from you? I hope you scored a gift card. That was a nasty cut you got off that dilapidated shopping cart. That’s a lawsuit waiting to happen. Good for you.”
For a moment she drew a complete blank. Walmart? What th— “Oh no, it’s not that,” she replied, remembering her rant about being stabbed by a rogue cart. “Remember the Easter card I sent to the radio station? The ones they were forwarding to deployed soldiers?”
“Er—vaguely,” she replied. Sara could almost hear the wheels turning in Chloe’s head as she racked her brain. It was tempting to let her go awhile longer, but she was too excited to share the news. So she repeated the details once again, then added, “Anyway, tonight I got an e-mail from Major Gabriel Randall.”
Chloe whistled under her breath, “That name reminds me of either a naughty pastor or a virginal nerd. Well, actually he could be both things. What’d he say? Did he send a picture? Wait, did you send one?” She was firing off questions so fast that Sara was beginning to wish she’d texted her instead of calling.
“No, he didn’t send a picture, and neither did I. This was to support the troops, not try to pick them up.” Chloe asked her to read the e-mail, which took only seconds.
“I’ve been more stimulated by bad Mexican food. Talk about lack of personality. Did he at least toss an emoticon or two in there? Something—like anything—to show he’s not an android.”
Sara laughed, having had similar thoughts. “Maybe it’s a military thing. Wouldn’t it have been more surprising if he used some kind of Snoop Dogg lingo?”
“I guess you’ve got a point. Although it would have been funny as hell. Have you responded? I assume you’re going to . . . but you should wait a few days. Don’t want to seem too available, you know? Act like you’re a social dynamo. It took a while, but you finally managed to get back to him. Also, keep it as brief as he did. You know how impatient men can be? Leave him wanting more, not nodding off while reading your mini-series.”
Sara inwardly winced. “Chloe, this isn’t a dating app. I’m simply writing to one of our soldiers who is off fighting to ensure our freedom. Our interaction isn’t about finding a man . . . and I doubt he’d be thinking anything like that about me either. It’s just a program to look after our soldiers.” She felt a little uneasy at Chloe’s assumption. She’d never been the type to give so that she could get something in return. And she certainly hadn’t sent the card hoping for a date.
“You’re so right. Sorry, Sara. Did you write back already?” she asked with less enthusiasm.
Sara chuckled. “I did. It was short, though. He didn’t say much, so I didn’t have a lot to go on.” And that was an understatement. Still, Sara knew what the contact was about. Support for the men and women serving our country.
“What did you write?” She was tempted to lie, but in the end, she read the e-mail exactly as it was written, fully expecting another lecture. But surprisingly, Chloe giggled. Not just a polite chuckle either, but a full-fledged roar of laughter. “You sound like a basket of crazy,” she gasped out. “That was freaking great, I love it.” Talk about a back-handed compliment. Is she screwing with me?
“Um, really? You actually approve? I thought it was a bit . . . eccentric. He’s probably picturing me as one of those chicks that wears pajamas with flip-flops out in public.”
“Who gives a crap? After that, even I want to hear more from you. The world is full of way too much polite chatter. People waste hours with pleasantries without ever giving you a real glimpse into who they are. You may have sounded bat-shit nuts, but you were funny. And a sense of humor is rare and underrated. I’ll tell you something else: I’ve known you our whole lives, and just that little bit makes me see you in a different light, Sara. Your personality literally leaps out. You sparkle.”
“Sparkle, hey? Did I mention in my first letter that I wrote about bedazzled wheelchairs?”
“No. You totally left that bit out.” She laughed. “See what I mean? This is great, Sara. You never know, this could become a little fledgling romance, although if you look at my track record with men, I obviously need advice more than you do.” The last