Page 9 of Smith

“Don’t do that, Aria,” he rebuked. “There’s nothing silly about being scared.”

“I didn’t say I was scared,” I countered. “I said I was feelingoff.”

“Tell me where the Tesla is.” Smith let me off the hook.

I checked my rearview mirror.

“I’m at the stop light at Road A or Route 7, whatever this intersection is called.”

“I know where you’re at. Do you see the Tesla?”

“Yeah. Five cars back.”

“How was the wedding?”

I frowned at the abrupt topic change but still answered.

“It was beautiful. My friend Lisa’s a total control freak so, really, it couldn’t go any other way and her husband Brendan is as laid back as they come so he just lets her do her thing knowing it makes her happy.”

The light changed and I barely beat back laying on the horn when the car in front of me didn’t immediately move.

“How long have you known Lisa?”

“She’s a Navy Brat, same as me. Her dad’s a pilot, too. We met in Japan and stayed close when her family PCS’d back to the states. I actually stayed with her family when I moved to Virginia for college.” A quick glance in my side mirror confirmed the Tesla was still following me. “I’m merging onto 1. Light traffic. Should I gun it?”

Smith’s deep, rich laugh filled my car, easing some of the tension in my chest.

“Easy, speed racer. All you need to do is keep up with the flow of traffic. Stay behind or next to other vehicles.”

“I’m an excellent driver, Smith. I could outrun?—”

“Please don’t turn this into a high speed chase,” he interrupted. “Where’d you go to college?”

“I’ll answer that but I feel the need to preface by telling you, while I appreciate the distraction, I know what you’re doing.”

“Well damn, and here I thought I was being smooth pulling one over on you.”

The teasing in his tone made me smile.

“Sorry, Sailor, you’ll have to do better than that if you wanna pull a fast one over on me.”

Once again his laughter filled the car. I checked my speed making sure I was only ten miles per hour over the speed limit and keeping close to the car in front of me but not too close. I didn’t bother looking for the Tesla. I knew what I’d find.

“Sailor? Quite the assumption.”

“Please, I can smell a seamen?—”

“Christ,” he bellowed before he burst out into a full-fledged fit of roaring laughter.

“I see I amuse you,” I noted the obvious. “But seriously, the Navy is all I know. I’ve grown up on Naval and Air Force bases. I know the difference between an Airman and Sailor by sight. Most of the time I can call rate before I see the patch. It’s like my superpower.”

“Bet that’d be fun to watch.”

“And don’t get me started on Special Warfare. I can call a number or a color on sight.”

That was a little white lie. It normally took me a bit of conversation or watching before I could tell if a SEAL was part of the Development Group denoted by colors or if he was part of the regular teams which would be a group number.

“I bet.” He chuckled. “Those Team Guys are damn obvious.”

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