Stanley threw back his head, laughter spilling out. They were all laughing when they pulled up at the airstrip. The two men who met them at the airfield would clean the van, making sure there was nothing to identify them. They would slip away without any notoriety headed their way. He and his team didn't do this job for kudos. They did it because it was in their blood. They trained for this and loved it. Being dogs and ponies at shows was for other people. They were in it for the successes.
The flight home was long, and by the time they landed, almost a whole day had passed. He grabbed his gear and headed over to the Delta building.
Once at his desk, he grabbed his personal phone and plugged it in while he cleaned his gear and put away his stuff. He showered and dressed in a clean T-shirt and shorts before checking his messages. It had been a while since he'd been home. His buddies knew to contact him through email if they needed anything or if anything important came up, so he had only a few voicemails.
He had a few texts that were spam, and he reported those to his carrier. Then he got to one text that was very interesting.
It's Ansley,I'm back in California. Just got back last night. I talked to my CO, and I'm on desk duty until my discharge papers come through in three weeks.
Link wantedto jump up and cheer, but he stayed at his desk, smiling to himself as he continued to read her text.
My apartment leaseis up in four weeks. I was thinking about putting all my stuff into the back of my car and driving across the country. Is the offer to stay in your guest room still open?
He started typing out an answer,excitement filling him. He had a month to get everything aligned so he could take time off. He wanted to call her, but he continued typing. Later, he would find out a time when they could chat on the phone. He was looking forward to hearing her voice again.
Hey,I just landed about an hour ago and checked my messages. Thank you for texting. Yes, my guest room is available. I have time off. Would you like to go to the beach for a week while you're here? I can take more than one week off, so we can spend some time together.
He hit send,worried that he was coming on too strong. Would she be happy that he wanted to spend time with her, or would it be too much?
Text bubbles appeared, and he held his breath waiting for the text to appear. He was allowing his emotions to carry him. He needed to be careful. She may not want anything more than just friendship. If that were the case, he would be okay with it.He wouldn't push her into anything. They would just go with the flow and see where it took them.
Chapter 10
Hearingfrom Link brought a smile to Ansley’s face. He’d texted back. Less than twenty-four hours, well, maybe a little more than twenty-four hours after she sent the text, but he’d replied. That had to mean something.
It would take a month for her to leave. The military had taught her to be patient. Waiting to see Link wouldn't kill her. She would get through the wait and learn it had been worth it, even if they just ended up friends.
A few hours after he’d sent the first text back, he sent one asking if she wanted to arrange a time to chat on the phone. She’d replied fast, telling him she would like that.
They arranged to chat on Saturday afternoon. That would give her plenty of time to go grocery shopping in the morning and clean her apartment.
Friday dragged past, and she had a hard time getting to sleep that night. She kept thinking about Link, wondering if she was putting too much into him.
Her alarm rang way too early on Saturday morning, and she thought about hitting snooze, but then she remembered shewould be talking to Link in the afternoon. That lit a fire under her.
She was still moving slowly, but moved as fast as she could manage to the bathroom and showered. Getting clean had felt so good, especially washing her hair after spending so long without the ability to shower.
After getting back to California, she'd started working out, just not hard. She should work out this morning, but she didn't want to be late for her call with Link, so she skipped it, vowing to work out before she went to bed.
The trip to the grocery store took longer than she wanted, but she was home long before noon. She put away the groceries and cleaned her apartment. Before the time for Link to call, her place looked good and uncluttered. She'd planned on throwing away some stuff before she moved. Since she wanted her place to look good if they did a video call, she'd gone ahead and tossed a few items she didn't want to move with her.
When her phone rang, her heart rate picked up. She was excited that Link called when he said he would. She had to remind herself they were just friends.
“Hello,” Link said when she answered.
His voice sounded good, and she had to bite back a moan. “Hey. It’s good to hear your voice.”
He made a noise that sounded like maybe he was smiling. She hoped he wanted to take this to video.
“I’m glad you’re safe and at home.”
“Thank you. You and your buddies saved my ass.”
“Too bad we couldn’t save everyone. I’m so sorry you lost so many people.”
She nodded. "Yeah, that was a bummer. Two of them had spouses. I went and talked to them. It was hard. They're angry that their spouses died, and so many of the single people lived."
Link grunted. "I get that. I've lost friends, and sometimes their spouses are okay with everything, other times they are just mad at the people who lived. People dying in war isn't easy to understand or easy to accept."
