“As do you.”
Andrea froze with her glass of water halfway to her lips.“What do you mean?”she asked, trying to appear casual, but he could see the faint tremor in her hands.Had he pushed her enough that she was going to try and bolt?
“You don’t fit in a retirement community any more than I do.”
“Like you, I just bought a house close to the city center that I could afford.Town is expensive.Is Vegas where your family still is?”
Ah, and now we were changing topics again.“No, they live in North Carolina.”
“Now you’re close enough you can almost drive to visit them.”
Yeah, he was good not doing that.He only visited his family for the holidays if he didn’t have missions and sent cards for birthdays.“I could.I don’t get to visit them as often as I would like.Family is very important.”He hated he couldn’t ask her directly about her family, that it made her tense up.
“You learn to get along without it.”
“I’ve noticed that to be true.When I was in the Navy and at sea for months on end, I learned to form my own family amongst the crew.We all did.”
“Has it always been so easy for you to make friends?”She almost sounded envious that he could adapt to his surroundings so well.
“I’ve never thought about it, but yes.Most people find me a likeable guy.”
“I’m sure.”That teasing grin was back.
“Were you not Miss Homecoming?”
Andrea covered her mouth so she didn’t spit out her water.“Definitely not.I was the shadow no one ever noticed.I’ve always been an introvert.I never cared for the attention unlike…others.”
Unlike who, he wanted to ask.She had been about to say a name.Damn it, he’d been so close.
“I’m sure you were Prom King or something like that.”
“I never was.”
“Really?”Andrea asked, looking doubtful.
“I wasn’t.I didn’t care about that kind of stuff.I had more important things on my mind.”
“Like what?”she questioned sardonically.
“My education.”
“Sex education?”she inquired with an arched eyebrow.
“Ha-ha, No, I already had that covered.”In fact, the education teacher had given him some private lessons.
“I don’t want to know.”She held a hand up to stop.“Spare me the details.”
“I never kiss and tell.”He chuckled before sobering.“No, I’d wanted to do something different with my life than sports and such, so I focused on skills I would need in the Navy.I learned all about terrain and survival skills.”
“Helpful.”
“It saved my life more than once.”It still did.
“Is that how you got your scars, in the Navy?”Andrea’s eye widened in shock.“Sorry, if you don’t want to talk about it, I get it.I didn’t mean to pry.”
“No, it’s fine.”He smiled; he was actually glad she wanted to know more about him.That meant she was getting more comfortable with him.“Questions don’t bother me.Ask me anything you want about them.I’m an open book.”
“Is that how you got your scars?In the Navy.”
