Read Online Falling for Her Soldier by Ophelia London - Free Book Online Page B

his back to her, hoping she wouldn’t see through his mistake.
    It wasn’t exactly a lie. Maybe Sam had mentioned their aunt. Charlie knew for sure Ellie had in more than just that one e-mail. Another time, it was Aunt Kathy’s birthday and Ellie was sending her one of those edible bouquets. She’d asked him what kind of cookies she should order. Good old-fashioned chocolate chip was his favorite. Charlie couldn’t help wondering what she’d eventually decided on.
    He wished he could just ask her, get the whole thing out there. He opened his mouth to do just that, but closed it again, knowing he had to clear it with Sam first. He owed that to his friend.
    “So, you said you don’t use your degree,” Charlie said. “You don’t teach child psychology?”
    “No.” She didn’t look suspicious anymore, but he definitely wanted to get back on her good side. Build a friendship. Nice and slow. That had been Jack’s advice—as pointless as it seemed at the moment.
    Ellie was tugging at the neck of her T-shirt, revealing a fair amount of skin and just a peek of white lace. Charlie tried not to stare. Was it any wonder he’d lost his train of thought and said that about her aunt? He could barely concentrate with her looking all relaxed and chill in that oversize, ridiculously sexy USO shirt that kept sliding off one shoulder. He’d rather she be in one of those tacky miniskirts. He was immune to women in those things.
    “I wondered, because yesterday Sam mentioned you were a teacher,” Charlie said, trying not to check out her bare shoulder.
    “Oh.” Her face softened and she stopped fiddling with her shirt. A moment later, her lips pulled back into a smile. Damn, he needed to get her to smile more often. “Yes, I’m a teacher, but not at a regular school.”
    “Are you trying to confuse me?”
    That smile again, but there was something else behind it now. She was nibbling her bottom lip, looking pensive and a little…sinister?
    “We’re almost done here,” she said after a moment, “and I have to head to work for a while. If you’re not busy, would you like to see what I teach?”
    Charlie lifted his eyebrows. “Go with you to work?”
    She pressed her lips together like she was trying not to laugh. “If you want.”
    What was up with this woman? Instead of him learning more, she was becoming more and more of a mystery. Charlie racked his brain. Had she mentioned what she did for a living in her e-mails? No. He had no idea. But he was beyond intrigued.
    “I won’t be in the way?” he asked. “I can just…watch?”
    “Of course,” she said brightly, then she snickered.
    Charlie couldn’t help tilting his head and eyeing her, feeling like he was stepping into the mother of all bear traps. “What exactly do you teach?” He wasn’t sure why he bothered to ask. If she said she worked in a meatpacking plant and was in charge of cleaning up rancid guts, he would have happily tagged along.
    “Children’s ballet,” she answered.
    Charlie felt the melodramatic desire to clutch his stomach. Maybe he preferred the rancid guts. “Oh.” He nodded, hoping he was pokerfaced. “Cool.”
    Ellie burst out laughing. “Yeah, I can tell, you’re completely thrilled.” She fingered her hair into a ponytail, then let it go so it spilled over her shoulders, as she laughed all the while. “You don’t have to come. It was just an idea. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
    Only an idiot would pass up an invitation from this woman—and he was no idiot. “Oh, I’m coming all right. Can’t wait.”
    “We’ve only got S through Z left,” she said, gesturing at the table. “We’ll go after that. Or as you military types would say, sierra through zulu .”
    Charlie grinned at her, impressed. “You know the phonetic alphabet?”
    “Oh sure.” She waved a hand. “Couldn’t help learning that with Sam around. Let’s see, how does it start? A is…”
    “Alpha,” he prompted.
    “B is bravo,” Ellie added.