As tired and grimy as he was, though, he found himself walking to his office instead of to the dorms. He didn’t bother to tell himself it was for business. No, it was her—Sara. He could attempt to check his e-mail from his room, but the Wi-Fi there was shit and he was too tired to retrace his steps if it didn’t connect tonight. He stopped to briefly exchange a few words with the evening shift before finally closing the door behind him. He dropped heavily into his ever-squeaking desk chair and signed onto his computer. Please be there. Rationally he knew that eventually he wouldn’t have a reply waiting. She had a life outside of being his pen pal. But he’d become addicted to the respite her cheerful words gave him.
Gabe released the breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding when he saw her latest message. He was happier than anyone with a pound of sand in their shoes should be, but if nothing else, life here taught you to embrace the little things that came your way. And she brought those moments to him every time he heard from her. He found himself smiling at her words. When he reached the last paragraph, he read through it twice.
What are you doing right now? I’m still in bed. My niece woke me up with a foot to the head. It was a rude awakening, to say the least, but it allowed me to read and respond to your message, so it might be considered a good thing, right? After all, I know you eagerly await my replies as much as I do yours. That last part isn’t a joke in case you’re wondering. I really do look forward to hearing from you each time.
Have a great day, Gabe :)
Sara
He winced in sympathy over her being awoken with a foot to her head. But what really stood out was her admission of looking forward to hearing from him. Was she simply being nice? He should probably consider it a generic pleasantry, but he didn’t really think that was the case here. She genuinely appeared to enjoy their correspondence as much as he did. Which, in turn, made him feel kind of special. She’s probably saying the same thing to ten other soldiers. He froze as that unwelcome thought flittered through his head. He didn’t even know this woman. They could pass on the street and he’d be none the wiser. He was being ridiculous. He should hope that she was bringing the same kind of magic to others as well. Did his fellow soldiers deserve it less than him? Asshole award, right here. And with that, he dropped back into his chair and hit the Reply button.
Sara:
Nothing wrong with being an introvert. You already know by now that I don’t use ten words when two will do. I could blame it on the military, but it’s just me. Everyone has their part to play in the game of life. If we were all the same, where would that leave us? I like the image you present of doing the voices with your niece. And every kid is probably embarrassed by adults at some point. It’s those times they’ll remember when they’re older, and not the serious stuff.
Right now, I’m in my office. I’m dirty and tired from traveling today. Looking forward to bed and a few hours of sleep to recharge. I like your e-mails too.
Talk soon,
Gabe
As he read over his response once before sending it, Gabe gave himself a mental pat on the back. I’m definitely getting the hang of this. Not that it was great by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn’t the worst he’d sent either. He’d even written two paragraphs. He’d have to check back to be certain, but he thought that was a first.
Just then a knock on his door jarred him back to the present. One look at Jason’s stark expression told Gabe two things: Something was very wrong, and there would be no sleep for him that night.
* * *
• • •
Sara was sitting at her mother’s kitchen table sipping a much-needed cup of coffee as she went through the bank statement for last month. She’d been up since before 4 a.m. thanks to her mother accidentally setting off her burglar alarm and calling in a panic. With Chris out of town, it left her to make the early morning drive across town to deal with something her mom could have easily handled. Naturally, Nicole hadn’t been thrilled to discover she would have to take over getting her daughter up and to school, but after Sara had sweetly given her the choice of coming here or staying in bed another few hours, she’d opted for Kaylee detail. Poor thing, I hope she can do the weather on eight hours’ sleep. She laughed softly, thinking Chloe would have appreciated her sarcasm.
As Sara wrote out the few checks needed for the monthly bills, she once again vowed to have a talk with her mother. Most of the bills were on autopay, so there was very little to deal with. Plus, she needed to understand her finances. It shouldn’t be necessary for her to call her son or daughter every time she wanted to make a purchase. Sara had tried to explain how much more privacy she would have if she simply handled this on her own. She was an adult, and it was her money. She didn’t need permission to use it. Yet every time Sara had broached the subject, she was met with a dozen excuses as to why she couldn’t do it. Maybe she should discuss it with Chris first. If they presented a unified front, it might be easier. Plus, it was past time he stopped treating their mother like a child. Sara would never get anywhere without his support. Why couldn’t he see that this would benefit him too?
She loved her brother, but he tended to bury his head in the sand to avoid confrontation of any type with the women in his family. He let Nicole have her way, even though she knew at times he didn’t agree with her decisions. And he did the same with their mother. It was easier to him than risking tears or anger. Sara was the only one he didn’t seem to mind pissing off. That’s because you always let it go, and he knows it. As she was processing that unpleasant thought, her mother wandered into the kitchen dressed neatly in blue jeans and a sweater. She knew from the bank statements that she had an appointment with her hair stylist every six weeks like clockwork. Which was obviously money well spent because her short bob was neat and sassy, and Sara couldn’t detect a hint of gray among the dark strands. Even though she was proud to have such an attractive mother, it made her pat her own sloppy ponytail self-consciously. She’d also thrown on a pair of yoga pants and an oversized shirt when she’d been abruptly woken earlier, a fact that her mother’s sharp glance didn’t miss. You’d think a woman who needed help as much as her mother did would be a little less critical of the daughter supplying it.
She leaned in to drop a kiss on the top of Sara’s head before saying, “I’m exhausted. The darned alarm going off in the middle of the night took years off my life. Have you any idea how startling it is to be jarred from a sound sleep by something such as that?”
Gee, I have no clue, Sara thought wryly, not bothering to point out that she’d done the same thing to her. “Maybe you can catch a nap later,” she added dryly. That certainly wouldn’t be happening for her, as she’d be leaving straight from there to pick up Kaylee.
Her mother looked pointedly at her clothing again. “Were you going to the gym this morning, dear? You know there are much more . . . figure-flattering choices out there. Those types of knits don’t look good on anyone, unless you’re a tiny thing like Nicole.” Wow, an insult and a comparison to Nicole. She is cranky today. Even though her mother wasn’t what you’d call close to her daughter-in-law, they had a sort of mutual admiration thing going on. They were both very appearance conscious and worried far too much about what others thought of them. Don’t forget self-centered.