First thing after I hit town following my EAOS from the Air Force, I’d crashed at the captain’s place. My dad—a.k.a. “the captain” as he insisted on being called—was off on some fishing trip in the mountains, but I had my key. Not seeing him didn’t constitute a hardship—we didn’t have that kind of relationship. Plus, I’d pissed him off when I told him I’d decided not to re-up after briefly toying with the idea early in the spring. He’d spent thirty years in the Air Force and thought I should follow in his footsteps. Like I said, we didn’t have that kind of relationship.
Aside from the past four years of military service, I hadn’t done one damn thing in the same way as my old man. That in itself should have given him a clue I planned to live my life on my own terms. College, football, and time with a certain girl featured prominently in my immediate plans—plans that made no sense whatsoever to the captain. But I’d given up on trying to please him a long time ago.
I didn’t intend to sleep for a day and a half when I returned home, But after a week of jumping through discharge hoops, followed by ten hours on the road driving home, exhaustion had claimed me. Though I’d let Taryn know my EAOS—end of active obligated service—date, I didn’t know if I’d see her on the Fourth of July, or maybe not until after I reported to Mountain State College for fall football camp. Finding her sitting on her parents’ front deck when I pulled up to their house had lit up my entire summer.
Dinner with the Hamiltons was a good time, as always. The way they bantered and teased each other—damn. Since Taryn had first invited me to their home, I’d wanted to be a part of their tight-knit, loving family. That they included me as her best friend both warmed my heart and left me feeling like a fraud. After all, I’d conned all of them into believing the only thing I wanted from her was friendship. Her parents saw me as nonthreatening. Her older sister, Tally, treated me like a stray she needed to show kindness to (she was closest to the mark). Little sister Tina treated me like a big brother—one she needed to pester on a regular basis—and that was exactly what I wanted to be to her.
“So you’re walking on to the Wildcats this fall? Bold move, son,” Mr.Hamilton said as he passed me some hot sauce.
“I’ve watched film from some of their games last year. From what I saw, they could use my skills at receiver.” I dumped hot sauce liberally over the enchiladas on my plate. “Their quarterback graduated this past spring, so with a new guy under center, now seems like a perfect time to join the team.”
“But you haven’t played for four years. You’re going to be rusty.”
Leave it to Tina to state the obvious.
“You don’t know that.” I smirked around a bite of heavenly dinner. Mrs.Hamilton’s pork chops were my all-time favorite meal, but her chicken enchiladas came a close second. Not that I’d ever let on to Taryn who regularly accused me of having a boring palate. “We played a lot of pickup games and flag football on base. You’d be surprised at how well I’ve kept up my mad skills.” I waggled my brows for emphasis.
Tina wrinkled her nose. “I’d definitely be surprised.” The teasing snark in her tone said she was messing with me.
“Tina, be nice. Danny just arrived home from serving in the military,” Mrs.Hamilton admonished her.
“Yeah, Tina. Show some respect.” Taryn’s eyes danced over the rim of her iced tea.
“You’ll be singing a different tune on Saturdays this fall,” I said before downing another to-die-for bite of Mexican dinner. “Mmm, mmm, mmm. I’ve missed your cooking like crazy, Mrs.H. They don’t serve anything like this in the mess hall.”
“Huh. I thought the Air Force was the cushiest branch of the military—best food, best living quarters, easiest jobs...” Tina batted her lashes, a pretense of innocence.
Beside me, Taryn snorted while trying to hold in a laugh.
Determined not to rise to the bait, I said, “Nobody can cook like your mama. If anyone is spoiled, it’s you, Tina.”
“You’re right, son,” Mr.Hamilton interjected. “Ginny spoils all of us, and I for one am eternally grateful.”
The loving look he gave his wife stuck a knife in my chest. All I could remember of my parents’ marriage was shouting (the captain) and crying (my mother). In the end, he’d kicked her out, and I’d learned fast how to clean the house and cook basic meals. Which gave me even greater appreciation for the gourmet fare I’d been enjoying at the Hamiltons’ ever since Taryn and I became friends. Meeting this family, being welcomed into it, was the best part of the move to Billings following the captain’s honorable discharge from the Air Force.
“Does that mean you also made sopapillas with hot fudge for dessert?” Taryn kind of bounced in her chair.
This girl. So damn adorable.
“With this being the first time you’ve been home since Easter, the occasion called for it.” Though she smiled at Taryn, something censorious flashed in Mrs.Hamilton’s eyes.
Wait. Taryn hadn’t been home since Easter? Mountain State was only a two-and-a-half-hour drive away. While her Honda didn’t rock like my Mustang, she still had reliable wheels. Turning my head, I caught her turtling down in her chair.
“Mom. I’ve been putting in as many hours at the coffee shop as I can. You know that. With my schedule, I need to bank hours now so I’m not strapped this fall.” Though she didn’t say it, I heard her unspoken words all the same:I don’t want to have to ask you guys formoney.
That was one of the beautiful things about Taryn. She appreciated her parents’ hard work to put three kids through college simultaneously, and she showed that appreciation by carrying as much of her weight as she could. We’d discussed her need to help several times over the past three years since she’d started at Mountain State. But her not coming home even once in almost three months? That didn’t sound like my T.
Fuck. Had she gone back to that dipshit boyfriend who dumped her last March?
Shooting her the big eyes, I asked, “How have you gone this long without your mom’s cooking?”
Her arms shielded her chest. “I can cook too, you know.”
“Yeah, but it’s so good when your mom cooks.” I smiled at Mrs.Hamilton. “You can taste the love she puts into it.”
“What a sweet thing to say, Danny.” Mrs.Hamilton beamed.
Tina snorted. “Trust me, being friends with Taryn is enough. You don’t have to butter Mom up to get invited to eat.”
