Page 30 of Written in the Charts

“Friendship means mutual trust and respect, Evan. It means understanding that you care for one another and hope for the best for each other.”

I studied her face, trying to understand what she was getting at. I was apologizing for hurting her feelings and breaking rank by going off on her while we were both on duty. Wasn’t that enough?

“I don’t understand. I’m trying to tell you I’m sorry for pissing you off.” I set my fork on my plate and used my napkin to wipe my mouth. I lost my appetite. It seemed that no matter what I did, I was always wrong. At least with Serah.

She dropped her fork, her brow furrowed into a scowl. “Understand this, Miller. I’ve spoken to Major Thurlow and he agrees with me. We can’t let your PT go untreated any longer. We are worried you’ll end up with a surgery or worse. And it’s obviously affecting your performance more than just physically. You’ve been disrespectful and rude to commanding officers and—”

“Wait. What?” I stood, hands fisted at my sides again. For whatever reason, she had a knack for pissing me off. “You told Thurlow?”

She wasn’t even surprised I was angry. Her furrowed brow told me we were drawing attention to ourselves, but I didn’t care. She had no regard for my future.

“Sit down, please.”

“Is that an order?” I pushed my chair back, ready to leave.

“No, Evan, that is a request by a friend.” She glanced around the room, now looking apologetic. Perhaps people were staring and I was about to have rank pulled on me again.

“I don’t think you understand what friendship means, Jones. I trusted you to keep my confidence because my entire career is on the line here. I want to be able to go back to the field at some point. You know as well as I do that if I have that surgery, it will likely mean a desk job forever. That’s not what I signed up for.”

“Evan, people are staring.”

“Let them stare.” I picked up my tray, ready to make my hasty retreat. “I thought I could trust you, but I was wrong. You are not my friend. You’re just a Blue Falcon.” The insult hit its target square on the head. The nickname for a double-crosser bent on personal gain at the expense of friendship was exactly what she was.

I started to walk away when she called my name. “Master Sergeant Miller, you will report to MTF at zero-eight-hundred Monday morning. That is an order.”

“And if I don’t show up?”

“Then you will pay the bill yourself for skipping, and you’ll be put on medical leave until you pass the physical fitness test.”

I’d like to have said I had more class than to just storm out again, but I didn’t. I offered a “fuck you” and walked away angrily. She didn’t follow me, and I didn’t even try to hide the limp anymore. If she wanted to tank my career in the name of friendship, she wasn’t my friend at all. And as much as I wanted to say that didn’t bother me, I couldn’t.

I dumped the tray in the trash and stacked it on top of the others, then let myself out. What I really wanted to do was to call Gypsy and just go to her house and chill, but she was working late this evening on her studies. If I bothered her, I knew she would take time for me, but I would feel bad for distracting her. So instead, I just went back to my apartment and sulked.

I had to find a way to pass the physical. Yellow Springs wasn’t my home. It was just a stopping point where I happened to reconnect with Gypsy. I knew it would be tricky telling her I wanted to be stationed overseas, and convincing her to come with me would be a challenge, but that was my future.

IfSerah hadn’t fucked that up now.

CHAPTERTWENTY

Gypsy

Maggie and Derek’s home was all decked out for the holiday. Their tree, nestled in the bay window near the front of the house, was visible from the street. I pulled in, marveling at the lights strewn around the trees and draped across the bushes. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to light up the entire farm. Santa and a sleigh with tiny reindeer even clung to the rooftop—literally. They had a decoration that made it look like Santa’s sleigh had slid off the roof, and he dangled from the chimney with a death grip on the reins. I chuckled at it.

I saw Evan’s car parked next to Derek’s truck and pulled in beside them. Thankfully, December was a bit kinder to us than November, only a dusting of snow on the ground currently. My car was warm, though, and the winter air always bit down on my skin. I hated living in a place where the outside air hurt my face in winter, but Yellow Springs was home.

I climbed out of my car, taking the few packages I had with me, and trudged up the steps to the front door. Before I had a chance to knock, Evan opened the door, all smiles. He welcomed me with a kiss and grabbed a few packages out of my hands.

“Hey, you’re just in time. Maggie said dinner is ready.” Evan’s warm welcome put my nerves at ease for the moment. I hadn’t planned to tell him about the baby yet because my appointment with Derek wasn’t until next week. I’d sworn Derek to secrecy, and Maggie knew better than to blab, but just being around Evan made me want to tell him. And given the reaction he had to my not telling him about Chloe sooner, I figured the sooner I told him, the better.

Still, Maggie’s advice about letting myself adjust first was what I was sticking to. Besides, even Derek told me it was better to do a blood test to be sure everything was okay and the baby was healthy before I got anyone all worked up. And it would allow me to plan something special like I wanted to the first time.

“You okay?” Evan asked, helping me out of my coat.

“Yeah, fine. Why?”

“You look lost in thought.” He kissed me again, an intoxicating tangle of tongues and lips. It made me shudder just thinking of how he could make me feel. I lingered there for a moment, nipping at his lower lip.

“I’m really good. Just have a lot on my mind with school is all.” My forced smile convinced him, and he put his hand in the small of my back and guided me into the dining room. I’d been here a million times, but I’d never seen it so pretty.

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