She paused in the act of removing the butter from the fridge. Then continued her movement, setting the dish on the counter, closing the refrigerator door. Finally, she met his eyes, her face carefully neutral.
“I liked you from the first day we met,” he said. “The more I got to know you, the more I liked you. You’re the Picasso of pie. You’re devoted to your family. You crack jokes that make me laugh. You love your cat. I don’t know anyone in the world like you... and I mean that as a compliment.”
“I’ll take it as a compliment.” She set a hip against the counter and loosely crossed her arms. It was a casual pose, but he could read caution in the angle of her jaw.
“But I couldn’t convince you to go out with me,” he said, “because of your rule.”
“I know you think my rule’s unfair. However, I have ten years of experience to back up its validity.”
“Actually, I think half of the reason for your ruleisfair. You’re right about the fact that any Air Force boyfriend of yours would have to leave for months at a time and have to move often. None of that can be changed.”
“I wouldn’t ask anyone to change it. What you do is hugely important, Eli. I respect it. And I fully support it.”
But his job didn’t make him good boyfriend material. He understood, very well, why that was the case. A few years from now, he hoped to make Major. He was committed to defending his country, which meant that any girlfriend of his would have to make big sacrifices because of his commitment.
“The other half of the reason for my rule is also fair,” she said.
He already had a lot to overcome with her because of his career. So it made him crazy that the lousy behavior of Penelope’s friends’ boyfriends had hurt his chances further. “I admit that I’ve known plenty of Air Force guys who have the type of personality you don’t want—arrogant, selfish, ambitious. The problem is, that’s a stereotype and stereotypes are often liars. I’ve known a lot of guys who are nothing like that.I’mnothing like that. Which is what I was trying to show you before I deployed.”
She cocked her head. “But then you lied to me by omission by not telling me about Syria.”
“Which was a mistake. I should have told you. I didn’t because I worried that you wouldn’t give me a chance if you found out I was about to go.”
She had an unforgettable face, powerfully beautiful. “Instead of predicting my response, it would have been better to tell me honestly about the deployment, then letmedecide on my response.”
“You’re right.” Pressure built inside his head because he wanted so badly to get this right with her. “I didn’t want to lose you so I said nothing.”
“And your strategy worked. You kept Syria a secret and I kissed you. But you won a battle only to lose the war because Jodi came to the pie shop the next day and told me about Syria. In that moment, I felt like I’d been used, the same way my friends had been used.” She pushed one of the long, wavy strands of her hair out of her face. “Years ago, I promised myself that I wasn’t going to get played by any of you. And then I got played. It was humiliating because it made me feel like the easy-to-manipulate hometown girl I’d never wanted to be.”
“I screwed up and I’m sorry. I’ve regretted the way I handled that for the last six months.”
“Well,” she said lightly, waving a hand. “No doubt, because of Theo, we’ll see each other a lot before you’re sent to another base.” She carried the butter to the table, took her seat. “We can be friends.”
“I want to be more than friends.” He remained standing.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why?”
“Well, for one thing, while you were away, I started dating someone else.”
His body turned to stone. “Who?”
“Cameron Kaplinsky.”
He bent stiffly into his chair. His brain had turned the color black. He’d known, of course, that she might find someone else while he was gone. If that happened, he’d thought Theo would tell him. Because Theo hadn’t said anything, he’d assumed he was in the clear. “Is Cameron the guy who was at Peyton’s Christmas party? The computer programmer?”
“One and the same.” She continued with her meal.
His hands remained motionless on his thighs. “He’s not good enough for you.”
“I think he is.”
“No. How long have you been dating him?”
“A month.”
“Is it serious?”
