me…’
‘You think you should have stayed.’
A long silence as he ate the last of his lasagne. Then he pushed the plate away and looked at her. ‘Tim, Major Folke, and I served in Afghanistan together. We weren’t drinking buddies or anything, but I respected him. I assumed that respect went two ways. I’d have been happy to serve under him again.’
‘Okay.’
‘When it became clear that I wasn’t going to back away from my statement I saw the lieutenant grope Sonia. I saw her knee him in the balls. I also saw her torn shirt.’
Jessica pushed away her own lasagne.
‘I wasn’t going to listen to any of that bullshit, that it was a bit of fun, that she’d asked for it, that she was stuck up.’
‘Blame the victim. It happens all the time.’
He thrust his jaw out. ‘Sonia did the right thing reporting Lieutenant Kale. No way would I leave her out there. When I wouldn’t retract my statement, Major Folke said I was having an affair with her. That my testimony was biased because I was screwing her.’
‘You weren’t.’ Sonia had made that clear talking to Jessica. Sonia was ambitious. She wouldn’t jeopardise her future by having an affair with a non-commissioned officer.
‘He lied, and he lied to destroy me. Backing a fellow officer was more important than the truth.’
‘More important than honour.’
Brodie stared at her, his attention caught.
‘You’re an honourable man, Brodie Carlton. The whole affair revolted your principles; what you believe in, what you fight for.’
‘It was a kick in the gut.’
‘And you kicked back.’ She raised her soda-water glass. ‘More power to you.’
His intensity relaxed. He leaned back as the waiter cleared their plates. They ordered tiramisu and coffees. ‘We wouldn’t have won, you know, if Lieutenant Kale hadn’t been a moron.’
‘Justice. He used the old boy’s network to protect himself. Only fair that it hung him.’
Kale had propositioned, then groped, a cadet while still under investigation for the case Sonia had brought. Except this cadet had a general for a godfather and a good friend quick with a phone camera. A more thorough-going investigation had censured Major Folke for lying under oath. Brodie’s reputation had been restored. The damage couldn’t be.
‘Good tiramisu.’ Jessica let the subject drop. She had her answer.
Standing against his friends, against people he respected, had been hard. Scratch the surface of his discipline and the scars showed. Brodie wouldn’t trust easily again.
Whatever she decided in the next few weeks would have the same lasting effect on her character.
Brodie looked at her. ‘Now you know I wasn’t a hero, just a guy who got caught up in an ugly mess.’
She rested her elbows on the table. ‘An ordinary guy who stands his ground is a hero. I get that you’re not comfortable with the title, but some of us need heroes, so suck it up.’
He grinned. ‘Suck it up?’
‘Or whatever they say in the army.’ She refused to blush at the thoughts the word ‘suck’ and Brodie brought to mind. ‘I think this tiramisu has alcohol in it.’ That was her excuse for her wayward thoughts. She smiled at him.
He frowned. ‘There’s one important point you need to remember about heroes,’ he said. ‘They ride off into the sunset.’
Her smiled faded, the last of it cracking in painful shards as she understood him. Suddenly, the music was too loud, the other diners plain noisy and the tiramisu overly sweet. Carefully, she placed her spoon to the side of the dessert and picked up her cup of coffee.
He was drawing a hard line under the discussion. He’d seen and rejected the emotional closeness of shared confidences. What was between them wasn’t a relationship. It would end.
Jessica understood rejection and how to mask her feelings. She didn’t always manage it, but this time she could be superficial, witty. ‘Don’t forget to wear your sunglasses. Sunsets are bright in
‘You think you should have stayed.’
A long silence as he ate the last of his lasagne. Then he pushed the plate away and looked at her. ‘Tim, Major Folke, and I served in Afghanistan together. We weren’t drinking buddies or anything, but I respected him. I assumed that respect went two ways. I’d have been happy to serve under him again.’
‘Okay.’
‘When it became clear that I wasn’t going to back away from my statement I saw the lieutenant grope Sonia. I saw her knee him in the balls. I also saw her torn shirt.’
Jessica pushed away her own lasagne.
‘I wasn’t going to listen to any of that bullshit, that it was a bit of fun, that she’d asked for it, that she was stuck up.’
‘Blame the victim. It happens all the time.’
He thrust his jaw out. ‘Sonia did the right thing reporting Lieutenant Kale. No way would I leave her out there. When I wouldn’t retract my statement, Major Folke said I was having an affair with her. That my testimony was biased because I was screwing her.’
‘You weren’t.’ Sonia had made that clear talking to Jessica. Sonia was ambitious. She wouldn’t jeopardise her future by having an affair with a non-commissioned officer.
‘He lied, and he lied to destroy me. Backing a fellow officer was more important than the truth.’
‘More important than honour.’
Brodie stared at her, his attention caught.
‘You’re an honourable man, Brodie Carlton. The whole affair revolted your principles; what you believe in, what you fight for.’
‘It was a kick in the gut.’
‘And you kicked back.’ She raised her soda-water glass. ‘More power to you.’
His intensity relaxed. He leaned back as the waiter cleared their plates. They ordered tiramisu and coffees. ‘We wouldn’t have won, you know, if Lieutenant Kale hadn’t been a moron.’
‘Justice. He used the old boy’s network to protect himself. Only fair that it hung him.’
Kale had propositioned, then groped, a cadet while still under investigation for the case Sonia had brought. Except this cadet had a general for a godfather and a good friend quick with a phone camera. A more thorough-going investigation had censured Major Folke for lying under oath. Brodie’s reputation had been restored. The damage couldn’t be.
‘Good tiramisu.’ Jessica let the subject drop. She had her answer.
Standing against his friends, against people he respected, had been hard. Scratch the surface of his discipline and the scars showed. Brodie wouldn’t trust easily again.
Whatever she decided in the next few weeks would have the same lasting effect on her character.
Brodie looked at her. ‘Now you know I wasn’t a hero, just a guy who got caught up in an ugly mess.’
She rested her elbows on the table. ‘An ordinary guy who stands his ground is a hero. I get that you’re not comfortable with the title, but some of us need heroes, so suck it up.’
He grinned. ‘Suck it up?’
‘Or whatever they say in the army.’ She refused to blush at the thoughts the word ‘suck’ and Brodie brought to mind. ‘I think this tiramisu has alcohol in it.’ That was her excuse for her wayward thoughts. She smiled at him.
He frowned. ‘There’s one important point you need to remember about heroes,’ he said. ‘They ride off into the sunset.’
Her smiled faded, the last of it cracking in painful shards as she understood him. Suddenly, the music was too loud, the other diners plain noisy and the tiramisu overly sweet. Carefully, she placed her spoon to the side of the dessert and picked up her cup of coffee.
He was drawing a hard line under the discussion. He’d seen and rejected the emotional closeness of shared confidences. What was between them wasn’t a relationship. It would end.
Jessica understood rejection and how to mask her feelings. She didn’t always manage it, but this time she could be superficial, witty. ‘Don’t forget to wear your sunglasses. Sunsets are bright in
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