“The ring isn’t foryou,Carold.”
Cary looked up. He felt agitated. “I want her to know that I was ready to buy a diamond. She can trade it for something else if she doesn’t like it, I don’t care.”
Mikey seemed concerned. He patted Otis’s bottom. “Are you guys— I mean, Cary, does Shiloh know how you feel about her?”
Cary shrugged. “Yes. Yes and no.”
“I pre-asked Janine. To make sure I had a clear landing.”
Cary made a sour face. “What’s the difference between pre-asking and asking?”
“Youhint. You talk about the future. You give her a chance to tell you not to propose...”
“Shiloh can say no if she doesn’t want to marry me.”
“Okay. Well...” Mikey’s eyebrows twitched. “That sounds painful.”
Cary put his hands on his hips. “You think she’s gonna say no?”
Mikey looked like he wanted to throw up his hands—but he was holding a baby. “I don’t know what she’s going to say! She told me you guys were just friends!”
“You’ve always wanted us to get together, Mike!”
“I still do! I’m just worried about you.”
Cary sighed again. He walked over to a different case. “These are all used over here. I don’t think she’d mind used.”
“No, me neither.”
They both stared at the case. Cary’s eyes stopped on a silvery one with a decent-sized diamond and lots of lacy detail. There was something nautical about it. Cary pointed at it. “What about this one?”
“Oh, that’s nice,” Mikey said. “Kind of art deco, with the filigree?”
They asked to see it. Cary liked the ring even more up close. It looked old and a little fussy. He looked at Mikey. “That’s it, right?”
Mikey looked like he was really thinking about it, which Cary appreciated. “Yeah. I think she’ll love it.”
They waited for the clerk to get the paperwork. Mikey looked worried, like someone watching his team lose a big game.
“I just feel like I’ve wasted so much time,” Cary said, trying to explain himself. “I want to get right with her. And myself. I want to start living and dying in the right direction.”
Mikey let go of Otis’s hand and patted Cary’s shoulder. “You’re a good man, Cary.”
Sixty
before
Cary met Breanna in officer training.
She was Mexican American. From Texas. Her older brothers were in the Navy, too.
She caught Cary’s eye because she never complained. She was always doing exactly what she was supposed to be doing, just a little bit better than everyone else. She knew all the answers, even if she didn’t say so. She didn’t gossip or get involved in drama. She hated a mess.
Breanna was beautiful. She had thick, dark hair and a great smile. Busty enough that she was never happy with the way her uniforms fit. She loved to run, so Cary ran with her.
They couldn’t date until after they finished their training. And then they were stationed in far-flung ports.
But they were both diligent, both focused—both interested. They did what they had to, to stay in touch. They tried to coordinate their leave time.
