the camp. The reason was
because she wasn't shy about asking. And with her rich Georgia accent setting
her victims at ease, they usually told her more than they ever intended. "Oh,
Del. I'm glad you're back safe. How'd it go?"
Reluctant
to talk about the mission, she shrugged off the strain of what had happened. "Everyone
got back alive."
Lindsay
glanced up, her open face serious for half a second. "That's wonderful."
A
long pause followed, as if giving a silent prayer for those who had not been as
fortunate.
Shaking
nail polish remover onto a cotton ball, she asked, "Transport anyone
yummy?"
"I
don't normally taste my cargo, whether supplies or people." Oh, yes, she'd
brought back one of the yummiest SEALs in the Navy.
Her
tent mate bent to rub polish off yet another toenail. "Have you heard
anything from your sweetie-pie back in the states?"
Delaney
debated her answer. She could ignore Lindsay and pretend she hadn't heard. Or
she could tell the woman her sweetie was there at Camp Leatherneck. Or she
could just say, "I heard from him."
Lindsay
sat up, her attention back on Delaney. "And?"
"He's
doing okay."
"Okay?
Without you?" Lindsay shook her head. "No man should be okay without
his woman."
"I'm
not his woman. We're just..." What were they?
"Lovers?"
Lindsay's smile quirked. "Sweetie, you've had love written all over you
since you got here. You miss him, don't you?"
Delaney
couldn't lie. With her toiletries kit in hand, a robe, and shower shoes, she
paused. Had she missed Tuck? Oh, hell . "Yeah, I guess I have."
"And
is that a crime?"
"Could
be." Delaney sat on the edge of her cot, shower forgotten. "I came
into the Army determined to be a lifer. Stay at least twenty years. Longer, if
they'd have me."
"So?"
She held up a bottle of neon pink nail polish to the light. "What's
stopping you?"
Delaney
drew in a deep breath and let it out. "How do people do it? How do they
let themselves fall in love when they're in the military? Maintaining a
relationship in the civilian world is hard enough."
"Honey,
if you love someone enough, you make it work."
"What
if they're in different branches of service and just as determined to make their
job a career?"
"Then
they figure out ways to see each other." Lindsay uncapped the bottle and
the potent smell of nail polish warred with the still-lingering acetone. "They
make choices and they do what they have to do."
"If
only it was that easy."
"Sweetie,
the more determined they are to make it work, the more they'll love each other."
Delaney's
shoulders sagged. "If they're both willing to work on it." And that
was the rub.
"Oh."
Lindsay bit her bottom lip. "Like it's more one-sided?"
"Yeah.
What if one is in it for the long haul and the other isn't?"
Lindsay's
brows rose. "Ah, that makes it different. Does the person who's thinking
long haul know whether the other person is really against commitment?"
"She
doesn't know." Delaney shrugged. "And then there's this other person
who has declared his love and proposed."
"Is
this third person sexy, nice, long-term material?"
"Yes."
"Does
she love him?"
A
lump formed in Delaney’s throat. "Yes and no."
"Either
it's a yes or a no. Can't be both."
"She
loves him like a brother."
"And
he's proposed." Lindsay tapped a naked fingernail to her chin. "Now,
my mamma always said a bird in the hand with a ring is always a better choice
than one in the bush without."
Delaney
laughed. "Now, you're making that up."
The
nurse gave her a lopsided grin. "Okay, but dad-gum, girl. A sexy guy
proposes to her and she isn't saying yes, but she loves him."
"Like
a brother," Delaney added. "And he's best friends with the other guy."
"Good
grief, Delaney. How convoluted is this scenario?"
Her
gut knotted. "As complicated as it gets. She didn't say no to the guy who
proposed."
Her
nail polish forgotten, Lindsay stared at Delaney. "And why the
fool-darn-heck not?"
"He
told her not to decide, but to think about it. And he's such a good
because she wasn't shy about asking. And with her rich Georgia accent setting
her victims at ease, they usually told her more than they ever intended. "Oh,
Del. I'm glad you're back safe. How'd it go?"
Reluctant
to talk about the mission, she shrugged off the strain of what had happened. "Everyone
got back alive."
Lindsay
glanced up, her open face serious for half a second. "That's wonderful."
A
long pause followed, as if giving a silent prayer for those who had not been as
fortunate.
Shaking
nail polish remover onto a cotton ball, she asked, "Transport anyone
yummy?"
"I
don't normally taste my cargo, whether supplies or people." Oh, yes, she'd
brought back one of the yummiest SEALs in the Navy.
Her
tent mate bent to rub polish off yet another toenail. "Have you heard
anything from your sweetie-pie back in the states?"
Delaney
debated her answer. She could ignore Lindsay and pretend she hadn't heard. Or
she could tell the woman her sweetie was there at Camp Leatherneck. Or she
could just say, "I heard from him."
Lindsay
sat up, her attention back on Delaney. "And?"
"He's
doing okay."
"Okay?
Without you?" Lindsay shook her head. "No man should be okay without
his woman."
"I'm
not his woman. We're just..." What were they?
"Lovers?"
Lindsay's smile quirked. "Sweetie, you've had love written all over you
since you got here. You miss him, don't you?"
Delaney
couldn't lie. With her toiletries kit in hand, a robe, and shower shoes, she
paused. Had she missed Tuck? Oh, hell . "Yeah, I guess I have."
"And
is that a crime?"
"Could
be." Delaney sat on the edge of her cot, shower forgotten. "I came
into the Army determined to be a lifer. Stay at least twenty years. Longer, if
they'd have me."
"So?"
She held up a bottle of neon pink nail polish to the light. "What's
stopping you?"
Delaney
drew in a deep breath and let it out. "How do people do it? How do they
let themselves fall in love when they're in the military? Maintaining a
relationship in the civilian world is hard enough."
"Honey,
if you love someone enough, you make it work."
"What
if they're in different branches of service and just as determined to make their
job a career?"
"Then
they figure out ways to see each other." Lindsay uncapped the bottle and
the potent smell of nail polish warred with the still-lingering acetone. "They
make choices and they do what they have to do."
"If
only it was that easy."
"Sweetie,
the more determined they are to make it work, the more they'll love each other."
Delaney's
shoulders sagged. "If they're both willing to work on it." And that
was the rub.
"Oh."
Lindsay bit her bottom lip. "Like it's more one-sided?"
"Yeah.
What if one is in it for the long haul and the other isn't?"
Lindsay's
brows rose. "Ah, that makes it different. Does the person who's thinking
long haul know whether the other person is really against commitment?"
"She
doesn't know." Delaney shrugged. "And then there's this other person
who has declared his love and proposed."
"Is
this third person sexy, nice, long-term material?"
"Yes."
"Does
she love him?"
A
lump formed in Delaney’s throat. "Yes and no."
"Either
it's a yes or a no. Can't be both."
"She
loves him like a brother."
"And
he's proposed." Lindsay tapped a naked fingernail to her chin. "Now,
my mamma always said a bird in the hand with a ring is always a better choice
than one in the bush without."
Delaney
laughed. "Now, you're making that up."
The
nurse gave her a lopsided grin. "Okay, but dad-gum, girl. A sexy guy
proposes to her and she isn't saying yes, but she loves him."
"Like
a brother," Delaney added. "And he's best friends with the other guy."
"Good
grief, Delaney. How convoluted is this scenario?"
Her
gut knotted. "As complicated as it gets. She didn't say no to the guy who
proposed."
Her
nail polish forgotten, Lindsay stared at Delaney. "And why the
fool-darn-heck not?"
"He
told her not to decide, but to think about it. And he's such a good
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