He frowned and glanced at me.
“You should see your face.” I chuckled.
He sighed and sat back in his chair. “You seem to speak the same language as her—any tips on how I deal with this boyfriend situation?”
I blinked several times then shook my head. At the age of sixteen, I’d gone on a total of one date. It was for junior prom, and after that I didn’t date until I was eighteen, after I was out of the woods for my exams and I was certain I’d secured the spot I wanted at college.
“I was a geek, remember.” I giggled.
“You don’t look like a geek, Brooke. I’m not going to believe that, even if you spent your days and nights in a library.”
“It’s true. I was. What were you?” I asked, even though I already knew before he answered.
“A jock. I played football, quarterback for my school team.”
Yup, I’d guessed some sort of jock, and I was right.
“Okay jock, are you seriously going to tell me you didn’t have a girlfriend at sixteen?” I laughed at him trying to find an answer.
“Oh, God.” He sighed. “It’s different.”
“How?”
“It just is.”
“Okay.” Better to agree; no way was I getting in the middle of this battle of theirs, interesting as it was.
“So no tips?”
“Have you met the guy?”
“I don’t know if that is wise. We probably shouldn’t meet.”
“When I started dating, my dad had to meet whoever I was with, and he was always like that.”
I thought of my father often, but I didn’t really talk about him. Talking about him stirred memories, memories of not just him but Mom too.
“Was he?”
“Yes, he was, and he’d always wear his uniform too, so they knew he carried a gun. If there was any doubt he had about the guy, he’d meet with him in his office with his gun collection.”
Come to think of it, Ryan wasn’t as much of a nightmare as Dad had been.
Ryan laughed and leaned on his elbows. “Your dad sounds cool.”
“He was.” I pulled in a breath to calm my mind. The last time I’d told anyone what had happened to my father was years ago. “He was a captain in the Marines. He died in Iraq ten years ago saving his men when they were ambushed. It was the same year he was due to retire.”
I was in my sophomore year college when it happened. It was a wonder how I’d made it through and completed my semester, let alone my degree.
Ryan immediately looked sad. His expression fell and guilt filled his eyes, most likely because of what he’d said to me the day before.
“I’m sorry that happened to you. It must have been tough.”
I nodded. “Yeah, it was.”
Ryan pressed his lips together. “I’m sorry, Brooke. That definitely is sad. I…know what loss feels like.” Sadness filled his eyes, turning them a darker shade of green. “My wife…um, she died six years ago. It was cancer, leukemia.”
I stared at him, realizing my worst thought was correct. Aria’s mom had died, and I didn’t have to be told that they hadn’t mentioned her because of the pain they must have felt.
