Page 25 of Not Faking it with the Colonel

“Good to be smart and safe, but I can see how that would make you both anxious. Is this the time I’m supposed to tell you that if anything happens, you know someone with certain skills . . .”

“I have seen theTakenmovies. My original movie idea involves the rescue of girls taken hostage by a group like Boko Haram, so my mind has already gone there more than once. Let’s talk about something different.”

Since she didn’t mention that nearly two weeks had passed, he refrained from explaining why he hadn’t contacted her earlier. Better to make sure this date went well and not risk scaring her off by bringing up his proposition too soon. He steered clear of asking about screenwriting for now too. “Where all is she going in Europe?”

“They start in England, then Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, France. There might be one or two more countries.”

“Wow, that’s a lot.”

“They’ll spend a few days in each country. We figured if she was over there, why not see as much as she can while she’s young and can enjoy it? Once you have a job and kids, it’s harder to travel. I thought about doing the tour, too, but I wanted her to have fun with people her age.”

“She’ll have a great time. When I was based in Italy, we did a lot of short trips but still didn’t get to hit all the countries we wanted to visit. Though we fell in love with the Amalfi coast and went there several times.”

“I’m jealous. I’ve wanted to visit Italy for decades.”

“You should go. I’ve never heard of anyone hating it.”

“I plan to visit Piper at Christmas and travel with her, but I’m waiting until she finishes this trip to see where she wants to go. And plans may change depending on my ex, who is now talking about going to see her then.”

“Wouldn’t that be a good time for you to go with a semester break from teaching classes?”

“He says that’s the best time for him to be out of work too. Despite the time difference, he thinks it won’t be a big deal for me to teach online from there.”

Neither had looked at their menus when the server brought chips, salsa, and water to their table. Unlike his other dates, conversation with Erin flowed easily through dinner. Though he mentioned Bethann in reference to their travels, that didn’t seem to bother Erin, nor did she talk more about her ex. When the server cleared their plates and asked if they wanted dessert, he was ready to put everything on the line. He gave the server his credit card and waited for her to leave.

“There’s something I need to come clean on. The last time we had dinner, you kind of threw me for a loop.”

“Right after I told you my hopes of hanging out with a Special Ops team? I picked up on that.”

“Partially. It was more the not looking for a relationship part.”

“O-kay.” Erin’s mouth curved into a cautious smile.

“I have a proposition for you.”

“A—proposition?”

“Wrong word.” He rubbed the back of his head. Heat crept up his face.

“Good. Because you should know I vowed not to sleep with anyone to get my big break in Hollywood.”

He laughed. Fortunately, she seemed amused rather than offended. He looked around to make sure nobody was listening in on their conversation, then leaned forward and lowered his voice. “What I’m about to tell you is confidential.”

“How confidential?” She mirrored his posture, leaning toward him with her arms crossed on the table. “You won’t have to kill me afterward, will you? That would really make me regret accepting your Facebook friend request.”

Her sense of humor made him hope even more that she’d agree. “No, however, it would look bad for my unit if this got out.”

Her smile disappeared, and her eyes widened slightly. “I can keep a confidence.”

“Good.” That was a necessary trait for a woman involved with a Special Forces operator. “We had incidents of Conduct Unbecoming an Officer with prior commanders of my unit.”

“I’m not following you.”

“Inappropriate relationships with wives of men under their command.”

“Ohhh.” She drew out the word. “That’s not good. Plural? Really?”

He nodded. “It’s created trust issues within the unit. With my wife passing away, it’s been suggested that I get married for the good of the unit. Otherwise, I’ll be transferred to a new post.”

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