Military mail was a pain in the ass at times. What if he changed his mind and it was not in the recycle bin? That thought alone made him feel a little queasy. So maybe he wouldn’t get rid of her e-mail yet. No harm in letting it sit there. The trick was not replying. Gabe grabbed a nearby folder with some information for the morning meeting and hurried from his office. He would stay busy until the urge had passed.
Two hours later, Gabe felt like a junky deprived of his fix. His knees were bouncing up and down, and he was chewing gum as if his life depended on it. It was mean not to send a quick message. A gentleman doesn’t ignore a lady. He knew that last one was a reach, but still, he’d take any justification at this point. It was almost alarming how much he craved hearing from this Sara again. And he knew for that to happen, he had to do his part. Before he could wage another inner battle, he opened her e-mail and hit the Reply button.
Sara:
Yes, I am single and my dog’s name is Trouble. After being surrounded by our uniforms for many years, I don’t think I share your views on them suiting everyone equally well. I would agree that touching your nose with your tongue isn’t necessarily a feature. And I’ve never given any thought as to what mine would be.
Thanks,
Gabe
Gabe shook his head in defeat. He hadn’t thought it could get much worse than his first written disaster, but this one was a strong contender. Why can’t I just talk to her like a friend? If he was this uptight with all women, that might explain why they weren’t exactly beating his door down. Again, he wondered why it suddenly mattered so much to him. As intrigued as he was with his new pen pal, a part of him resented her as well. He had more than enough shit to keep him awake at night. Now, thanks to her, he was actually giving thought to being liked? When had he ever given a damn about anyone’s approval? He’d moved up in the ranks of the military through hard work, dedication, and precision, not kissing ass. Same thing applied to other areas of his life. He was there if needed and stayed out of things that weren’t any of his concern. You’re the social butterfly of Anchorage, Alaska. Winning them over everywhere you go with that personality.
Before he wasted more of his day on self-analysis, Gabe hit the Send button and logged off his computer. He’d never been happier to know he was needed at the airfield. At least that would keep his mind off her for a while. Get out of my head, lady, he inwardly groused as he crossed the runway. As if afraid he’d jinxed himself, his next thought was, Please write back.
* * *
• • •
Sara smiled as Kaylee walked toward the car. One of the teachers opened her door and waited for the little girl to settle inside before closing it behind her. When she’d started the half-day kindergarten a few months earlier, it had really made Sara think about her own future. In her mind, Kaylee would always be the baby she’d fallen in love with at first sight. Oh, she knew there was no fear of losing her job for years to come, but by then her chances to have a family of her own might have diminished. Well, you don’t exactly have any baby daddy prospects lining up to take you off the market. That might be true, but as Chloe had mentioned more than once, Sara wasn’t likely to meet someone sitting at home every night.
What about Gabe? She’d met Gabe, and was enjoying chatting back and forth with him. Even if his messages weren’t particularly long. Surely that counted as meeting someone, and who knew . . . maybe she’d gain her confidence back and be able to find someone closer to home.
They’d been running late that morning, so Sara had rushed Kaylee out of the house to get to school. Then she’d spent the last few hours grocery shopping and running errands for Nicole. Returning the other woman’s clothes wasn’t her job, but her sister-in-law didn’t seem to get that.
Now that she finally had a moment to breathe, she couldn’t help the rush of anticipation at the thought of her new online friend. She hadn’t checked her e-mail, but considering how pained he sounded in his previous one, she was doubtful he’d jumped right in and answered quickly. As Kaylee chattered on and on about her preschool crush, Jimmy, Sara found herself counting the minutes until they were home, which was a first for her. Normally she attempted to prolong their time out, knowing it would make the afternoon shorter and also help Kaylee burn off some excess energy. “Sarie, can we go to McDonald’s?”
Oh crap. Wait, that’s perfect. “Absolutely, sweetheart,” Sara said brightly as she took the next exit. Even though Nicole rarely ever cooked, she frowned on her daughter eating fast food. Something Sara usually agreed with. But once in a while, Kaylee deserved a treat. And with the afternoon seeming to loom before her, she felt like today was a perfect day for a splurge.
Like most people, she got bored sometimes by the routine of her days, but Kaylee was very good at keeping her entertained. Lately, though, she longed for . . . more. She could blame the whole attack of discontent on her aunt Lydia. Having your life scrutinized in front of a roomful of people not only was embarrassing, but kind of brought some hard truths home. The mirror you could no longer avoid. And even though she was thrilled to have met Gabe, it also made her yearn for someone special in her life. There was a restlessness within her that hadn’t been there before.
Strangely enough, the McDonald’s atmosphere was fairly low key when they arrived. Within a few moments, Sara had their tray, and Kaylee was impatiently holding open the door to the play area. Usually the excited squeals of the kids would have her cringing, but she was so distracted she barely noticed. Kaylee looked longingly at the slide and back at her as they took a seat at a corner table. “Sorry, sweetheart, you know the rule. You need to eat at least half your food before you play.” She couldn’t help laughing as the little girl took a big bite of her burger from one hand while holding an apple slice in the other. It appeared she was gearing up to race through her meal. “Please slow down. You don’t want to choke.”
“Okay, Sarie,” Kaylee mumbled around the apple slice, which was now in her mouth. The pained look on her face clearly said that Sara was trying her patience, but she didn’t complain. Even at five, she was smart enough to know that it would just delay the fun. She knew that all parents felt as if their kid was the best at everything, and Sara was no exception. Kaylee was absolutely precious. A combination of smart, stubborn, sweet, and so damned funny. Don’t forget you’re not her mother. Nicole and Chris were the ones who would be front and center at every major moment in this child’s life, as they should be. And you’ll be standing to the side next to your mother.
When Kaylee finished her food, Sara had her phone out before the girl had taken two steps from the table. “Have fun, sweetie, and remember your manners,” she called out absently as she impatiently logged into her e-mail. And there it was . . . another reply from Gabe. She clutched her iPhone as if it would take flight if she didn’t hold it tightly. Yet she did nothing more. After all of her eagerness, she sat staring at the screen. Why am I so nervous? This is nuts. I don’t even know him. How come this is so important to me? But she couldn’t deny it did feel important to her. Meeting him had given her an excitement she hadn’t felt in so long. And she was afraid each time that either she’d never hear from him again or he’d simply brush her off. His brief responses aren’t exactly begging you to continue contacting him.