GABE: Good morning, Sara. Hope your day is going well. Hey, wanted to see if you were interested in trying FaceTime. Thought it would be kind of cool to hear each other. We can do the phone call only—or video if you’re OK with it. Completely up to you, no pressure.
After he hit Send, he sat on pins and needles waiting for her response. When he saw the little bubbles indicating she was typing, he held his breath. How in the hell is it that I can remain totally calm while fighting a war, yet turn into a basket case over asking a woman to chat? To hell with the guys finding out, he was embarrassed enough at himself without anyone else making fun of him.
SARA: Wow, I’d love that. Give me five minutes, though. I literally rolled out of bed and took my niece to school. I’m not sure I even took the time to brush my hair. Someone kept me up late last night . . .
You’d think he’d won the lottery, as excited as he was at her agreement. Wait, she hadn’t indicated which one she wanted to do.
GABE: I’m sure you look beautiful, regardless. Just let me know when you’re ready. No rush. I know I sprung this on you suddenly. Oh, are we doing a phone call or video? Need to know before I make the connection.
SARA: I’m at home alone, so it doesn’t matter to me. Do you have privacy to video chat? If so, I’d love to see you.
Was it too late to back out? Gabe wondered uneasily. It had been his idea, but now he was on the verge of panicking. He never really gave his appearance any thought. He knew he was in good shape, thanks to years of running and strength training. Being physically fit made deployments easier to handle. And even though his bedroom was far from a revolving door, he’d never found it difficult to find a woman when he longed for female companionship. The opposite had been mostly the case. Yet he couldn’t help being uneasy. He’d come to look forward to talking to Sara every day. What if FaceTiming changed everything? Rationally he knew that he’d adjust and life would go on, but he didn’t want that. Before he could obsess any longer, she was back.
SARA: OK, ready when you are, Gabe.
He blocked out everything and focused on the task at hand. He always worked better that way. Overthinking wasn’t wise in his line of work. It would drive you crazy. All too soon, his iPad was waiting for her to answer. And then there she was. Like a punch to the gut, he knew he’d have been better off had she been a dude. Because the woman smiling shyly while waving a hand was more dangerous to him than anything he’d ever faced. This time his heart was on the line, and he feared that the beauty before him might be the one thing against which he had no defense.
* * *
• • •
Am I drooling? Dear God he’s so freaking hot. Sara was very much afraid she looked and sounded like an idiot. But since the moment Gabe had asked her to FaceTime, she’d been more rattled than she could ever recall being. And seeing the handsome man on her iPad screen did nothing at all to help her relax. Maybe she was biased, but he reminded her of a mix between Taylor Kinney and Bradley Cooper. His hair was much shorter, but those eyes. Something about them was so unusual, and his tanned face seemed to make them almost glow. Down, girl. Oh shit, what did he say? From his expectant look, it was obvious he was waiting for a reply. “Er . . . could you repeat that? I think our connection lapsed for a second.” She mentally patted herself on the back for that brilliant excuse. He might think she was an airhead, but at least she hadn’t been forced to admit she was ogling him. “I said that you look just like your picture. I asked if I am what you were imagining. Well, if you’ve given it any thought.” Was he blushing? Surely not. Must be the lighting.
“Of course I’ve wondered. But you’re way better than I envisioned.” Yikes, that didn’t come out right. “Not that I thought you’d be ugly or anything,” she added quickly, “but you’re really handsome.” Understatement of the year, baby.
“Oh,” he murmured, looking down for a moment. He ran a hand over his cheek before saying, “Thanks. I—I’m glad you think so.” Then he grinned, and Sara had to fight the urge to fan herself. Holy hotness, Batman. “Although it could be the miracle of the camo, as you called it. Maybe I should have worn my civilian clothing so you could make an accurate assessment. I’d hate for you not to recognize me out of uniform.”
“Trust me, there’s no way you’d be unattractive, regardless of how you were dressed,” she said honestly. He is blushing. I can’t believe I said all that.
“What are your plans today?” he asked, as if wanting to shift the focus from himself. Somehow that made him more endearing to her. He clearly wasn’t a man who wanted or needed his ego stroked. She thought she detected a hint of relief in his expression at her approval of his looks, but he’d been ready to move on after that. It was just another area in which they were alike.
She checked the time on her iPad. “I need to leave to pick up Kaylee soon. Then it’s the usual girl thing for us. I’m not certain about this evening. I never know what Nicole has in store for me.”
“Don’t you usually meet up with friends a few times a week?” he asked.
“Oh—yeah, but I haven’t spoken to anyone yet, so I’m not sure when that’ll be. Everyone stays so busy.” She hadn’t wanted Gabe to see her as someone without a life. A simple girl with no aspirations who spent all her time with her niece or running errands. Was it time to tell Gabe the truth? Was this a test conversation to see if there was anything there between them? At least she did have Chloe now, so her social life wasn’t a total fabrication. But still . . . truth or fabrication . . . aka lie.
“Please go out and have a decent meal for me.” He shuddered. “I’m so tired of the food here that I have to force myself to eat enough to survive on.”
“That bad, huh?” she asked sympathetically. “Wait, can I send you a package? Maybe some of your favorite things that you can’t get there?”
He appeared shocked for a moment, and she wondered if she’d overstepped the bounds of their relationship. Then he grinned and she nearly swooned. “Normally I’d decline, but I’d sell my soul for a bag of Doritos and a pack of Oreos.”
She couldn’t help laughing at his hopeful expression. In a way, it was as if she was meeting him for the first time. His e-mails were so reserved, and even though he was more relaxed via texts, she could still sense that he was on guard. But FaceTiming seemed to really bring his personality out. Maybe it was because she could see the different expressions flit across his handsome face. “Consider it done, Major. If you’ll send me your address, I’ll get a box in the mail to you this week.”
“I’ll text it to you when we hang up. If you’re sure you don’t mind, Sara, I’d really appreciate it. We have some different groups that donate stuff fairly regularly—but I try to leave that for my soldiers. Something as small as a pack of cookies can be a big morale booster, and they all deserve it. Hey—it’s ten thirty your time, do you need to get going?”