“Someone has to.”
I looked at her.
“Do we leave our boys alone because they want to serve? They’re doing the mission no one else will. And if we don’t stand by their sides, we’re leaving a gaping hole in their mission by tearing gaping holes in their hearts. Because they have enough to worry about without worrying whether or not we’re going to be faithful while they’re gone.”
She stood up and chucked her empty cup in a trash bin. “Come on. Let’s go find us some accessories.” I followed her, but before we left the food court, she stopped and turned to me.
“Before you start thinking we’re always miserable and lonely, though, you should know that military families never say goodbye.”
“You don’t?”
She smiled. “We say ‘see you later’. Because we know that the love stays strong even after we begin a new adventure.”
“But…” I said slowly. “What about your family? All those years you miss that you can’t make up.” No amount of optimism posters could make up for that, and I knew it.
“That’s true. But if we hide forever because we’re afraid, we can also miss out on a life of adventure with the love of our lives.” She took my hands and sighed. “This kind of decision is one only you can make. Just…don’t lead him on. He’ll never move forward with his life if he thinks he’ll be a part of yours. And Derrick is too good a man to treat that way.”
I nodded, but my thoughts were only spinning faster. Before I could get lost in them completely, though, she broke into a grin. “Now, come up. I saw a pair of earrings last week that I think would look magical with your dress.” And she dragged me off before I could think to ask anything else.
33
Dare
Derrick
August seventh was a day I’d dreaded for the first half of the summer and longed for during the second half. But it was finally here, and the day of the ball arrived. I checked my cuffs again before getting out of the truck and walking up to her door. For the first time, I didn’t have Jade in the backseat. It was just me picking up Jessie for possibly what might be the most romantic night of our lives.
Or the biggest mistake anyone in the history of love had ever made.
It was funny, I’d always obsessed properly over my uniform, just the way they’d taught us to in basic training. I’d used a ruler to measure the folds, checked the order of my ribbons five times, and polished my shoes until I could see my reflection in them. I’d worn the uniform plenty of times for formal occasions like this, and it was always to impress whatever NCO or officer might be doing an inspection while he was out. But never had I cared so much about what someone thought I looked like in it as I did now.
I rang the doorbell and took a calming breath as I waited for an answer. No more than five seconds later, it was opened by Mrs. Allen. She put her hands over her mouth and did a few little jumps and a squeal before shooing me in and running down the hallway.
“Derrick.” Jessie’s dad was sitting in the living room with a beer and the paper. But when I walked in, he stood to shake my hand. “You look good.”
“Thank you, sir.” I held my hat and had to remind myself not to squeeze wrinkles into it. “How…” I lowered my voice. “How’s she doing tonight?”
“I’ve never seen her such a nervous wreck.” He smiled as though this pleased him. “Which is good. It means she likes you.”
“Hopefully, that’s enough.” I put my cover in my pocket before I squeezed it into one of those folded snowflakes.
“You know you have my full support with whatever you’re going to ask her tonight, provided I don’t need to bring a shotgun to the party.” His eyes twinkled. “But take it easy on her. She wants to believe it’s possible, but she’s a bit like a rabbit.”
Before I could ask him for any tips, we heard the sound of clicking in the hall. And what I saw left me breathless.
She looked like a Victorian princess, in that long, flowing blue dress and her hair up in pretty ringlets, a few falling delicately on her face. Her hair looked as though sapphires were scattered in it, though, knowing Jessie’s monetary sensibilities, they were probably just really good fakes. A similarly elegant bracelet dotted with blue stones hung from her wrist with a matching necklace across her chest, and her face practically glowed with her rosy cheeks and brilliant, emerald eyes.
The dress itself was far less revealing than the one Amy had worn to the ball last year. But it showed off her petite form just as nicely, maybe even better. The angles of the dress pointed the eyes down and then back up again to her lovely face.
“Jessie.” My stupid voice cracked like a teenager’s, and Mrs. Nickleby turned away to hide a grin, rather poorly, I might add. “You look magnificent.” It was a dumb thing to say, but it was the only actual word that coherently formed in my mind when I needed it.
It must not have been too awful, though, because she gave me a shy smile. “Thank you.”
We stood that way for a moment until I realized how awkward I was making it by waiting. So I turned back to Mr. Nickleby “Oh, um, I’m not sure what time they’ll release us. I’m guessing around eleven-thirty.”
“Wait!” Jessie’s mother ran to the kitchen and returned, stopping so fast she nearly crashed into her husband. “I need a picture!”
“Mom,” Jessie said, but her mother ignored her and waited until we were smiling and close enough for her satisfaction. And though I followed Jessie’s example and released her immediately following the picture, I prayed such photographs would eventually become so commonplace that she wouldn’t even spare a second thought if I touched her on the arm or back or waist. But for now, I only shook her father’s hand again and thanked her mother for letting me borrow her before opening the door and following her to the truck.
