I groaned. “Military call name,” I said by way of explanation.
She was Army too, so I knew she’d understand, but what I hadn’t planned on was the gleam in her eyes.
She turned to Chase with a Cheshire cat smile on her face. “Oh,pleasetell me the story of howthatname came about.”
“Well, as you pointed out, the man is from Minnesota andshouldbe able to handle the cold, but he was the first to bitch any time the temperature dropped below sixty degrees, like he was going to freeze to death.”
Tammy smiled, and I could tell she appreciated knowing something she could likely use against me at a later time.
“You got lucky the Army let you stay at Fort Hood for so long,” Frank chimed in. “As much as I would have enjoyed having them transfer you with Sharky and HBO to Fort Carson in Colorado, I knew you’d die after the first winter.”
Chase and Frank both laughed at my expense. I rolled my eyes but smiled through it, enjoying hanging out with them both like the old days.
“How are those two, anyway?” I asked about our old West Point buddies.
“Sharky retired to South Carolina with his wife,” Frank said. “I haven’t talked to HBO in a while, but last check he was living on the California coast. He runs a fishing charter business out there with his son.”
“Do you want to hear the story behind Frank’s name too?” I offered Tammy, more than happy to embarrass him right back.
“Oh, I already know about it. How he used to eat four boxes of Kraft mac and cheese as though they were one serving.” Tammy smiled, and Frank chuckled.
I said nothing, but my raised eyebrows gave away my confusion.
When had she talked to Frank?
“Some shit went down a couple years ago with Vince. Frank came in to drink away his stress, and we got to talking about our time in the Army,” Tammy explained.
“Her name is much cooler than mine,” Frank said, nodding at her.
“What’s your name?” Chase asked her, beating me to it.
“Bullseye,” she replied but not adding any context whatsoever, her face completely stoic.
After a few moments of awkward pauses, Frank spoke up. “She was one of the best sharpshooters. She even won theInternational Sniper Competition two years running at the Army base in southern Georgia.”
Chase whistled next to me. “Damn, woman, that’s impressive.”
I watched as Tammy’s cheeks turned pink. Not much made this woman blush, but I’d noticed she often was embarrassed when people praised her for her accomplishments. It made me wonder if not many people did.
“I haven’t lost those skills… Just remember that.” She winked at me.
I knew she was teasing, but I also knew she likely wasn’t lying.
“I like her,” Chase said in a lowly voice, nodding at Tammy after she walked away. “She looks like she’d kick you in the balls and enjoy doing it. Just for shits and giggles.”
Yeah, that was definitely Tammy, alright.
“She’s good for him,” Frank chimed in, also keeping his voice low. “I’m trying to convince him to move here. He’s spent enough time with your sorry ass. Now he can come hang out with me in retirement.”
Frank was goading Chase, and he was a good sport about it, but I also saw the way Chase’s gaze homed in on Tammy. We spent the next twenty minutes catching up, but his gaze often followed her around, assessing her.
“You trying something for real with her?” Chase eventually asked me when Frank had left to use the restroom.
He knew the fake dating setup that we had used to give me the excuse to be here, but I was sure Frank had filled him in on the fact that I was staying with her and that other proclivities that had taken place the first night I was here.
I knew I could brush it off, but this man was one of my best friends.
“Yeah,” I responded, taking a swig of my beer.
