Page 45 of Expiry Dating

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Brady had been on Alice’s mind all night, and she needed someone to talk to about it. She wanted to understand what he was going through. She wanted to help him. Unfortunately for her, former marines were in short supply in Bluestone, which is why she found herself at Mickey’s at eleven in the morning.

“Ali, what you doing here so early? We don’t open for another hour.” Teddy rumbled as he continued to take the chairs down off the tables. He was dressed even more casual than usual and had swapped his signature jeans for sweats.

“Hey, Teddy, I actually came to see you. Don’t suppose you could spare a few minutes?”

Teddy’s astute eyes took her in. She always saw him as something of an anomaly. He looked like some sort of gruff lumberjack, but when he spoke, if you ignored the rumbly baritone voice, there was something sort of gentle about him.

“Sure, take a seat, darlin’. You want a coffee or something?”

She declined the drink and took a seat at the table nearest the door. Since he was obviously busy, she didn’t want to keep him too long. While she waited, she surveyed the room. It was strange being in Mickey’s during the day. Everything looked a lot less shiny in the daylight. The wallpaper was a little more tattered than she originally thought, the furniture had definitely been well-used, and the stench of beer was clearly a permanent fixture.

“So, what’s up?” Teddy took a seat opposite her and slowly sipped on his coffee.

She decided to jump right in. “Um ... you were in the Navy, right?”

One of his dark eyebrows arched. “Yeah?”

“I think ... no, I know Brady is having some trouble readjusting to life outside the military, and I was wondering if you had any advice? Like, is there anything you think I can do to help? I mean, I get that the Marine Corps and Navy are different, but I figured there might be some similarities when you leave that kind of life behind.”

Teddy was quiet for a moment, his green eyes looking solemn. “I’m sorry to hear that, Ali, but I don’t know how much use I’ll be. Our circumstances are a little different. I left voluntarily. I’d seen too much shit, lost too many people, and wanted out.”

Alice’s shoulders automatically sagged. “So you didn’t find it hard to readjust at all?”

“I didn’t say that. I admit it was harder than I thought it would be, but I guess I was more motivated to make it work because it was my choice to leave.”

“So no words of wisdom?”

Please give me something. Anything.

She waited patiently while he took another gulp of his drink. “I guess my advice would be to give him time. Just be patient with him.”

“That’s it? Time and patience?”

“That’s a lot, Ali. Trust me. You being there for him will mean more to him than you’ll ever know.” Teddy’s eyes bore into her, and his signature smirk made an appearance. “Look, honestly, I’m not worried about him. Since he met you ... I mean, everyone can see the difference. You make him happy. My guess is that more time with you is only gonna make him happier.”

Alice snorted. “I don’t know about that, but thank you for the advice.” Recognising he was all out of wisdom, she rose from her chair. “Can we uh ... can we keep this between us?”

Teddy followed suit and stood too. “Of course. I’m the town bartender, remember? I’m used to keeping everyone’s secrets.”

Alice let out a snigger. “I get it. You’re just one big arse vault, Teddy.”

“You know it, darlin’.” He winked.

Feeling a little disheartened there wasn’t anything practical she could do for Brady right now, she headed for the door.

Like baking him a cake? Like that will fix all his problems, Ali. Stop being an idiot.

“Ali,” Teddy called out. She spun around to face him again. “Don’t hurt him, okay?”

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