Page 107 of Single Teddy
I hated this plan, but it made sense. Until we had a course of action, we needed to make sure Wesley didn’t raise any suspicions, and if he suddenly stopped trying to tutor the kids, it would do just that.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” I said, but as everyone dispersed, Wyatt pulled me to the side.
“Tell that to your face.”
“What’s wrong with my face?”
“You tell me,” he said. “Is there something going on?”
I looked my old commander in the eyes, his ice blue eyes that resembled my own, and chewed on my lip. A commander needed to know everything. That way, he could plan for every eventuality. But that was out in the field. In service. This was my personal life, which, granted, I’d never had, but I wanted to keep a part of it just for me.
“Wes-Wesley and I…” I started because as much as I wanted to keep it to myself, Wesley’s safety was far more important.
“You too? Man, what is going on with you guys? I’ve never seen men fall so fast, so hard in all my years on the field.”
I narrowed my eyes and grimaced.
“I didn’t say I fell?—”
“Oh please! It’s written all over your face.” He sighed. “I swear it’s like this island is turning my entire squadron gay.”
“What’s wrong with being gay?” I asked, and Wyatt coughed, turning away from me.
“Erm, nothing. No-nothing. I didn’t say there was anything—all I’m saying is I brought you here for a job and instead you keep getting distracted with hand jobs.”
I almost choked out laughing, but an evil glare from my commander set me straight.
“Are you telling me you are not in love with anyone?”
“I’m not gay!” he said.
“I didn’t say you were. Neither am I. I just asked if you haven’t fallen in love with anyone, man or woman.”
He huffed and his face hardened.
“Love is a bunch of bullshit. I’ve got no time for bullshit.”
“Are you saying everyone who’s found love is deep in bullshit?”
“No. Um, don’t put words in my mouth. I…all I was saying is it’s not for me. And you just be careful not to get hurt.”
I narrowed my gaze on my commander as if that would answer all the questions that had suddenly popped into my head, but naturally, it didn’t work.
“I doubt Wesley will ever hurt me.”
Wyatt scoffed, but when I asked him why, he didn’t elaborate.
Had Wyatt been hurt by love? When? And by whom? He wasn’t one to open his heart and share like the rest of us. In fact, in all the years under his command, I didn’t think I’d learned anything about him. I didn’t even know where he was from. I only found out when I got the invitation to come live in Mayberry Holm.
Wyatt Goodman was a man of his generation. A man who kept things close to the vest, and for the first time in my life, I wanted to know more about him, if for nothing else, than simply to find out who had broken his heart so utterly to make him this grumpy older man with a single mindset.
TWENTY-EIGHT
WESLEY
Iopened my eyes and everything started turning. The ceiling, the walls, me. It took a couple of blinks to make everything stop and a few more to orient myself and remember where I was.
