Charley smiled, “I won’t lie, it wasn’t easy. But I’m looking forward to seeing the reward of it.”
Jessica tilted her head, her expression shifting. “Okay,” she said, her grin returning. “Now let’s talk about what you haven’t been talking about.”
Charley’s stomach fluttered. “Oh no.”
“Oh yes.” Jessica laughed. “You and Pierce.”
Charley took a sip of wine to buy herself a second. “What about us?”
“I’m excited for you,” Jessica said without hesitation. “He seems happier. And you two just work.”
Charley exhaled slowly. “I am excited. I really am. I like him. A lot.” She paused, fingers tightening slightly around her glass. “But part of me is nervous.”
Jessica didn’t interrupt. Just waited.
“My past,” Charley continued quietly. “And him being active duty military. That part hits close to home.”
Jessica’s expression softened. “Charley, is this about your dad?”
“And my brother,” Charley said, nodding. Jessica knew she had lost them both, but she didn’t know how. “I haven’t mentioned this to Pierce yet, but my dad was killed in action, and then two years later, I lost my brother to suicide. His last deployment was too much for him.” She paused for a moment to gather her emotions. “Losing them rewired something in me. The idea of caring about someone who could be gone in an instant terrifies me.”
Jessica reached out, resting her hand over Charley’s. “I’m so sorry, Charley. What you say does make sense. Anyone who’s lived that kind of loss, I’m sure they would feel the same.”
Charley swallowed. “I know there are no guarantees. But I don’t know if I’m strong enough to do that again.”
“No one knows what tomorrow brings,” Jessica said gently. “But if you spend all your time protecting yourself from pain, you miss out on the joy happening right now.”
The words settled deep. She knew Jessica was right.
Charley stared into her wine for a moment. “It’s also been forever since I dated. Like, really dated.”
Jessica furrowed her eyebrows. “How long is forever?”
Charley winced. “Long enough that it’s too embarrassing to say.”
“Charley…” Jessica said, leaning in, and Charley had a feeling what she was going to ask, so she cut her off.
“I’ve had sex before,” Charley blurted out, and she felt the heat hit her cheeks. “Twice. With a guy I was dating when my dad died.”
Jessica’s eyes widened. “Oh.”
“Yeah,” Charley stated, picking up her wine and taking another sip. Hell, she should just ask Jessica for the bottle.
“Well,” Jessica said carefully, then smiled. “That’s completely okay.”
Charley let out a nervous laugh. “Pierce is older than me. Not that it bothers me. But I’m sure he’s way more experienced.”
Jessica chuckled. “Trust me, Pierce isn’t the kind of man looking for a good time and nothing else.”
Charley nodded. She believed that, which made her wonder what had happened with his ex-wife. He had mentioned briefly during their coffee date that he had been previously married. She didn’t ask. She knew Jessica wouldn’t tell her anyway.
“When my dad died, everything fell on me,” Charley said softly. “My brother was deployed at the time. Then two years later, I lost him too.”
Jessica’s eyes filled instantly. “Charley…”
“I tried to be strong,” Charley said. “I didn’t really have a choice.”
Jessica pulled her into a hug without a word.
