“Do you think you’ll go back to the Rangers?” Mom asks.
When I left the Army to come back to Wild Bluffs, there was nothing I wanted more than to get back in. I enjoyed the life, the men and women I worked with, and the constant challenge. Now? Now I have too much for me here. The freedom and opportunity of military service just doesn’t call to me anymore.
“No,” I answer. “I’ll find something else I can do in the area. I have no idea what it’ll be, but it’s not like I’m unemployable.”
My mom laughs. “Not unemployable at all. In fact, some might think the other security company in town would want to hire you.”
I sigh. I’ve put a lot of thought into working for Kelsey. It would make the most sense, but after her experience with her ex, I don’t want to force her into that position again.
“Kelsey and I work well together, but I don’t know if it makes sense right now based on our relationship.”
“Really? Lots of people in town work with their spouses.”
“It’s different when you’re dating,” I reply. “Less permanent. Greater chance for awkwardness.” It’s the truth but not the whole truth.
“You could make it permanent,” my mom suggests.
“Maybe I can work at one of the banks or something,” I say, ignoring her comment.
My mom raises her dark eyebrow. “The bank? Really?”
“It’s a good job!” I protest.
“You’d hate sitting in a bank all day.”
She’s not wrong, but it’s one of the best-paying jobs in our small town. “I’ll figure something out.”
“I know you will,” my mom says, her confidence in me evident on her face. “Just make sure it’s what youwantto do, not what you think you need to do for me.”
“What if what I want to do is whatever is best for you?” I question.
“Then you’re a good man. But a good man who will quickly realize whyworkis a four-letter word. You’ll find a way to do something you enjoy. I know you will.”
The evening continues, lighthearted and filled with the comfort of normalcy. But in the back of my mind, I know things are shifting. Changes are coming, and I’m not sure how I’m going to face them all.
Chapter forty
Kelsey
“Comein,”Iyell,jumping out of the burrito I’ve rolled myself into as I watch TV in my bed. It’s just so good to be home.
I hustle to intercept whichever one of my sisters decided to come over after just seeing me at our parents’ house for dinner. As much as I enjoyed seeing them after my time away, we don’t need to get back into the habit of them showing up whenever they want and eating all my food.
“Hey!” Carter’s voice reaches me, and I speed up, slipping a little in my socks as I round the corner. I right myself just in time to see him shutting the door behind him.
“I hope it’s okay that I invited myself over,” Carter says, his eyes betraying his concern. “I was going to call first, but…”
“I’m so glad you came! I wasn’t sure if you were done with dinner with your mom, so I was waiting until after nine to text you. Not like a booty call, I just… I know you’ve got your shows to watch. Which one did you two decide to start?” I ask, hoping Carter missed my unfiltered-nonsense spewing.
“What are you questioning, Kels?” he asks, pulling me into a hug.
“I’m not questioning anything.”
“You’ve rambled about two times in the thirty years I’ve known you, and it’s only ever been about relationship things.”
“I’m not sure how we work now that we’re back,” I admit. We were all but living together for the last month, but now we have two houses, two work schedules, two separate lives. It crossed my mind to invite Carter to dinner with my family, or to offer to go with him, but I knew Carter wanted time with his mom, and it felt awkward to ask if I could come along for his welcome-home dinner. Not because I didn’t want to be there—it wasn’t about that. I’m excited to see his mom and get to know her better. But now we’re back to our normal lives, and I’m not sure who we are. Are we the type of couple who spend every minute together like we were on tour? Do we have a standing Friday-night date night? Do we text during the week? Do we have shows we watch together?
“We work the same as we did before,” Carter says, pulling the end of my ponytail to get me to tilt my face toward his.
