Page 16 of Missing

Mary asked if anyone else wanted dessert when she got up to get her own. Most of us said yes, but Meg declined saying she was trying to be good after eating so much junk on her honeymoon. I thought she looked great, even if she had put on a few pounds.

“Meg, what are you talking about, you look amazing,” Emily said.

I had to agree. She looked healthier now.Meg had been too thin when she first moved to Weatherford, a byproduct of her nervous energy.

“I agree,” Mary said as she put the plate of baked goods in the middle of the table, “so enjoy yourself. You can always work it off tomorrow.”

“You can come running with me before we go to the range,” Emily teased her. Everyone knew Meg hated running.

“No thank you. I’ll let you and the boys run for me.”

“Are you shooting for fun tomorrow, or training with the guys?” Anne asked.

“Training. I’m not confident enough to carry every day, so Jamie’s helping me.”

“And I’ll be there for moral support, and to practice,” Meg added.

Anne asked, “Did I tell you Jamie offered to help your Dad and I get better? We both had our License to Carry back in the day, but let them expire.” She shook her head. “I can’t even remember the last time I shot a gun.”

“He told me. Are you going to take him up on it?” Emily’s question sounded more like an order.

Her mom nodded.

All this talk of guns got me thinking, when was the last time I’d shot my gun? Before Phil died.I should probably get some help too.

The conversation ebbed and flowed as time ticked on. The night was filled with lots of laughter, plenty of wine, and a little bit of crafting.

“At least we finished this time,” I said as we showed each other our masterpieces and joked about how long it took us.

Around ten, we started packing up and saying our goodbyes. When Meg hugged me goodbye, she told me she wanted to hear all about my date before the end of the weekend.

Chapter 10

Doug

Itook a deep breath and shored up my resolve as I got out of my truck, and another as I grabbed my backpack, which had a six-pack of beer, my gaming controller, and headset. The guys had been mostly quiet about my date with Beth while we were in the office, but I knew that’d change tonight. And while I didn’t mind a little friendly ribbing, I tended to keep my personal life, well, personal.

I’ve never been accused of being an open book. The only reason anyone at SSI knew I had a date this weekend wasbecause Beth was a part of the extended Sheppard family. I took another deep breath and knocked.

Jack opened the door, a huge shit-eating grin on his face. “Come on in.”

“Thanks,” I answered the greetings as I walked to the kitchen and put my beer in the fridge. “Anyone need a beer?” I asked as I twisted the cap off mine.

A chorus of, “nah, I’m good,” rang out.

We quickly decided what to order for dinner, with Jamie making a joke about how much easier it was with just us guys because the girls always hemmed and hawed about what they wanted. After ordering two large supreme pizzas and chicken wings, we set up the game system for some friendly team competition. I partnered with Jamie, and AJ with Jack. AJ and Jack joked about our team having an unfair advantage—I’d been trained by the Air Force to use gaming systems to operate drones and test special operations strategies and tactics.

I loved that part of my job.

Jamie was quick to remind them, “I don’t game half as much as either of you, so Doug will have to pick up the slack.” He slapped me on the shoulder. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“I got your back, bro.” I laughed.Dare I hope they won’t bring up my date?

“Before we start,” AJ said, a sly grin on his face, “let’s hear about Doug's lunch date.”

No such luck. All eyes focused on me.Damn it. I hated being the center of attention, preferring to linger on the edges and observe.

“It’s no big deal.” It was, but none of them knew I’d been harboring feelings for Beth for months, “I’m taking Beth to lunch tomorrow.” I shrugged, trying to play it down.

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