Chapter 20
On Thursday morning, when Apple arrived on base, he got word they were being called into a meeting. The world didn't stop for anything, not even his desire to spend the weekend with Amelia.
“Big meeting,” Sharp said as they stepped into the conference room.
“You have any idea what this is about?”
“Heard things are getting hot and heavy in Indonesia.”
“Do you think we’ll be sent out?”
Sharp shrugged. “I don’t know. We might.”
They sat down and turned their attention to the front. The meeting was called to order, and the briefing began. They were going to be heading to Indonesia. Now, he had to break it to Amelia. He hoped she took it well.
He left the base a little after noon and headed home to pack his things. He had to be back by four. They were flying out this evening and wouldn’t be back for a few weeks.
When he stepped into the house, Amelia looked concerned. “I didn’t know you were coming home early.”
“Yeah, I have to head out.”
“What does that mean?”
“We’re being sent overseas. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”
“But not eight months, right?”
“No, not eight months. A few weeks at most.”
“I hate that you're going, but I get that it's your job. I'll be fine. I'm thinking about looking into what I want to do for work. This will give me time to really look into it. Then, by the time you get home, I should know what I want. That way, I can earn some money.”
“You know, there is no pressure.”
“I feel bad.”
He pulled her close, kissing her cheek. “Don’t feel bad, but I understand the desire to do something. I couldn’t sit back and not contribute.”
She snuggled closer and hugged him tighter.
Being with him felt right. Maybe they wouldn’t be able to make it work, but they might.
It would be better for Lainey if they could make it work or at least remain friends.
A little guilt slid through her. What if they got involved, and it ruined their friendship?
Avery had to leave so she wouldn't say anything. The last thing she wanted to do was distract him before he left for a mission. She could deal with the feelings on her own. When he got back, they would need to have a long talk about how they should move forward.
She watched as he drove off, her heart in her throat.
No question she cared deeply for Avery. She just didn't want to ruin things for Lainey.
She couldn't be selfish and think of only herself.
She had to think of more than just her own needs.
Before, when she'd been with Avery, sleeping with him hadn't been a big deal.
Of course, it ended up being a huge deal.
She hadn't known it at the time. She hadn't known anything about anything back then.
How had she survived the last few years? She was responsible for a child, and sometimes, she felt like she wasn't mature enough to make the decisions she had to make.
At least Lainey was okay. She closed her eyes and blew out a breath, trying to push away the fear that still threatened to overcome her.
Everything could have been much worse. If Dena hadn’t been there and then if Avery hadn’t arrived, if everything hadn’t gone the way it had, where would Lainey be right now?
She wiped away the tears and moved to her computer, pulling up information on local colleges. Did she really want to go to college? What did she want to do?
College would take a long time, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to take four or more years. When she was younger, she’d had plans, but plans changed. Now she couldn’t imagine why she’d wanted to do any of the things she’d thought she wanted to do.
She opened another browser window and typed in how to get a job without a degree. The search came back and there was a list of jobs, but nothing jumped out at her.
Frustration ground through her, so she got up and headed into the kitchen to get some water.
She moved to the den and stared out across the street, watching the neighborhood.
Two cars pulled up, and a couple got out of one of the cars, then a woman got out of the other.
They met at the walkway and were all smiles.
She wondered what they were doing, then saw the sign in the front of the house. It was up for sale. Was that the realtor? She was chatting with the couple as they walked in, and she wondered how that would be. Could she be a realtor?
Once back at the computer, she looked up information on being a realtor.
She could do it. It didn’t seem that hard.
She would have to take classes and study, but it wouldn’t be impossible.
There would be people, but they wouldn’t be drunks like at the bar.
It would be safer than working nights at the bar.
It was close to time for Lainey to come home, so she finished up at the computer and made sure the dishes were clean. She made her way to the bus stop and waited for Lainey. Her daughter stepped off the bus, her smile wide.
“How was today?”
“Good, Momma. When does Apple get home?”
Amelia smiled at the name Lainey called him and took her hand. “He had to leave town.”
“What does that mean?”
“He had to leave for work, and he won’t be home for a few weeks.”
Lainey stopped walking, her eyes narrowed. “Why did he leave?”
“His work calls him out from time to time.”
“But he’s coming home, right? He’s not going to be gone for good, right?”
She nodded, wishing she could give Lainey more details, but she didn’t know the details. “He will be home soon.”
“Do we have to leave?”
“No, honey, we don’t have to leave. We’ll stay at his place and be here when he gets back.”
They made their way home, Lainey holding her hand. This was the type of place she wanted to live. It was quiet, and though there were duplexes, there weren’t huge apartment complexes.
It was weird that she lived here with Avery.
The neighborhood was great, the schools were wonderful, and Lainey was happy.
She was happy, too. Finding Avery and moving in with him was more like a fantasy she'd never really allowed herself to go too deep into.
She'd wanted to find him again, thinking for a while that he would come back into her life and rescue her, but she hadn't really thought it would happen.
Sharing an apartment with Dena had been great, but it hadn’t been Avery. Dena was her friend, and she loved her, but Dena wouldn’t have stayed with her long term. If Dena met someone, she would have left, and Amelia knew it.
“Mommy, can we order pizza?”
She smiled at Lainey and knelt in front of her. “Honey, I need a job for us to order pizza. We have food in our refrigerator. I’m looking at getting a job, but I need it to be a good one, something that can pay our bills.”
Lainey narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips together. “What job are you going to get? It won’t be dangerous like last time, right?”
Her daughter’s words caught her off guard and she let go a bark of laughter then pulled her into a hug, hating that Lainey knew there had been danger. “No, it won’t be dangerous. I won’t have a dangerous job, honey. I’ll have something that will get me home shortly after you get out of school.”
“Yea!” Lainey danced around. She stopped dancing and froze in front. “How about peanut butter?
“Sure, peanut butter is great. We can do a peanut butter sandwich.”
Lainey danced around more, and Amelia laughed as she grabbed bread to make the sandwiches and the peanut butter.
Her daughter had always been good about being flexible.
There'd never been any fits thrown about not being able to get a hamburger or expensive chicken nuggets.
She'd been okay with cheap store-bought food instead of getting orders from restaurants.
She hated that she had to deny Lainey anything, but money had always been tight.
The club had paid better, but even then, she had a hard time affording everything.
Now, living with Avery, she might be able to get ahead. If she could save up money, she wouldn’t have to worry so much about ordering pizza a few times a month. They wouldn’t be rich, but they could afford to live.
They played after homework and dinner, and then Lainey went to bed, leaving her with a few hours to start filling out forms. The more she filled out, the more excited she got.
Before shutting down her computer, she checked her email. There was one from an email address she didn’t recognize. She opened the email, shocked to see photos of herself scantily dressed and sitting on the lap of some man. Her eyes flew over the screen, worry twisting in her guts.
She finally read the words at the top of the email. “Pay me, or he finds out.”
Anger rose, and she closed the email. Someone was blackmailing her. Why would they do that? Why would someone try to blackmail her? She had no money, so it wasn’t like she could pay off anyone. What the hell was she supposed to do?