Carol glanced at Marsh, who shrugged, and then she nodded. “When did you say you’d see him again?”
“Soon.” Hopefully. I had asked Kent to change our PT sessions, and I hadn’t told him about Creek meeting me at the beach, so it was possible he’d moved Creek to another time slot. But at the very worst, I could get his number when I was there.
Carol nodded. “You’ve got my cell, right? Have him call me.”
I did have her cell number. She’d forced it on me when I was in the hospital when she was trying to be pragmatic and decide if she needed to replace me permanently. “No problem.”
“Thank you, Heath. You might have just saved our asses.”
I wanted to tell her the kids would forget about a lost assembly by next week, but frankly, I wasn’t in the mood to give up my free sixth period either. And as much as I told myself I wasn’t, I was cautiously looking forward to having another excuse to see Creek outside of Kent’s office.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CREEK
Penance.
As much as I wanted to pretend I’d agreed to do the assembly out of the goodness of my heart—Ha! Look at me having a sense of humor—or out of love and/or loyalty to the Army, none of that was true.
It had been penance, the thought that if I did this, maybe the universe would forgive me for kissing Heath without his permission. Or maybe I’d be able to forgive myself.
Heath might’ve done so already, but I had a hard time letting go. I struggled with dealing with my shortcomings, and this was about as bad as I could’ve done. I mean, technically, it had been sexual assault. I think.
So yeah, when Heath’s coworker called and asked if I would fill in and do an assembly, I had immediately agreed. The only caveat I’d made was that the Army had to be on board with it, but of course, they’d immediately agreed. I’d imagine finding volunteers willing to talk to high schoolers was a challenge, so they’d probably been grateful I’d offered.
I parked my car in the accessible spot right next to Heath’s, then hauled myself out on my crutches. As much as I wanted to walk onstage without them, I hadn’t even dared ask Kent,knowing I ranked high on his least favorite people list right now. I wasn’t about to waste what little goodwill I had left with him.
After locking my car, I checked my reflection in the car window. Jesus, it felt weird to have my uniform on again. Weird yet still familiar. I hadn’t worn it since I’d woken from surgery months ago, but the sensation of the fabric against my skin, wearing my Army boot, and even the smell of my uniform all felt so familiar. Like coming home. I was pretty sure Nash’s therapist would have an opinion on that.
Which reminded me that I needed to set up an appointment with a shrink. Nash hadn’t called me out on ignoring his ultimatum, but he would. I hated facing Nash’s anger, but in this case, he’d be more disappointed, and I couldn’t handle that. Daddy issues, no doubt, but it was what it was. I’d do anything to prevent Nash from being disappointed in me.
I straightened my jacket, double-checked that the pants leg I had neatly tucked under my stump was good, and then made my way to the school entrance.
“Hi, erm, I’m Sergeant Middleton? I’m here for the assembly,” I said after ringing the video doorbell.
“Please report to the main office,” came the curt reply.
I spotted no less than three cameras as I walked in and followed the big sign to the main office. Gone were the days when one could just walk into a school. With reason, but the level of security made me a little sad for these teens.
Back when I’d been in high school, we’d wandered off between classes or during study hall. Granted, I’d grown up in a small town where everyone had known each other and the neighbors had no qualms about ratting you out to your parents, but still. Kids these days had so much less freedom.
When I opened the door to the main office, I came to a full stop. Heath stood there, apparently waiting for me? Not what I had expected. “Hi,” I said lamely.
We might’ve left on good terms, but I wasn’t sure how to handle seeing him in a different setting than PT. Was he still upset with me? The smile that spread across his face as he spotted me suggested otherwise.
“Hey, Sergeant,” he said.
“Since when do you use my military rank?”
He shrugged. “Seemed appropriate, considering you’re here on Army business. And in full uniform. Plus, I’ve called you Sergeant plenty of times before.”
“Yeah, with ‘Grumpy’ immediately after.”
He chuckled. “If the shoe fits…”
I looked down at my Army boot. “It fits wonderfully well, thank you. Like I never left.”
Okay, I had just made it officially awkward. Great job.
