Page 1 of Be With Me
Chapter 1
Rafe Luna walked across the fairgrounds at Fort Bragg, enjoying the sights and sounds of the Army celebrating America’s birthday. He couldn’t believe he’d done it. Just two days ago, he’d earned his jump wings. Five jumps out of a perfectly good airplane along with eighty-five other new paratroopers. In fact, three of them were walking beside him.
He’d met Jeff MacNamara, Danny Glenn and Kevin Nolan the first day of jump school and they’d hit it off. Of course, they weren’t as awesome as he was… they weren’t MPs. There was no telling if they’d be friends past this assignment but hey, at least he had some guys to go out with on the weekends. Tonight they were going to see the concert for this year. He couldn’t remember who Kevin had said was playing.
“How can you wear that?” Danny asked from behind him.
“Wear what?” Rafe responded looking down at his outfit. Looked decent to him; pair of shorts, a vintage Ironman T-shirt and a pair of sneakers.
“That hat.” Danny reached over and smacked it off Rafe’s head.
“Hey, no dissing the O’s.” He leaned down and grabbed his hat, smacking it against his thigh before fitting it back in place. “My dad took me to see Ripken play in Baltimore. It was my first game and I fell in love on the spot.”
“Baseball? Nah, college football, man,” Jeff argued. “Roll Tide.”
“Please… hockey! Only sport where you’re encouraged to slam your opponent against a hard wall while swinging a stick,” Kevin argued.
“Lalala not listening,” Rafe sing-songed. “I’m hungry. Anyone else?”
“I could eat,” Danny chimed in. “How about shoestring fries?”
“Follow me,” Kevin said before leading them to the right. Sure enough, he had them standing in line at a food truck for what they billed as “fresh cut fries”.
Rafe wasn’t paying too much attention as his new friends argued over which branch was more badass.
“Are you going to order?” a female asked over Rafe’s shoulder.
“Sorry, can I—” Rafe turned toward the window of the truck with an apology already coming out of his mouth. Every word froze in his throat as he met the eyes of the woman behind the counter. Rafe couldn’t tell how tall she was but she had the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen. They were a mix of browns and greens that complimented her longer than shoulder length hair. It had to reach almost her butt since it was past her shoulder blades in a ponytail.
“Hello? Order?”
All he could do was blink. Rafe had known quite a few knockouts in his life, and none of them had hit him between the eyes like this woman. He didn’t know what exactly it was about her that touched something inside him but he knew he needed to know her better.
Pushing passed him, Jeff smiled at the woman and started speaking. “We’ll take three orders of fries and four limeades.” He didn’t even give the rest of them time to agree.
“Twenty-seven fifty,” she said before calling out the order. After she handed Jeff the change, she pointed to the other line. “You’re number seventy-two.”
Rafe continued to stand there, trying to make his brain work. He at least needed to know this woman’s name. She looked at him for a minute then turned to the next in line, giving him a wink.Yes!Seemed like he wasn’t the only one attracted… well, at least he hoped that’s what she meant with winking.
“Rafe? You with us again?” Kevin or Danny gave him a push to move, startling Rafe. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw her smiling in his direction as she took the next order.
“Oh he’s gone ass over teakettle,” Jeff corrected. “Positively mooning over that woman back there.”
“Going to howl at the moon, Luna?” Kevin teased.
“Mooooonnnneeeyyyy,” Danny tried to howl which had them laughing and falling into each other. Once they’d calmed down, Danny slung his arm around Rafe’s shoulders and pulled him into the line to pick up their food. “Come on, Mooney. Let’s get our food.”
§ § §
Debbie was having a hard time focusing on the woman standing in front of her.Order-smhorder, she wanted to follow the guy that hadn’t been able to form a sentence. He was so cute just standing there blinking, like he had no swagger in him. She was lucky that working for her uncle was so instinctive for her that she could do it in her sleep. Because, honestly? She was close to braindead at the moment… okay, not braindead but definitely preoccupied.
What had possessed her to wink at him? That was so not like her.
“Debbie?” a voice called from behind her but she didn’t respond; she was drawing hearts on the order pad while they had a break. “Debra Florence Hansen!” Okay, that made her look over her shoulder. Her uncle Buddy stood there almost glaring at her.
“Uncle Buddy? Did I screw something up?” She didn’t think she had but there was always a chance.
“No, but it is your break time. You’ve been here for four hours. Take a walk and get some air.” Uncle Buddy took the pad from her, smiling when he saw her scribbles. “Who caught your eye, cupcake?” He’d been calling her cupcake since she was two and smushed one all over her face at her birthday party. She’d given up trying to get him to stop.
