taking long walks around West Point, getting to know my way around the post. I’d even made a few brief forays into Highland Falls, the small town immediately outside the gates. The weather was absolutely perfect, chilly and crisp, and the views were breathtaking as the trees that covered the mountains slowly took on color.
But on this day, as I waved to the MP in the guard booth and followed the sidewalk into Highland Falls, I wasn’t paying attention to the leaves or the temperature of the air. Nerves jumped low in my belly, and my hands kept clenching into fists, even when I tried to be intentional about relaxing them.
It had been more than ten days since I’d gotten the call from Dean, a terse, very short telephone call wherein he’d asked me to meet him at Benny Havens. I’d agreed—because I didn’t have any reason to say no, nor did I have enough time to argue with him—but it had taken several days of text messages before we could figure out when to meet. He wasn’t allowed to leave post except on weekends, and as a football player, his opportunities to do even that were limited.
As luck would have it, the team had a bye—no game--the following week, which meant that Dean had a rare weekend free. I had offered Friday night as an option, but Dean had countered with Saturday afternoon instead. And when I walked into Benny’s, I figured out why he’d suggested it: the place was almost empty, with just a few people I judged as locals sitting at the bar and a couple of families of cadets—plebes, I thought, because they looked awfully young—sitting at tables.
In other words, odds were good that neither Dean nor I would run into someone we knew here. I got it. If one of his friends or instructors saw him here with me, they might not think much of it now . . . but later, once my pregnancy was visible to all, there was a chance that they’d remember it and wonder. Dean wouldn’t want that.
He was sitting at a small table near the back which confirmed my theory. I tried not to be annoyed that he was acting like a covert agent meeting with his handler. Or maybe in this case it was more like he was meeting with an enemy counterpart.
That was a depressing thought.
Dean caught sight of me and waved. His expression was sober, but he managed just a hint of a smile as he stood and slid out the chair opposite his.
“Willow.” Awkwardly, he took my hand leaned toward me, brushing his lips over my cheek. “Thanks for coming.”
“Thank you for reaching out.” I sat down and reached for the napkin rolled on the table in front of me, just for something to do with my hands. I felt a little off-kilter, a bit like I’d sauntered into bizzaro world.
A server approached us, a young girl with dark hair pulled up into a high ponytail. She greeted me with a bright smile as she filled my water glass.
“Can I get you anything else to drink while you look over the menu?” she inquired.
“I’m fine with water,” I replied. “Maybe a lemon for it, if you had it?”
“Sure.” She glanced at Dean. “And you’re still okay with water, too?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I think we’re good here. We just need a little time with the menu.”
“Take your time.” The server made a show of looking around the dining room. “As you can see, you came at the right time of day to have my absolute and undivided attention.” She winked at him and left us.
I snorted softly. “Guess I’m not the only one who noticed it.”
“Noticed what?” Dean asked, frowning.
“That you chose a time to meet when there was very little risk of being seen by anyone else.”
