Page 46 of When Our Stars Aligned

“Nah, he’s an M.A. I, uh, mean a—”

“Master-at-arms, like military police.”

“I keep forgetting you know this stuff.”

“Growing up, our school always hosted a career day where parents could come in and talk about their jobs. Since like ninety percent of the kids I went to school with were from military families, I picked up a thing or two.”

“What about your parents? Did they ever come to career day?”

“Oh, no, my parents wouldn’t have been caught dead at one of those things. That would’ve forced them to admit they actually had a child.” Her statement catches me off guard. My family has always been tight. I was the one who drifted, but even then, I still knew my family, especially Gram, was always there for me.

“What do they do for a living?”

“They’re both realtors—commercial and residential. They get a lot of business with military families coming and going all the time. They love their jobs, probably a little too much.” A brief wave of sadness crosses over her face.

“I take it you’re not close to them?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “I haven’t talked to them in years.”

Now, it’s my turn to feel a surge of sadness. How can anyone not adore this girl sitting across from me? She’s intelligent, funny, bubbly, and as sweet as can be.

She notices my change in demeanor. “Don’t go feeling bad for me. I didn’t have a horrible life. All my basic needs were taken care of. I grew up in a safe neighborhood and never had to wonder where my next meal was coming from.”

“Still doesn’t sound like a happy childhood.”

“It might not sound wonderful, but compared to what some kids go through, I had it pretty good. While I was in college, I had to intern at a school in a not-so-great area. These kids would come to school in dirty clothes that didn’t fit them, with no school supplies or backpacks. Their only reliable source of food was the crappy breakfasts and lunches the cafeteria supplied. I saw kids who were abused or ones who bounced around from foster home to foster home. My parents may not have won any parenting awards, but my life was nothing like the kids I worked with.”

“Did you always want to be a teacher?”

“No, not always. The idea kind of found me. I worked as a lifeguard at an indoor pool in the winter. My boss noticed I was good with kids and asked if I would be interested in getting my Water Safety Instructor Certification. I couldn’t afford it, but she made me a deal; if I stayed and worked for her for a year, she would pay for my certification. I eventually became an instructor. I really enjoyed working with the younger kids, and then one day it hit me—if I liked it so much, why not go intoeducation? What about you? Did you always plan on joining the military?”

“No!” I choke on the word. “Joining the military was a kind of a…rash decision. I always thought I’d be an architect.”

“Really?” Aly cocks her head to the side. I know I surprised her with my answer.

“Oh yeah, from the time I was little I loved building and creating. I was obsessed with Legos, but I didn’t like to build the stuff from the kits. I liked to design my own. When I got older, I started drawing blueprints for all different types of builds—houses, stores, offices, everything.”

“So, why didn’t you become an architect?” she asks. Yeah, I should’ve known that question was coming, but I’m not ready to air out that dirty laundry just yet.

“Life didn’t work out that way for me,” I say, hoping my answer is good enough. Aly nods and doesn’t press any more. Apparently, we both have our secrets to hide…

28

Aly

The waitress comes over to leave the check, but Jax scoops it up before I can reach for it.

“I got this,” he says while pulling out his wallet.

“I can at least pay for my half,” I offer. We’re not on a date, at least I don’t think we are. But even if we were, I’d still offer to pay. I always offer to pay. I don’t ever want a man to think I need to depend on them.

The waitress comes back to take Jax’s credit card and I swear she gives us a weird look. Now that I think of it, I think she’s been giving us weird looks the entire time.

“Is it me, or has the waitress been looking at us strangely?” I ask in a hushed voice while leaning over the table.

The corners of Jax’s lips turn up. “Youjustnoticed?”

“Wait! So, she has?” I sit up a little straighter. “It’s not just me? I thought I was being paranoid! What do you think that’s all about?”

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