He was everything she didn’t want—a military man, a pilot, emotionally unavailableafter being jilted—but he was also everything she needed.
He believed in her.
He challenged her.
He accepted her.
But his job still came first. As it always would. She’d been something to do between his breakup and his deployment.
He didn’t love her.
And why should he?
She should be all cried out, but she stifled a sob as she scrambled to her feet.
“Kaci—”
“Be safe over there,” she choked out.
He was right on her heels. “Let me drive you home.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not.”
She jerked her arm out of his grasp. “I. Am. Fine. Go on. Go back to your campfire. Go on your deployment. Go have fun with yourbuddies. Thank you for everything, Captain Wheeler, but it’s apparently time for both of us to move on. We both got what we wanted, and that’s that.”
He let her go.
And that might have been what hurt most of all.
If Kaci’smomma could see her, there would be cucumber slices and Preparation H for her eyes, an emergency hot oil treatment for her hair, and a lecture about not letting anyone see you cry.
But her momma wasn’t here, and Tara had baked brownies, and Kaci was justdone.
She slammed a box of tissues on the counter beside the fresh brownies and dug into the whole pan with a fork.
“You know what we need?” she said around a mouthful of chocolate therapy. “We needa club. You and me. An Officers’ Ex-Wives Club.”
Tara handed over a glass of milk. “Can we make flyers and T-shirts?”
“Knock yourself out, sugar.”
But Kaci wasn’t recruiting. She didn’t want new friends.
Because they’d leave one day too.
And she didn’t know how she’d survive.
“Can we make a divorce survival kit too?” Tara said.
“That the same as a heartbreak survival kit?” Kaci used a tissue, then attacked the brownies again.
It wasn’t helping.
“Aw, honey.” Tara pulled her in for a hug. “Want me to go toilet paper his house?”
She shook her head against Tara’s shoulder.
