Page 16 of Believe in Me
Jess reached around Trish and grabbed the empty trays in the case, hip-checking her out of the way. “I’ve got this. You head out. I’ll prep for the morning. Just put the baking sheets in the oven when you get here and the pastries will be all set for the customers. I’m liking this new system of par-baking the day before.”
“Bright and early.” Trish lifted her apron over her head and hung it up next to the kitchen door. Reaching under the counter, she pulled out a lanyard with a small ID pouch in it. She’d taken to locking her purse in the car and just carrying ID and her keys around. Trish had taken over the beginner ballet class at Dance Now and her sunshine wasn’t too confident on her positions yet so she told Jess, “Give my love to my sunshine and tell her to practicecroise derriere.”
§ § §
Mike pulled up in front of Trish’s condo and shifted into park. Now that he’d had a shower and time to decompress, he was feeling as tired as the platoon looked earlier. He sighed and turned off the car. When he looked up, Trish was standing in the doorway. There was a sight to behold.
“Hey gorgeous,” he said as he got close and placed a kiss on her cheek. Mike went to slide by her but she stopped him with a hand on his cheek.
“You look tired,” Trish said softly. “Let me box up some food for you then you can go home and crash.”
Mike shook his head before pulling her close and putting his forehead against her shoulder. “Don’t do that. I’m tired but I’d much rather sit across from you than stare at a blank wall while eating.” Mike rubbed his face against her neck and breathed her in, feeling the tension in his body relax.
“Okay, but don’t feel you have to spend hours here tonight. You need to rest,” she told him, guiding him straight to the table. “I had a feeling you’d be hungry so I timed it to be ready when you arrived.”
Mike looked at the table and smiled. “It’s clear you were a military spouse to know about field exercises.” He watched as sadness crossed her face and started to apologize. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t ha—”
“Stop. Let’s sit down and talk a bit. We’ve covered all our likes and dislikes. It’s time for the harder stuff,” Trish said as she sat.
He paused and thought about what Trish said. Yeah, he knew that she loved bacon on her pizza and hated onion but didn’t know what had happened to her husband. Mike nodded and slid into the chair across from Trish.
“You’re right. Talk while we eat?”
§ § §
Trish wasn’t sure where to start now that it was time. She honestly never thought she’d be in the position to want to tell anyone about Joe. Oh her family, Jess, and the friends from the unit still talked about Joe with her but telling someone that never knew him was harder.
“You know my last role was inKinky Boots. I had so much fun as Lauren. We were in Seattle at the Paramount for a ten-show run and went out between the matinee and evening show. Roger, Sal, Anna and I were in the mood for seafood. Can’t go to Seattle without visiting Pike Place, right? So we took a cab and walked around before grabbing a table at Pike Place Chowder. We were just sitting down when this group came up to us and started gushing about the performance. Okay, the women in the group were gushing and the guys were indulging them. They were talking about Roger’s solo in Act One and I was sitting there listening when one of the men moved next to me and said, ‘I loved your performance, have you been dancing long?’” Trish looked down at her plate as she remembered meeting Joe’s eyes for the first time.
“Hey, it’s okay. You don’t need to tell me,” Mike offered, putting a hand out to her. Trish reached over and gave his hand a squeeze.
“Yeah, I do and I want to. You know when they say sometimes you know your life is going to change by meeting someone?” she asked but didn’t wait for an answer. “I knew the minute I met Joe’s eyes that mine was changing. From that moment on, any free time I had between performances and any rehearsals we needed, I was with Joe. He was a sergeant in First Group. Stationed at Fort Lewis. By the time our run was over, Joe had proposed, and I had given my notice with the production. My understudy was ecstatic. We were married ten days later at the courthouse with his teammates and their wives as witnesses. I think they thought we were nuts… and maybe we were, but we were in love.”
Trish took a break and sipped her sweet tea. “Our families weren’t exactly happy when we called them. My mother just about had a stroke. Her only daughter got married not in a church, no gown, no reception and she wasn’t there? Oh yeah, I think if I had been there in person, she would’ve tried to send me to my room.” She chuckled at that and Mike did too. “When his mother demanded that he annul our marriage and drop ‘the gold digger’ Joe was livid. Told her that she would respect me, or he would have nothing to do with her.” Pausing, Trish traced circles on the table. “She came around until… until he died.”
“Trish, honestly, I don’t need to know any more. I know that he loved you and that he died, I’m assuming on a deployment. I just need to know if you can make room for me in your heart next to him,” Mike said softly.
Trish could feel tears forming but blinked them back. She wanted to finish this. She wanted Mike to know the rest.
“We moved to Fort Bragg about ten months later when Joe got the opportunity to be a part of Delta. He’d been working toward that assignment his entire career. Over the moon is putting it lightly describing his reaction to getting that transfer. Five months after we arrived, they deployed… somewhere. You understand operational security. Even when they notified me, they didn’t give me any details. All I remember is hearing ‘I’m sorry to inform you that your husband, Staff Sergeant Joseph Peterson was killed today during operations overseas.’”
Mike got up from his seat, pulled Trish up, sat back down and wrapped his arms around her. Trish hadn’t realized the tears were streaming down her cheeks until he wiped them with his thumb.
“Shhh, it’s okay,” he murmured. Trish laid her head against his shoulder and was silent for a minute.
“He’s buried at Arlington. His mother demanded and is still demanding that he be buried in the family plot on their farm. Not happening while I have breath in my body. Joe wanted to be there and that’s where he’ll stay. I had them present his flag to his parents. His teammates and their wives surrounded me. Jess was like a bulldog protecting her bone when she got to North Carolina and never left my side. She brought Shelby with her and that little girl was the only thing that could snap me out of my fog. Shelby was my sunshine in that darkness.”
“Remind me to buy her a big chocolate bar. She earned it,” Mike said, echoing what Trish had said about the twins and their cookie, making her laugh.
“She’ll love that. And to answer your question, yes, I do think there is room for you in my heart next to Joe.” Trish softly kissed Mike, handing her heart to him.
Chapter 11
Mike smiled as he finished his impromptu review of the latest test on the JP-8 that had been delivered to the lab. The data had shown there were imperfections that could’ve caused the engine to seize. It would be good to be able to tell Top that it wasn’t the maintenance schedule but the fuel that was the culprit. As he stood to go report to the first sergeant, his phone made the sound of a radar pinging. Hmmm, group text from Kevin.
Kevin: Hey guys, any chance you can all arrange leave for next month?
Mike guessed he could. He’d been here long enough. Before Mike could respond with yes, Brian’s response popped up.
