to share a certain image—physically fit, yes, but also the way they carried themselves. Nobody would mistake them for ordinary airmen. Kevin was different. He looked...soft. “Would you say most people retire after they reach the magic number?”
“Not necessarily. Depends what their military job is and whether they have something else lined up in advance.” He sipped his beer, and she followed his gaze toward the backyard.
A willowy blonde wearing tight leggings under a filmy tunic waved to him. She’d been one of the women who’d sporadically kept an eye on John.
Like the men, the women shared a particular image. And like Kevin, Cassie was odd person out. She wondered if John was thinking the same thing.
“I know it’s early but do you have plans for a second career?”
“I don’t want to talk shop, you mind?”
“No, of course not. I shouldn’t have asked.” She knew better. Talk about ignoring social cues. His body language had shifted and tension had transformed his expression. Though that might still be a reaction to Kevin.
“Hey, you can ask me anything.” He shrugged. “I may not have an answer, but I’ll tell you what I can. Come on, we should go mingle.”
She was not looking forward to rubbing elbows with the beautiful people. No offense to them. Maybe if she weren’t wearing jeans... No, that had nothing to do with it. But these were his friends and his party, and she’d signed up for date duty the minute she agreed to come. With a smile, she said, “Lead on.”
“Thanks,” he whispered.
Cassie had no idea what the gratitude was for, and she didn’t care. Especially not when his big warm hand closed around hers.
9
JOHN DISCREETLY CHECKED his watch. How could they only have been here an hour? It didn’t seem possible. But then he was impatient to be alone with Cassie, so yeah, time was dragging.
Since she seemed to be enjoying herself, he hadn’t suggested they leave yet.
As they mingled, sipping drinks, stopping for introductions and hellos, he couldn’t help notice the reactions being sent his way when Cassie wasn’t looking. Frankly, he was getting annoyed with the inquisitive eyebrow lifts from his fellow pilots and their plus-ones.
They paused near the deep end of the pool and Cassie got roped into a conversation about the correct way to make mojitos. As he took his next sip, listening to Cassie’s conversation with the female half of Shane’s neighbors, his eye caught on Nancy huddled with her friend Carolyn. He’d always liked Shane’s wife, but he was tired of her trying to fix him up. The beautiful and polished Carolyn, case in point. Then there was Rick’s date. She’d brought her sister—another attempt at matchmaking. So naturally Rick gave him the stink eye before pointedly frowning at Cassie.
John didn’t give a damn. His night wasn’t going according to plan, either. A few hours ago, he’d decided to skip the party altogether. The chance to see Cassie outside the bar changed his mind.
Next to him, she laughed and the warmth he felt for her, aside from the want that had been on simmer since that first day at the bar, made him glad that he’d brought her.
In the company of his friends, he felt adrift. In Cassie, a lifeline.
What the hell was going on with him?
Last night, after the frustration of being thoroughly decent for Cassie’s sake, he’d found himself caught up in memories of another decent man. His friend Danny. He and Sam and Danny had been a team since college. John’s thoughts had kept him up late—dark, circular and confusing thoughts. The tragedy of Danny’s death was something John fought to understand. It had been so senseless. Danny hadn’t made any mistakes. The fault had been in the jet. Something had gone wrong with two things that weren’t even parts of the same system. Completely unrelated. Neither of which should have happened at all, let alone at the same time.
And like that, Danny was gone, leaving his wife, his friends, his future.
As if obsessing over Danny hadn’t been hellish enough, John’s brain had insisted on replaying Sam’s phone call when he’d confessed that he’d been grounded. After surgery to correct his vision had somehow gone wrong, his eyesight had slipped just enough to ruin his career. By the time John had spoken to him, Sam had gotten his act together and tried to sound upbeat about his new plan. But underneath the forced calm, John had heard the devastation in his friend’s voice, had felt Sam’s bone-deep