CHAPTER 3
As soon as the bank manager finished dispersing the cash drawers to the tellers on Monday morning, Emma turned to Lainey at the window next to her. “Again, I’m so sorry about Friday’s dinner.”
Lainey shook her head. “No worries. Robert already apologized.”
“He did?” Emma raised her brow.
“Yeah, when he walked me to my car. He said he was just nervous, and that’s why he ...” she searched for the right description, “clammed up.”
“Really? That’s good, because he was awful. Jake and I felt so bad for putting you in that situation.”
“Don’t. We’re actually going out tomorrow night.”
“You are?”
“Yeah, he said he was free this week, because he’s on a cycle break. I wasn’t sure what that meant,” Lainey shrugged.
“Oh, yes. He gets two weeks between basic training cycles. He lives on base too. I told you he’s a drill sergeant at Fort Riley, right?”
“Yes. And that he was in Army Intelligence too, right?”
“Yes, but he took the post at Fort Riley when the opening came up for a Drill Sergeant. His dad’s had some health problems, and he wanted to move closer to family. He’s from Chapman, like Jake.”
“What else do you know about him?”
“Well...” she tapped her chin. “He told Jake to tell me I have hot friends,” she chuckled.
“You do? Who?” Lainey hadn’t met any of Emma’s circle.
Emma rolled her eyes. “You! Silly! He was referring to you.”
“Oh.”
“But Lain, if you don’t want to see him again, please don’t feel obligated on my account.”
Lainey shook her head. “Oh no. I won’t....I mean, I want to see him.”
“Robert can be rough around the edges. I’ve only gotten to know him these past two years, since he’s moved back. But Jake has always told me stories from high school. Apparently he was pretty wild.”
“Like what stories?”
“Well,” Emma looked up in thought. “Jake said, when they were seniors, Robert took apart an old Volkswagen bug, snuck it into the school’s cafeteria at night, piece by piece, and reassembled it before morning.
” She giggled. “The principal was livid and even offered a reward to any student who’d snitch.
But no one did. It took the shop teacher five days to remove it. ”
Lainey gasped, “Oh my word, that’s legendary!”
“It is, isn’t it?” Emma snickered. “But then he knocked up his girlfriend,” she winced, “the spring before graduation and joined the Army before the baby girl was even born.”
“Yikes. That had to be rough raising a kid and traveling base to base,” Lainey grimaced.
“Oh, the girl was raised here. Robert never married the mother. Jake said, the mother ended up marrying someone else and having two more kids.” Emma said.
“Did he abandon the baby?”
She shook her head. “Oh, no. It wasn’t like that. I think he asked the girlfriend to marry him, but her parents stopped that plan. He sent child support, of course.” She nodded, “And I think he took leave on holidays to visit.”
“Is he close to his daughter?” Lainey couldn’t imagine seeing Viv only during the holidays. She actually thought when Vivian grew up they’d remain close in relationship and distance.
Emma shrugged, “I really don’t know.”
“You said he was married though?”
“He was. I think his wife was in the army too. I never met her. I think they were only married for a couple of years, not very long.”
Robert sounded like he had baggage, but Lainey had already agreed to the date tomorrow night. It wasn’t like she didn’t have her own issues, being a widow and all. But was this the type of man she should be dating?
Before the double date last weekend, Emma told her he was funny, smart, and he’d been friends with Jake for years. Plus, how good-looking he was. She’d really talked him up.
Lainey was already nervous about getting back out there. Maybe she shouldn’t have exchanged numbers with him. Maybe she shouldn’t have taken his call and accepted his invitation.
This dating thing at her age was unfamiliar territory. She was embarking on a journey that would end happy, or disastrous. It was a fifty-fifty gamble, and she was not a gambler.
* * *
Instead of a dress and those obnoxious red cowboy boots, Lainey decided to stick with jeans and a satin blouse for Tuesday’s date. She still didn’t know what she’d been thinking digging those dusty boots out of the closet last Friday night.
Sarah, a teenager who lived up the street and from the youth group at church, agreed to watch Viv. And Lainey was on time for this date, rather than twenty minutes late like last time.
Mavericks had a small happy hour crowd of regulars, but she didn’t see Robert yet, so she claimed a spot at the bar.
Then it hit her. Panic. She remembered how cold he’d been last Friday during dinner.
Then, he became a completely different person in the parking lot.
Maybe that cold side returned, and he wouldn’t show.
Lainey ordered a beer. She was going to have an iced tea again, but decided a beer would be better if she ended up alone. At least she’d order one drink and wouldn’t look totally out of place on a Tuesday night sitting at the bar by herself.
