I raise an eyebrow, not recalling any fucking articles about that. “I see…”
“Yeah,” he says, eyes bright. “The piece mentioned you crawled across open ground under heavy fire, threw smoke grenades to cover your guys, and—getthis—even after you gotshot in the shoulder, you kept firing to take out the nest. Entire squad would have been toast without you.”
Molly shifts beside me, her nose crinkling. “That’s a lot of information.”
I shrug, unsure how to take this unwanted excitement. “It was just part of the job.”
Mark grins. “Sure. But it got you a Silver Star, man. That’s the kind of stuff people actuallywantto read about.”
“He was good at what he did,” Maren chimes, a smile on her face. “And he still managed to be a good father with all that.”
“That’s commendable.” Mark nods, picking up his glass. “It’s an honor to be in the same room as you.”
Big talk for someone fucking my ex-wife now.
“What do you do, Mark?” I shift the conversation, as Molly picks up the menu, hiding her face—and her smirk.
“I work as a cybersecurity contractor,” he says the words to me, never blinking as he does. I make a mental note of that. “I recently relocated here because the living costs are a lot cheaper than Denver.”
I set my menu down. “We’re a long way from Denver. Wrong side of the state.”
“Yeah, but the job just requires me to be in Colorado. No specifics.” He maintains strange eye contact, and it’s got something flagging in my brain.
But maybe it’s just Molly’s pep talk about his creepiness.
“Anyway, he’s staying with me for a while,” Maren pipes up. “His house lease got ripped out from underneath him when the landlord decided to sell, and he doesn’t want to be stuck with the college kids.”
“I’ll be outta there as soon as I find a place,” Mark says quickly. “I’ve got all my stuff in storage till then. I don’t want to take over Maren’s place. We’re serious, but I think it’s important to take things slow.”
Molly coughs, and then sets down the menu. “I think I’m going with the honey chicken this time.”
“Me, too,” Maren nods, the two of them doing one of those mother-daughter facial exchanges I don’t understand. I’m sure they’ve had their girl talks about whatever is going on with Mark staying with Maren.
And I donotcare to know those specifics.
I lean back in the booth as the waitress finally arrives and takes our orders. I make a quick order of broccoli and beef, hoping it won’t lead to twelve hours of puking up my guts, and then settle into the quiet discomfort of sitting across from someone who won’t stop staring at me.
Maybe he’s just socially awkward.
But before I can put too much thought into it, my phone starts vibrating in my pocket.Shit. Turner and Cade are working together tonight.I fish it out of the front pocket of my jeans, and then instantly frown.
Benjamin Knight.
“I gotta take this,” I tell the table—well, mostly Molly. “I’ll be right back.”
She gives me a wide-eyed look. “You better come back soon.”
I pat the top of her head, as I slide out of the booth. “I will.”
Hopefully, anyway.
As soon as I’m out of earshot of the table, I swipe to answer the call and put it to my ear. “What’s up?”
“What the fuck is going on with Cade?”
I raise my brows, unable to contain my smirk. “Well, hey bud, it’s nice to hear from you, too. How’s the weather out there in Camp Pendleton? Must be shitty for you to be in such foul mood—or have you just not strung anyone up lately?”
There’s a pause of silence. “I can see you’re still on your bullshit.”
