Page 20 of Missing

The conversation shifted to foods we’d tried, what we liked and what we didn’t. Doug told me he’d developed a love for Italian food when he was stationed in Italy. Then he shared some of his European adventure stories. When I asked him why he chose the Air Force over the other branches, he said a recruiter at a college fair sold him.

“It wasn’t a hard sell. I loved their high-tech gadgets and ended up signing my intent to enlist that day.” His pensive look didn’t match his words.

“Did you like it as much as you thought you would?”

“I loved it.”

Something in his voice told me there was more to the story, but I didn’t want to pry so I changed the subject.

When our server brought us our meals, we inhaled deeply before commenting on how amazing they smelled. The heavy scent of rich spices promised us a culinary delight, and they didn’t disappoint. We ate in relative silence, only speaking to praise the food or offer each other samples.

While we ate, it occurred to me, based on his timelines, Doug was probably younger than I’d thought. Not that I had a hard number in mind, but I’d assumed he was only a couple of years younger than me. Now I second-guessed myself.

Will it be a problem for him if I’m a lot older?

I was about to ask him, but he asked me about the Wyatt Foundation before I could.

This year was the third annual fundraiser. Mary loved Halloween, so she’d scheduled the first fundraiser as a Halloween bash and went all out with decorations, costumes, dancing, and raffles. Now it was an annual party.

“It’s great how much Mary and John do for the community,” Doug said.

“It is. They’ve lived here their whole lives, so they have deep roots.”

“Have you always lived here?” he asked.

“No, I grew up in Louisiana and moved here after getting engaged to Phil.” We’d met while he was stationed at the local Marine base.

“Is your family still in Louisiana?”

“No, my mom moved here after my Dad died. She said it was because she wanted to see her grandkids, but I think she didn’t want to be alone.” I sipped my water. “It was a blessing having her here to help with Chase after Phil died.”

“Does she still help out?”

“No, she recently got sick and never fully recovered. Sadly her health has been declining ever since.” I paused while the sadness washed over me. “She doesn’t have the energy to handle him anymore. But we visit her as often as we can.” She was his last grandparent and I wanted them to have as much time together as possible.

He nodded in understanding. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“No, I’m an only child.” I ate my last bite of egg and closed my eyes in appreciation. When I opened my eyes, I felt heat rush to my cheeks when I saw the look Doug was giving me. I wiped my mouth with my napkin and tried to hide my flushed cheeks.

“How about you? Where are you from?”

“Chicago. Both my parents still live there. So does my older sister.”

“Are you close?” I had a feeling they weren’t.

“No.” He didn’t elaborate.

He sounded sad when he talked about his family. I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened. Before I could ask anything else, our server brought the bill and started clearing our table.

I would have liked to sit and talk more, but people were waiting so we didn’t linger. Doug paid the bill and held the door open for me as we walked out.

“This place is great, thanks for suggesting it.” He patted his stomach as he spoke.

“I’m glad you liked it.”

We talked more about our families on the ride home. I told him about growing up in a small town in the south, and he told me about growing up in a big city in the north. I joked about how I didn’t think I could handle northern winters and he joked that he couldn’t handle hurricanes and sweltering summers.

“Wait, aren’t summers in Chicago hot and humid?”

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