Page 16 of Outside The Wire

“Ah, Diet Coke,” I noted as she filled her cup. “Interesting choice.”

“How is that interesting?”

“Just is,” I answered, going for regular Coke. I snapped a lid on and stuck my straw in, then took a long sip, staring at her the whole time.

“What’s interesting is that you find my choice interesting. Where do you want to sit?”

“Lady’s choice.”

She chose a seat by the window, another interesting choice. “So, why is Diet Coke interesting?”

“Well, it says a lot about you.”

“In what way?”

“Either you’re worried about your weight and you’re trying to keep off the extra pounds, which you definitely don’t need to, or it’s some kind of blood sugar thing.”

“Actually, I just think regular Coke is too sweet,” she grinned.

I nodded and glanced around the restaurant. “And then there’s your choice of where to sit.”

She pulled off her gloves and hat, setting them on the inside chair of the four-seater table, then pulled off her coat. Honey-blonde hair spilled over her shoulders, sticking up in alldirections as static electricity got the better of her. She patted down her hair, but it was a bit of a lost cause, and it was adorable.

I decided to pull off my own hat and make her feel better. I ran my fingers through the long strands and tossed my hat onto the chair. Her breath caught in her chest as her eyes locked on me for a moment. Then she cleared her throat and dropped her gaze.

“Um…and why is my choice of where to sit interesting?”

She wouldn’t look at me. Was it something I said? “Because it’s cold outside and you don’t seem to like the cold, but you’re sitting by the window.”

She nodded, but again, didn’t look up.

“Did I say something?”

She looked up, biting her lip. “You’re um…married.”

Ah. She saw the ring. I glanced down at it for a moment and sighed. “It’s uh…not what you think.” I tugged the chain out from under my shirt and held out the other ring, the one that belonged to Jade, for her to see. Her eyes widened in surprise. Her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes fluttered closed.

“Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay.” I tucked the chain back in, and my fingers automatically went to the ring on my finger, sliding it around. “It’s been…five years.”

Her hand slid across the table and covered mine. I was so surprised by the gesture that I flinched, then covered her hand with my other one, squeezing it lightly.

“Guess I just never got around to taking it off,” I chuckled.

She bit her lip again. “Well, then, it’s a good thing you didn’t have some awkward encounter where some random woman accused you of cheating on your wife or something.”

My lips twitched in amusement. “I guess I’m lucky.”

“Especially if said woman had waited until the milkshake came and then she tossed it in your face. That would have been super awkward.”

“Especially with the cold weather outside. It would have frozen to my face.”

“Yep,” she nodded.

I laughed, wondering if she really would have done it. I would have paid a lot of money to see her do it. “It would have stuck to my facial hair. I probably would have had to shave it off. Maybe my hair, too.”

She dropped her head into her hands and laughed. “That would have been so embarrassing.”

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