Page 35 of Salute, To Bravery
I couldn’t help but laugh into his chest. I pulled away from him and realized I’d gotten his shirt all wet with my tears. “Oh, I’m sorry.” I tried to wipe it away, even though it had already soaked in.
He stopped me by putting his hand on mine, pressing my hand into his chest. “Dottie.”
I finally met his eyes.
“What’s going on?”
I took a deep breath. “I always wanted a stuffed animal. No one’s ever done something like that for me before.”
He furrowed his eyebrows, then pursed his lips. He sat there a moment before shaking his head. “What do you mean you’ve always wanted a stuffed animal?” His confusion was apparent, and he didn’t bother hiding it.
“My mom would never let me have one because she thought they were dirty.” I shrugged.
“Why didn’t you just buy one when you got your own place?” He tilted his head to the side. His resemblance to a puppy made me smile.
“It just wasn’t a priority. Bills, family, work. I never took the time to go find one I wanted.” I shrugged again, looking down at our hands, still placed firmly on his chest. “I’m sorry, I don’t really know why it made me cry.”
He rubbed his thumb across my hand again. “It’s okay, I’m glad I didn’t scare you with the bat.” His tone turned sarcastic, and I gave him a little shove, a smile spreading across my face.
He smiled back and put the car into gear, ready to take us back to the RV, but only after a brief stop for burgers and “mandatory” milkshakes. Ian apparently took his burger/milkshake combo very seriously and insisted on ordering for me. With anyone else, I may have found it annoying, but he’d never let me down when it came to food. Although, I was starting to wonder if this was my trip or his.
I have to admit, seeing him chow down on his fries and drinking a chocolate milkshake like a kid warmed my heart. He was right at home, pointing out all the things he remembered from his younger years and all the things that had changed. Hehadn’t grown up in the town we were in, but close enough that this was a regular hotspot for him. We took random little side streets until he made it back to a major road to get us out of town.
We stopped at a stoplight, and I took in my surroundings. A few small shopping strips, a gas station, and a giant cemetery. The giant black iron gates and stone wall were enough to draw anyone’s attention, but the rows and rows of identical white headstones gave away that it was the military cemetery. The rows went as far back as I could really see from the car; the little flags dotted the graves in unison. “Do they always have so many flags there?”
“They put them in for Memorial Day and leave them for a little while before taking them down so the flags don’t get ruined.” His tone was flat. I turned from the headstones to Ian, who was looking straight ahead at the light, his hand covering his mouth. “Why is this damn light taking so long?” His agitation seemed to seep from his skin into the air.
“You okay?”
“Fine,” he snapped. He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. He must have sensed my surprise at his mood shift. “Sorry, I just don’t like being here.”
“Why not?” I started to reach for him, but he pulled his arm away, doing his best to not show that he did it on purpose.
“Can we not, Dottie? Please?” It was almost a whisper.
“Okay.” I pulled my hand back into my lap, overwhelmed with his sudden mood shift.
Chapter Six.
The rest of the ride back to the RV was silent and tense. I really wanted to ask what was going on, but I was honestly too afraid to ask. I knew the cemetery set him off, but I didn’t know why. It could have been a number of things, and honestly, they were all understandable. Still, I didn’t want to make him more upset than he was. My assumption was maybe it was just a stark reminder of where he’d be buried someday, or maybe he even knew someone buried there. I hoped it wasn’t the latter.
“Hey, do you mind if I borrow the bed?” Ian pulled into our spot next to the RV and shut the Jeep’s engine off.
“Borrow the bed?” I cocked my head to the side. “Where are you taking it?”
He smiled. “You know damn well what I meant.”
I smiled back, glad that he seemed a little better. “Yeah, go ahead, I’m just gonna catch up on emails and social media.”
“That shit will rot your brain, you know that, right?” He grabbed our bags and what was left of his shake and hopped out of the Jeep.
I rolled my eyes as I grabbed my own shake and followed him into the RV. “Are you telling me you don’t have any social media accounts?”
“I used to, but honestly it just lost its appeal. Not everything should be posted online for the world to see.” He set his shake and our bags on the counter before pulling his shirt off. “I’m gonna grab a power nap.”
I’d seen the man shirtless before, but I found myself averting my eyes. How could someone’s back be a turn on? I shook the thought from my head, only looking up after he’d closed the flimsy door to the small room. I had a feeling his need for isolation came more from whatever happened at the cemetery than it did from actually being tired. Either way, I’d give him his space. Plus, it gave me a chance to deal with my mother.
I pulled out my phone, which had a million messages on it. My mother, my father, Sophie, and Emmy. They all basically said the same thing over and over again: asking where I was, when was I going to be at the Engagement Party, and threatening to call the police if I didn’t answer. I sighed, opting to tackle the head of the problem first and get it out of the way.