She looked at her phone. He was five minutes late. She was going to give him another five minutes, then jet. A man with a ball cap and a beard straight from the old show, Duck Dynasty, claimed the seat next to her. “Hi hon. Have I seen you in here before?”
“No, I don’t think so,” she shook her head.
“Weren’t you here for the K-State game last Thursday night?”
She glanced at him, trying not to make eye contact. “Nope,” she sipped her beer, looking at the TV above the bar back. “Wasn’t me.” She didn’t want to be rude, but dude, I’m not interested.
Another man’s voice came from behind. “You’re in my seat.”
She and Weird Beard turned. It was Robert. He towered over the guy, who she feared to be a nuisance, and glared down at him.
Civil War beard quickly nodded and left them.
Robert claimed the seat and signaled the bartender. “Sorry I’m late. I didn’t get out of work as soon as I’d hoped.”
“I thought you were between cycles or something?”
“I’ll have what she’s having,” he told the bartender. “I am, but repairs to the barracks need to be done before the next recruits come. It took longer than I thought, sorry.”
“It’s fine. Thank you for saving me from whoever that guy was,” she motioned.
Robert laughed. “That probably happens to you all the time, doesn’t it?”
No, never, not at all. She shrugged.
“Let’s get a table.” He motioned towards the booths on the far wall.
Lainey nodded, and they claimed one. A server brought them menus and told them it was pizza night.
“I could do a pizza. What about you?” Robert asked.
“Sure,” Lainey shrugged. “What kind of pizza do you want?”
Robert smiled. “What kind of pizza do you want?” His voice was smooth, and he took a sip of his beer, waiting for her reply.
She felt a weird, topsy-turvy sensation in her stomach. “I like supreme, all veggies and meat. But if you want all meat, we can do that.”
“No, supreme is good with me. But apparently I look like a carnivore to you,” he snickered.
“You probably don’t get as big as you,” she motioned to his muscular arms resting on the table across from her, “without protein, so yes.” He’d worn a t-shirt which was taut across the shoulders again, but now she had a better look at his tattoo.
“I think you meant that as a compliment,” he smirked.
He was definitely not the cold man she’d sat next to at the steakhouse. He was already engaging and smiling, and his green eyes were locked on her.
When the pizza arrived, they ordered a second round of beers. “I’m sorry, but Emma never told me what your last name is?” Lainey asked.
“It’s Lane.”
“If I married you, my name would be Lainey Lane?” She gasped, “Oh my word, I can’t believe I just said that.
I’m so sorry. I know we’re not getting married...
I mean, of course not, we just met.” She was rambling, and needed to shut up.
She felt her cheeks burning and thought she should’ve ordered iced tea.
“It’s boiling in here,” she started looking around, fanning herself.
He cocked his head and chuckled, “Well, that answers that question.”
She snapped her head back to him. “What question?”
“If you’re into me, as much as I’m into you,” he grinned and took a bite of his pizza.
Lainey’s stomach did that topsy-turvy thing again. She needed to change the subject. “How long have you been a drill sergeant? Is that something you want to do for the foreseeable future?” Why do I sound like I’m interviewing him for a job? She thought.
“I’ve been on the trail coming up two years.
My DS tour will be over in January. As an E-8, I need to decide my next move.
I’m either going to become a civilian or transfer back to Army Intelligence and spend the rest of my career at Fort Huachuca, Arizona as an instructor,” he rolled his eyes.
“I’ve kind of aged out of...” he seemed to be trying to find the words, “the type of HUMINT unit I was in. I’m sick of wearing a dish dash, anyway. ”
She didn’t understand the letters, numbers or abbreviations he was saying, but she didn’t want to sound like an idiot by asking what they meant. She’d remembered dish dash was clothing though and would search it on the internet later. “You’d be leaving Kansas then?”
“Affirmative. I took this assignment only to be closer to family. And they want instructors with combat experience.” He took a breath.
“I’ve been on active-duty for almost twenty-three years.
” He shook his head and took a sip of his beer.
“It’s really all I’ve known, but maybe it’s time for a change.
” He shrugged and took another sip. “I still have a few months to figure it out.”
“What’s with the tattoo?” She motioned to his arm.
He looked down, rotating his forearm and tri-cep, “Yeah, it’s kind of loud, isn’t it? I got it in my twenties. It’s a Viking. I have Viking ancestry, and thought it was cool.” Robert sighed, “Decisions we make in our youth. What about you? Any tattoos?”