Page 63 of Be With Me
Chapter 31
Mooney looked around the unfinished living room. Just a bit more on the walls before painting, then a new floor and this room was done. He would finish before Debbie and the twins arrived if it killed him. Maybe he’d pull some work out of Mackey before he deployed. On the other hand, maybe not with the date he’d brought to Kevin’s wedding, surprising them all. None of them had known that he’d met someone. He’d admitted at the reception that they’d only met at Kevin’s bachelor party and Mackey had thrown himself on Scott’s mercy. Bold move.
His stomach growled reminding Mooney he hadn’t eaten lunch. Okay, enough for today. Food was the priority now. Looking down at his clothes, maybe he should take a shower and change first. He was in the mood for a steak. Picking up his phone, he called Danny and within five minutes, they had plans to meet for dinner. The big thing he hated about being at Campbell without Debbie and the boys was eating by himself.
Mooney walked into The Road House and the hostess told him it would be a minute for his table to be ready. Looking around he saw it was packed. Good thing he’d called ahead for seating. Guess it was a popular night to eat out. Leaning up against the wall, he pulled out his phone to check email while he waited. He hadn’t even gotten to open email when Danny texted that he’d been pulled into a briefing. Damn it. He really didn’t want to eat alone. Maybe he should sit at the bar.
He walked over to the entrance to the bar area to check for a seat. Looking for an empty stool, Mooney saw a new face — Scott Ash, the man Mackey was interested in. Maybe he wouldn’t have to eat alone after all.
He moved over to stand behind Scott and tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to turn.
“First Sergean—” Scott cut himself off at a raised eyebrow from Mooney. “Mooney, what are you doing here?”
“I was thinking of, oh I don’t know, maybe eating,” Mooney proposed with a grin on his face. “Care to join me?”
“My name is in for a table, let me just change it to two?” Scott answered.
“I’ve got a table. Danny was supposed to join me but he’s been delayed with some briefing. So take pity on me and eat with me? I hate eating by myself, but right now with Debbie and the boys up north, I’ve got no options.”
“Oh sure, I could do that.”
After they were seated and ordered dinner, Mooney just let his first thought fly from his mouth. “So are you serious about Mackey?”
“Okay, wow. What an icebreaker there. Could’ve maybe built up to that question.” Mooney watched a blush cover Scott’s face. Good, he wasn’t above intimidation to protect Mackey.
“Yeah, well, I’m not in uniform so my natural bluntness has come out to play. Debs keeps telling me that I need to work on that.”
“I was actually just thinking about Jeff. Trying to figure out if I was the type that could handle waving him off for months at a time.” Scott shrugged. “Am I overthinking this all?”
“Actually, I think you’re doing the right thing. It’s one thing to be all caught up in the attraction but being with a military man takes a bit more. I wish I could get that through the heads of the little privates everywhere. I can’t tell you how many I’ve sent to the chaplain for counseling after they’ve come home to find out the little missus has been having fun behind their backs and spent all their money while they were deployed.” Mooney took a long pull from his beer. “Mackey was mumbling last week that this was the worst time for him to meet you. I think he was wrong and this was the best time. You’ve had the time to be dazzled, and now it’s reality.”
“Even though this is a military town, I haven’t dealt much with soldiers on a personal level before and neither have my friends. Yes, I’m sure that some of the counseling courses that I took could help me deal overall with different situations that could arise, but honestly? What the hell do I know about the day-to-day, month-to-month that comes with someone in the service? I could talk it out with my friends but what do they know? They haven’t really been one-on-one with a soldier either.”
“Do you want a sounding board? Yes, I’m friends with Mackey but I can listen if you need an ear,” Mooney offered.
Scott let out a breath before answering, “Yes.” The waiter came over right then with their meals. After they had made a dent in the food, Scott sat back and Mooney waited.
“Can’t figure out where to start, can you?” Mooney smirked.
“Kinda. I think I’ve just got all these questions. How would it work if we were dating and Jeff deployed? Does he get to call sometimes? Vacation—wait, not vacation, leave? How long would he be gone? How would I know if something happened? Who takes care of his bills? Because honestly, not comfortable with that right now we just met, got together, maybe, I’m not even sure. Jeff could not even like me that much and I’m just making more of everything.”
Mooney almost choked on his food. Scott had put a lot of thought into this. Scott went to get up and he stopped him with a hand up.
“First, and foremost, I don’t think you have to worry about Mackey not liking you that much. Yes, he was a bit desperate for the wedding but he really wouldn’t have taken you and subjected you to us if he didn’t think something could be there. Next, let’s see if I can remember all the questions and answer them as truthfully as I can.”
“What happens here at home while you’re gone? How do the spouses or partners know what’s going on?” Scott asked.
He thought about it for a minute. Mooney realized he really didn’t know the answer to that. He checked the time, the boys should be in bed by now so Debbie could talk. Grabbing his phone, he looked at Scott. “I’m not actually sure how that works but I’m positive Debbie knows. Let’s call her. If you’ve got time?”
“If she can add to all the information you’ve given me so I can figure out what I’m doing before Jeff gets back, what are you waiting for? Dial the phone already,” Scott urged.
Mooney put the phone on speaker and hit the speed dial; Debbie picked up on the second ring. “Luny, you missed the boys. They had a lot to tell you tonight.”
“Sorry Debs, I’m eating dinner with Scott and he has some questions I can’t answer. Help?” Mooney begged, teasingly.
“The guy you told me Mackey brought to the wedding?” she asked, causing Mooney to blush. He looked at Scott and saw he was trying not to laugh.
“Um, Debs? You’re on speaker phone,” he told her.
