As we ate, though, I knew I was going to have to step up my game. Jade liked geology, but she liked sugar nearly as much. Then again, what six-year-old didn’t? I, of all people, knew that. I was going to have to get creative.
“Sergeant Barnes!”
Derrick’s exclamation brought me back from my musings, and I turned to find a man in a camouflage uniform standing beside our table. He had the darkest skin I’d ever seen and the whitest smile, and he looked to only be a few inches taller than I was. But from the way he carried himself, I got the feeling he could arm wrestle the tall, skinny guys like Derrick, and he could probably win.
“Derrick.” He smiled. “This must be Jade, and this must be…” He raised his eyebrows at me then looked back at Derrick. “Is this…”
“Jessie.” I shook his hand and smiled.
“So,” he said, turning to Derrick. “I saw you buying your tickets for the ball. Is this lovely lady who you’re bringing?”
Derrick’s face turned a strange shade of white, and for a brief second, I saw panic in those blue eyes.
I opened my mouth to tell the sergeant that I wasn’t Derrick’s fiancée, but Derrick spoke first.
“Actually…” he said slowly. Why was his voice so high? “Yes.”
My spoon stopped halfway to my mouth as my eyes met his pleading ones. Had he lost his mind?
“Because if that mystery fiancée of yours doesn’t work out…” The sergeant gave me a knowing wink. “Mika’s available.”
“Thanks.” Derrick pasted a smile on his face. Even I knewthatwasn’t real. “I really appreciate it. But yeah, Jessie here is coming with me.”
Sergeant Barnes looked expectantly at me, and I managed to dredge up a smile that probably looked even less genuine than Derrick’s. But we must have convinced him somehow because he clapped Derrick on the back.
“Good for you, Allen. Well, I’ll see you next week then.” He nodded at me. “Ma’am.”
As soon as he was out of hearing, I crossed my arms.
“Would you like to tell me what that was about? And why I’m going to a ball?”
Derrick groaned and put his head on the table. Then he mumbled something.
“I’m sorry, what was that?” It better have been an apology.
“I’m so sorry.” He raised his head off the table about three inches to give me the most pathetic, disheveled look I’d ever seen on a man. “I can explain.”
“I’d like that.”
Derrick sat up and let his head fall back so he was staring at the ceiling. Jade just continued to eat her yogurt, sending us glances every now and then that made it pretty obvious we were both pathetic. After this morning, I was inclined to agree with her.
“Sergeant Barnes is always trying to push his daughter on the newest single airmen.”
“Why the newest?”
“Because those who have been there for any length of time know what he’s up to and are too stupid to get caught without a date.”
“Wait.” I frowned. “He can’t make you go out with her…can he?”
“No. But no one wants a grudge with Sergeant Barnes.” He gave me a wry grin. “He’s actually a really nice guy and a really good leader. But every time we have any sort of party or ball or anything formal, he starts trying to hook his daughter up with whoever’s available.”
Poor thing. “Is she really that undateable?”
Derrick looked at me like I was a moron. “It doesn’t matter. She could be Miss Universe. But no one wants to take the chance of being the schmuck who broke his boss’s daughter’s heart.” He shook his head. “The thing is…he’s a good guy. Best supervisor I’ve ever had, and he treats us like people instead of numbers. He even asks about Jade all the time. I just don’t want things to get awkward with him and ruin all that.”
“So where do I come into all of this? Why can’t you just take Amy?”
He huffed and started tapping his empty yogurt cup with his spoon. “I’ve been begging her to come since I got here. But she’s really busy with her work and doesn’t think she can make it out that evening.” He finally dared a guilty glance up at my face. “I’m going to keep working on her. I’m going to ask her if she could maybe make it if we just do it all in one night. Show up, shmooze a bit, and then leave in time for her to catch her flight back to Colorado.”
