Read Online Back To You by Jessica Mastorakos - Free Book Online Page B

since your pants don’t need to
be held up.”
    “That just seems
nit-picky.”
    “Yeah, I mean, I
know it all comes down to us looking presentable whether we’re in uniform or
not. There are a lot of rules about how we look. We have to have a clean shave
every day, a new haircut every week, and if our shirt has shirt tails, it has
to be tucked in.”
    “Even if you’re
rocking the jeans with a button up look?”
    “Yep.”
    Ellie shook her
head. “What else?”
    “We can’t chew gum
in uniform.”
    “Good, it would
take away from the look.”
    I snorted. “What?
That doesn’t even make sense.”
    “You chew gum like
a cow. It’s not attractive at all.”
    “So, if I’m in uniform,
you’re saying I’m attractive? As long as I’m not chewing gum, of course.”
    Ellie flushed.
“Moving on. What else?”
    “Hmm… If we’re in
uniform and on a cell phone, we can’t walk.”
    “You have to just
stop in your tracks if you get a phone call, and you’re like… trapped in place
until you hang up?”
    I nodded.
    “Good to know. I
might call you sometimes and just blabber on. It’ll be like my own version of
‘red light, green light.’”
    “I might just
ignore your calls then.”
    She eyed me
playfully. “You would never do that.”
    We’d reached the end
of the line and started to fill our trays with food. “You’re right, I
wouldn’t.”
    Walking out into
the bright sunlight, I scanned the crowd looking for the table with Mills and
his family. We weaved and bobbed through the packed outdoor pavilion. Round
white tables with white plastic chairs dotted the area, and I was grateful that
the Mills family had decided to sit outside after being in the stuffy
restaurant. When we reached the table, Mills stood and grabbed Ellie’s free hand,
shaking it fervently.
    “Ellie, it’s so
nice to meet you,” Mills said, his dark brown eyes alight with his good mood.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. Your letters smelled really nice, by the way.”
    I glared at my
friend. “It was only that one letter that she sprayed, Mills.”
    Mills winked at me
and turned his attention back to Ellie. “Call me Matt, by the way. And I
believe you already know the love of my life?”
    Olivia laughed and
greeted Ellie again.
    “I haven’t met her
yet, Mills.” I said, faux hurt playing across my face.
    “Yeah, and for a
good reason, buddy. Come, sit, I’ll introduce you both to the rest of my
family.”
    The remainder of
the lunch went really well. I felt at home with Mills and his family and was
grateful to them for welcoming Ellie and me. I caught myself feeling down about
how happily dysfunctional Mills’ family was compared to my own. Or what was
left of it. On the bright side, it didn’t take much to bring my mood back up,
though. I was sitting at a table where I could take as long as I wanted to
finish my meal and there were no DI’s breathing down my neck. Not to mention
the fact that Ellie looked amazing and was finally right in front of me. Her
smile could always brighten my mood.
    I was pleased to
see how well she and Olivia got along. They would be seeing more of one another
if Mills and I were stationed in San Diego like we hoped. That was a long shot,
but the odds were better since the two of us shared the same job within the
Corps. If I didn’t wind up getting stationed in San Diego, I wondered where I
would go instead. Hopefully not too far.
    Ellie leaned
toward me and whispered in my ear. “When is he going to propose?”
    “It should be any
minute,” I responded, my mouth inches from Ellie’s ear. “He’s going to ask her
to take a walk with him.”
    As if on cue,
Mills turned to his mom and nodded. She winked in reply, and started telling a
story to the rest of the group in an animated voice. They were hanging on her
every word and laughing hysterically. I knew that Mills wanted his family to be
distracted when he snuck away with Olivia. They all knew he was planning to
propose at some