Page 5 of Not Faking it with the Colonel

“No. It’s not your or Madison’s fault.” And not entirely Phil’s either. Erin accepted her share of the blame.

“But if he stopped drinking?”

“There was a lot more to our problems.” She also doubted he’d stopped.

“The financial stuff?” Piper’s voice dropped.

“I wasn’t happy that he liquified our savings without telling me when the business deal stalled. But we had other problems and suppressed a lot of things rather than communicate and work them out. For years, I didn’t stand up for what I wanted and wasn’t helping the situation with my attitude. After the car accident, I couldn’t pretend or be complicit by being silent anymore. Next time, he might seriously hurt himself—or some innocent person. I’m working on me, and I like myself better now. I can’t go back to the way things were.”

“But you’re having to live in somebody else’s little condo—”

“That’s my choice. It works well with being here since it’s temporary. I’m tutoring seven students for finals and the SAT. I’ll teach the summer session at Fayetteville Tech, then online this fall semester while I’m at the beach writing scripts.”

Even if Phil found a buyer for the commercial property he acquired right before COVID hit, the carrying costs while it sat undeveloped had drained all their assets. He’d used the home equity line to pay his employees, and since he had no net income on paper, she got no alimony. Fortunately, money for Piper’s college was in a 529 Plan, since it looked like Phil’s commercial development project might never come to fruition.

“Are you going to move to California if the TV series gets picked up?”

“If that’s what I have to do, I will. I may not need to be where the studio films. They may even shoot here in North Carolina or in Georgia.”

“That’s good.” Piper managed a weak smile.

“And if Dad comes to Spain for Christmas, I can come over Thanksgiving or spring break. His plans may change.”

Piper rolled her eyes and nodded. “Yeah, he’ll probably have some deal at work come up.”

Erin didn’t mention he probably didn’t have the funds to travel overseas. At least pet sitting for the deployed soldiers cut her rent to half of what she’d be paying for an apartment. If her series did get picked up by a studio, and she got to write for it, it would go a long way toward rebuilding some retirement savings. “I only need a few weeks’ notice to get a ticket if he can’t come.”

“He keeps saying, ‘Mom is going to marry some widowed two-star general or divorced Special Forces guy now that she left me.’”

Erin laughed, despite the question in Piper’s voice. “Right. Eventually, I may date, but right now, the idea of getting married again is not a consideration. The only widowed generals I know are the fake friend requests on social media. Half the time, they don’t use the right first name of the real military officer they’re pretending to be, or they spell it wrong. And it only takes a minute to find a picture of the real general with his wife. Then there’s the ‘I’m an honest man looking for a kind-hearted woman’ in their bio. Or commenting on some old post, saying they enjoyed what I shared and sent me a friend request, but it didn’t go through. Would I add them? Seriously?”

“I can’t believe anyone falls for those scammers.”

“You’d think everyone would be suspicious of those random requests by now,” Erin agreed. However, her friend Cyndi had spent weeks messaging with a man who’d sent a random friend request. After he sent Cyndi a gift, she’d reciprocated with a more extravagant one. Once her kids found out about her online boyfriend, they ran a search using his profile picture and found it was from a stock photo site. Her friend had been so embarrassed at falling for it. Erin knew better. “People get lonely and want to believe it’s real.”

“What about you? Aren’t you lonely?”

“I don’t have a network of friends here like I did in Charlotte, but with teaching, tutoring, writing, and volunteering, I keep busy and interact with a lot of people. I like the freedom and independence to make decisions without having to get approval.” And didn’t need another man giving her orders. “I’m going to live at the beach for four months.”

“In the winter.”

“Still, it’s the beach. I finally have a real shot at screenwriting for this series. It’s what I’ve dreamed about for over a decade and want more than teaching creative writing or how to write a fabulous essay for the SATs. Now’s the time to pursue my dream—before I’m chasing grandbabies.”

“Don’t look at me for that. I haven’t had a date in six months.”

“Maybe you’ll meet some special guy in Spain.” She tried to sound excited, though her chest ached at the idea of her daughter and potential future grandchildren living overseas where she’d rarely see them. Madison had only been home once in the past year, partly due to the awkwardness of the divorce. “I thought we’d watch a movie tonight, and tomorrow we can go shopping for anything you need for your trip. And you’re helping me volunteer at the USO’s bowling night.”

“Are you trying to set me up with a soldier?”

“I just thought it would be fun for you to see what I do.” Piper had a way better shot at meeting a single soldier her age than Erin did. Though she wasn’t looking for a romantic hookup, just the right person to get her access to a Special Ops team for a day or two.

ChapterThree

Graham tooka breath before exiting his car at his daughter and son-in-law’s house on post Sunday night. McKittrick couldn’t order Graham to date or marry, but he could most definitely get him transferred to a new post. And he had not figured out an alternative around the general’s ultimatum.

His daughter, Megan, and son Jace’s wife, Alex, divided Bethann’s jewelry and helped him pack Bethann’s clothes to donate months ago. The past two days, he’d walked around the house, taking in Bethann’s lingering presence. Her decorative touches made any standard Army base housing into a home. Shelves filled with family photo albums and books she loved to read. A kitchen stocked with the gourmet cookware they’d bought when they were based in Vincenza, Italy.

He carried the box of china and the store-bought chocolate cake to the door. It wasn’t the same as Bethann’s famous Texas sheet cake. With his hands full, he rang the bell with a knuckle.

---