Page 10 of Operation: Chosen

“Morning. I saw Eric leave and didn’t want you over here alone.” Lacy sat across the table and set the blueberry in the middle with a grin.

“Yeah, I get the feeling he would like me to walk away. I just can’t. I did that once before, and while I’m so glad I am where I am, I wish I’d handled the situation with him differently.”

“Oh? Well, you’re here now to fix that.”

Ali closed her eyes, wishing for a little time alone. “I will try that but after the way we parted, I don’t think he’s willing.”

“What happened?” Lacy set a bowl of oatmeal in front of her and slowly stirred it as steam wafted across the table.

“Eric and I went to high school together. We went to prom together. Both of us wanted a military career, so we enlisted together. He joined to make a difference in the world. I joined to make a difference for me. My life was hard, and my aunt and uncle weren’t going to pay for an education. The military would.”

“So, you joined for the GI bill?” Lacy finally spooned a bite into her mouth.

“Yes. I refused to waste an opportunity, and I’m not ashamed of using what is offered. Eric wanted to stick to a few years, become a man, then move on and find a civilian career. I had no intention to quit. I had eight years of school ahead of me, and I knew there was no other way to get it.” Though the GI Bill had only been half of her plan. The other half had involved her husband ranking high enough to help with the rest. Eric hadn’t wanted that.

Lacy tilted her head in that questioning way that left Ali’s mind racing. Why couldn’t people just mind their own business? There was no need to explore why she hadn’t been able to afford to go to school.

“I take it you and Eric parted ways after you discovered his plans didn’t jibe with yours?”

Ali let her breath out and finally gave up on the pretense of eating. “There was a little more to it than that.” Which was why Eric had stormed off from the table and kept running away from her. “He proposed. He thought if we married, he could make me happy and I wouldn’t have to keep working so hard to fulfill my dreams. He didn’t understand that Iwantedto keep working, keep achieving. I needed to prove myself.”

“To who?” Lacy laid down her spoon and looked Ali directly in the eyes. “How did you tell him all that?”

“That’s not really important.” And while it was important to him, it was a million years ago. If she wasn’t going to talk about it with him, she wasn’t going to talk about it with anyone else.

“I think it is. All the guys at Wayside are good guys, the kind women look for. The only one I ever was angry with was Cole, and that was because he couldn’t stand who he’d become. He used to treat everyone like garbage. He’s better now. But Eric, he’s the most respectful, quiet guy here. He’s unassuming, loves the land, and would love his mama if she was still here. So, let’s try this again. How did you turn him down?”

Ali had thought she had an ally in Lacy, but perhaps that wasn’t the case. “He proposed in front of everyone.” She pushed her plate away and crossed her arms on the table. Why couldn’t he have waited for her to tell him in private that they had no future if he didn’t want to be part of the military?

The public nature of his proposal alone had made Ali want to run and hide. She’d felt like he was trying to force her hand since he knew she hated to be embarrassed.

“It was a bright summer day, and we were all hanging out on the beach after working a long day. I could tell something was up with him because he’d acted strangely in the mess hall.”

Ali’s mind whirred in every direction, trying to avoid saying anything that would make the situation seem even worse than it had been, but there was no way to spin it positively. She’d tried. “He dropped to one knee right there in the sand of the volleyball court and asked me to marry him.”

Lacy didn’t move. Ali wasn’t even sure she was breathing. “And?”

“And…I told him I couldn’t marry him.”

“Again, I know I didn’t know Eric back then and people change, but it seems like his aversion to talking to you is disproportionate to what you’re saying happened. He’s acting like you dragged him on stage and announced to the world that he wasn’t fit to marry.” Lacy laughed.

Ali hadn’t been that brash, but close, and she couldn’t quite force a chuckle at Lacy’s joke.

Lacy’s laughter died, and her mouth dropped open. When she regained herself, she asked, “Are you kidding? You did that? Seriously? Why does he want a second chance if you blasted him in front of everyone?”

“No.” Ali waved her hands back and forth. “It wasn’t that bad. It’s just… He proposed so publicly, and I couldn’t say yes. I cared about him a lot, but love can only go so far. I needed stability. Reassurance. I needed someone driven and successful. If Eric had stepped up, he could’ve been so great. He would’ve gone through the ranks and could’ve eventually been a general. I just know it. But that’s not what he wanted.”

Lacy slowly shook her head. “You had his whole life planned out for him. What about what he wanted? Didn’t that matter? Why didn’t you chase your own success and let him chase his?”

Of course Lacy wouldn’t understand. Ali gestured to the room around them. “Success? You call this success? Some out-of-the-way ranch in Wyoming where you can’t even get decent Chinese takeout and your Wi-Fi is morewon’t-fithan anything?” Ali stood and pointed at Lacy. “If Eric would’ve given just a little bit of effort, we could’ve been great together. He didn’t want that.”

Lacy sighed and glanced around the room. Only then did Ali realize they had an audience. All the men of Wayside that she’d met, minus Eric, sat at a long table staring at her. If she’d hoped to have Connor in her corner, she’d probably just lost him.

“I think I see the big picture now. I think I understand exactly why Eric isn’t tripping over himself to talk to you. It’s interesting that Connor planned second chances for his men to help them, but in this case, it’s you who needed the second chance. I don’t know if this mission will work. You’re going to have to dig pretty deeply into who you are, because until you understand what it is Eric does here, you’ll never see him as worthy. Until you see him as he is now, you’ll never appreciate him for the great guy he is. He’s not just a guy for your arm, he’s a guy for your heart.” Lacy picked up her tray and headed for the group of men.

Ali watched her leave and decided she’d had enough of the cafeteria. She brought her tray up to the counter. Teddy, Connor’s father, reached for it. She’d met so many men the day before that remembering them all was difficult, but Teddy was memorable. He was older, and even though his gait was a little stiff and his shoulders a little stooped, he was still a strong and healthy man.

“You didn’t eat much. Is there something wrong with the fruit?” Teddy glanced at her plate.

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