Chapter One #2
“God, no,” Dade told her. “First thing, I have no idea which way he swings.” Though his gaydar had been going off something fierce, and it was rarely wrong.
“Most importantly, I am not getting involved with anyone in the military. No way, no how. I’ve already lived that life.
Eight schools in twelve years. After a while, it seemed like every time I woke up, I was in a different house, different school, sometimes a different country, and even a different continent. ”
“Don’t exaggerate,” Renee scolded.
“I’m not. I’ve lived on every continent except Antarctica, and I swear that if my father had had the chance, he would have taken an assignment there as well.
Japan, Germany, a short stint in Australia, Nairobi, Santiago, Chile, as well as postings here.
It never seemed to end. About the time I’d make friends and get settled, Dad would come home and tell us that he was being stationed in Africa or that we were going back to Germany.
” That sort of life was the last thing he wanted, and Dade was well aware of what came with a military career.
“I get it, I guess,” Renee said. “But you don’t have to marry the guy or anything. You could take officer hunky out for a test drive and see how he rides.” The woman had the dirtiest mind of anyone he knew, and Dade loved her for it.
“Let’s get these hoodlums inside so we can try to teach them something,” Dade offered, and Renee blew her whistle, getting the attention of all the kids, who grew quieter as they approached the doors.
Once his students were back in the classroom, he got them seated and started the last lessons of the day.
By the time he got home, he was tired, but he knew he had plenty to do.
Dade had managed to call the insurance company, and they had said that they would send out a restoration team.
A representative of the team had stopped by the school at lunch to get the key.
So essentially Dade had no idea what he was going to be walking into.
When he stepped inside, the apartment was totally different.
All the furniture had been pulled away from the walls.
The sofa and chairs had been washed and were damp.
So was the carpet. Basically, he couldn’t go any farther.
Fans blew the air around, and windows had been opened, so there was plenty of airflow, but if he tried to walk through the place, he’d probably make a mess.
Dade turned around and checked his phone.
Then he called the restoration company, who explained that everything except his clothes and bedding had been cleaned.
They suggested that he wash everything once the furniture and carpets dried.
Dade thanked them and ended the call because there was nothing else he could do.
He stood in the tiled entrance and tried to figure out what to do next. Dade was about to call Renee and see if he could stay with her for a day or so when a firm knock made him jump. He pulled open the door and stared into the blue eyes of the man who had saved him that morning.
“Dade.”
“Umm… yes. Clifton… from this morning.” He smiled and opened the door fully. “I’d invite you in, but it seems that everything has been cleaned and is still damp.”
“So, they got in here today. That’s really good.
” He peered around. “I just stopped by to make sure you were okay.” He was wearing the same fatigues as that morning, and danged if they didn’t look as crisp and clean as they had earlier.
It was like the things didn’t dare wrinkle.
“You were pretty out of it this morning, and I was worried there might be some lingering effects.”
“None other than the fact that everyone commented that I smelled like smoke. But I didn’t have anything to change into before work, and at the moment, all my clothes need to be washed, but I can’t get to any of them.
I guess I’ll head to Target to get something to wear and go to a hotel for the night.
” At least the insurance company said they would cover a few hotel nights if he needed them.
Dade stepped out of the apartment and closed the door.
“Can I offer you dinner? It’s the least I can do after you saved my life. ”
“You don’t need to do that, but I won’t turn down company for dinner. I usually go home alone and heat up something frozen.”
It would be a nice gesture, though part of Dade told him to just thank Clifton and say good night, but the guy had saved his life, and dinner was the right thing to do.
And it wasn’t like he had plans for that evening other than to find a place to crash until things inside his place had a chance to dry and he could get in there and wash everything.
“Then we could go to Café Belgie, if you’d like. They have really good food.”
“Sure, sounds good.”
Dade paused as he locked the door. “Do people call you Cliff?” Clifton seemed rather formal.
“Actually, most of my friends call me Dutch. It was a nickname that I picked up in high school. I really don’t understand where it came from, other than we used to go out after basketball games, and I was the one who always figured out how much everyone owed.
I guess they started using that term at the time.
and it stuck. Most people in the service call me either Major or Rogers, though a few friends call me Cliff.
Even my family call me Dutch, which is kind of grating because I would like to leave that nickname behind. ”
Dade chuckled. “Then don’t tell people about it. Your friends will call you what you want them to, and the rest is what it is.” He smiled and led the way. “Did you walk over or drive?”
“I walked. I try to get in a workout and stay as active as I can. When the weather is good, I walk to work. It isn’t that far and saves on gas.”
It was a nice evening, so they agreed to walk the six or so blocks downtown. “Can I ask why you went into the army?”
“I was appointed to West Point and graduated at the top of my class. After that, I went into the army as a second lieutenant and worked my way up from there.”
Dade nodded. “My father retired as a two-star general in the army. I know he would have stayed, but Mom put her foot down for once. I don’t know what she said, but it must have been powerful, because my father decided to retire and managed to get himself stationed at Carlisle Barracks to spend out his terminal leave.
” He knew a ton about the army and how it worked.
He also knew his father, and Dade swore he picked Carlisle just so the general could try to oversee his life.
One thing was for sure—his father gave busybodies a whole new meaning.
“So, you understand the military way of life,” Cliff told him.
“I do. I was part of it for all of my childhood. We moved eight times. Well, it was actually nine, but once they stationed him in Spain for a month and then they sent him back to Germany before we had a chance to move, so I don’t count that one.
” They stopped at the corner of Pomfret and Bedford Streets.
“It was a hard way to grow up. Half the time I didn’t even bother to make any friends or meet people, because as soon as I got settled in, we’d move again.
Until I was in college, I could pack everything important to me in two suitcases.
Everything else was disposable.” He tried not to go into how much he hated that and how he resented his father for putting the entire family through that year after year after year.
In truth, the fault lay with his father and not with the army.
His father had been given choices throughout his career, and his family hadn’t seemed to be a consideration.