22. Nate
TWENTY-TWO
nate
As the conversation swirled around me, I tried to follow. But when a waiter dropped his tray behind us, the loud noise made talk of Fall Festivities and Kitchi Falls Pride Week fade away as I envisioned the attack. We’d been ambushed, and though our training had gotten us out of the situation quickly, I could still feel the bullet entering me as if it were happening this very second.
“Nate?” Zoe asked. “What do you think?”
I reached over to put my hand on Zoe’s leg to remind myself I wasn’t in the African desert but here, in Kitchi Falls, with my friends. And my girlfriend.
“I wasn’t with you for a second. What’s the question?”
Lucas caught my eye.
He knew.
“We have two separate promotions going on and are talking about the timing of them. But you know what, let’s not talk about work. Nate, why don’t you and Lucas share things about your time in Africa that you couldn’t tell us before?”
“Our time in Africa. Well, it wasn’t actually like we were on safari.”
“Of course, you weren’t,” Zoe added quickly, making me feel like a shit for being so blunt. “And you don’t have to share if you don’t want to.”
Lucas saved me. “I can tell you not hearing the words ‘Emergency Action Plan’ ever again won’t upset me.”
“What’s that?” Charlee asked, taking a sip of wine. We’d all finished our meals—a hell of a lot better than frozen waffles and what was supposed to pass as hash browns or, of course, endless helpings of chicken—and were just winding down.
“EAP,” I said. “You have them for everything. An active shooter situation, airplane crashing, taking incoming. . .”
“Taking incoming.” Zoe put her hand on top of mine. I intertwined our fingers together partially because it felt good and partially so that I didn’t let my hand wander down her leg. “Like, incoming bombs?”
“Exactly,” I said.
“Do you remember back in February…” Lucas began recalling an incident from earlier in the year back at base. While we talked, Zoe watched me with interest. I knew she wanted more details about my life in Africa this past year, but there was so much I couldn’t talk about.
I also couldn’t help noticing how easy conversation was with her. I’d thought that from the beginning, but it turned out it wasn’t just with me. Lucas and Charlee, the waiter, a woman who had come to our table, apparently an employee of the resort where Zoe worked. She made everyone smile with her easy, welcoming manner.
We were so opposite.
I had no desire to make friends everywhere I went like Zoe did. Comfortable in my own small circle, I could probably exist happily on an island with very little company, something that would no doubt drive Zoe up a wall.
So different, and yet. . .we worked.
Friday night all but forgotten, with the exception of a very small part of me that still wondered if I were, indeed, a rebound, I was determined to move on. And would have been able to do so much more quickly if the very person who caused the whole issue in the first place hadn’t just walked into the restaurant with his fiancée.
Erik looked directly at our table. His surprise at seeing me with Zoe evident, for a second I thought he might actually come over to us. Thankfully, he didn’t.
“Ugh, of all people,” Charlee said, she and Lucas spotting him at the same time.
I looked at Zoe. Her cheeks were pink, something I hadn’t seen happen once this whole weekend. She was embarrassed. Why?
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yes, of course,” she said too quickly.
She wasn’t, and it was clear to everyone at the table.
“Maybe now is a good time for some lip gloss,” Charlee said, standing.
And just like that, Zoe pulled her hand away, standing to join her friend. They all but ran to the bathroom.
“An interesting development,” Lucas said.
“Yeah.” I took a swig of beer. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as the waiter brought Erik and his nurse, who didn’t hold a candle to Zoe, two glasses of wine. Of course, he was a wine drinker. Just the type.
“Small-town living.” Lucas sat back in his chair. “You can’t take a piss in Kitchi Falls without someone knowing about it.”
“Charming.” Except, it wasn’t. At least, Erik wasn’t. He’d seemed nice enough on the plane, but at the moment, I wanted to smash the fucker’s face in. He’d obviously struck up a relationship with his nurse while dating Zoe.
“Put the daggers away.”
I took my friend’s advice. Last thing I needed was to get into an altercation with Zoe’s ex my third day in town.
“How the hell did I not recognize him from Zoe’s social media? He was the reason I thought she wasn’t available when she first texted me.”
“He’s got a forgettable face.”
Smiling, I looked toward the ladies’ room. Nothing yet.
“Ignore him. Tell me how it’s going so far?” Lucas chuckled. “Never mind. Your smile says it all.”
“We are. . .” I tried to think of a way to put it. “Extremely compatible.”
“In the bedroom, sure. But otherwise?” Lucas laughed. Before I could answer, he said, “Only fifteen minutes late. We thought it would be longer. Actually lost a bet to Charlee over it.”
“Oh yeah? What’d you bet?” This time, Lucas’s knowing smile told me what kind of bet he and his girlfriend had made. “Never mind. To answer your question, so far so good. Or very good, I should say.”
“You’re not coming back to my place, are you?”
“Probably not.” But that did beg the question. “Although I have to figure out what the hell is next. I can only live on bonus money for so long.”
“What are you thinking?”
Lucas knew all about my situation with the restaurant. Had a few choice words for my uncle too. But honestly? Shame on me for putting my entire future in the hands of a guy who I knew was a heavy gambler. Even if I couldn’t have predicted how bad.
“I’m thinking I was an idiot for putting all my eggs in one basket.”
“Eh, doesn’t matter. Basket dropped. Eggs are all broken. Now what?”
“I have a few ideas,” I said, obviously having thought a lot about it. “Mom wants me to go back to school, but it’s not happening. I’d gotten used to the idea of a restaurant and thought about getting into the business anyway, but I’m not sure that’s the perfect fit either.”
“So, what are your ideas?”
Just then, the ladies rejoined us at the table. Our conversation would have to wait. I indicated as much to Lucas silently, not quite ready to talk about it in front of Zoe. If I pursued one of my trains of thought, I wasn’t sure the kind of woman who dated a wine-drinking doctor would be thrilled. Plus, I also didn’t want to presume too much. We’d had the “dating” talk, but me picking a permanent place to live was a whole other level.
Trying to make the transition from military to civilian life after serving in an active combat zone for a year, plus adjust to a new relationship. . . was a lot.
“How you guys doing?” Charlee asked as she sat down.
Zoe didn’t sit, though. Instead she came around from behind me, leaned down into my ear and said, “Do you remember talking once about you being in complete control. Dropping me to my knees. Having me take you as deep as you wanted, before pulling me up and bending me over the bed—”
“Zoe.” I ground out the warning. I wouldn’t be able to stand up in a second.
As if she hadn’t whispered that, Zoe came around me and sat back down, looking at me with doe eyes.
“Yes, Nate?”
Oh man, this woman. “I think maybe we should get the check.”
“I agree.”
And then didn’t she turn back to Lucas and Charlee, take a sip of wine, and pretend she hadn’t just made me rock hard and anticipating leaving this restaurant, and her ex with it, sooner rather than later.
The waitress walked by us. I didn’t even ask Lucas and Charlee if they wanted anything else.
“Check, please.”