A Promise of Forever (18 page)

“Fia’s very lucky to have you guys on her side.”

“I think so, too, but I’m biased.” Patricia’s smile faded. “Honestly, Avi, these girls saved my life. They’re the strongest, most compassionate women I’ve ever known. They’ve cried with me and laughed with me and listened to me endlessly talk. They didn’t even know me, other than Lucy, but they were there when we buried George, and they’ve shown me that life goes on. I’m blessed to have them, and I hope to be a blessing to them in return.”

Avi hugged her again. “Well, you’ve certainly been a blessing to me.”

“And you to me.” Patricia smiled slyly. “And to my son, as well. So tell me quick before I go: Do you have a doctor’s appointment of your own this evening?”

“I do.”

Avi didn’t know what emotion crossed her face, but Patricia cradled it in both her hands. “Love works miracles, honey. I’ve seen it so many times. You and Ben…just don’t give up too soon.” Leaning forward, she pressed a kiss to Avi’s forehead. “Now I’ve got to rush across town to Fia’s apartment. Jessy is picking us up there, and frankly, when she’s in warrior woman mode, she scares me a bit. I don’t want to be late. Love you, honey.”

“Love you, too.” Avi watched her get into her car, back out, then drive away. Slowly she turned to the Mustang, its top down ready for a drive. Preferably sans Sundance, who had a little thing about drooling with her head out the window.

She circled the car, admiring every little detail, and decided to risk letting Sundance in for the short ride home. The puppy was a perfect lady, sitting tall in the seat, ears flapping, drool not flowing. At home, she ran ahead to the front door, racing to the kitchen for a drink, while Avi headed upstairs. An hour later, showered, changed into a nice outfit that matched, with her hair neatly braided and makeup in place, she disappointed the dog by leaving without her.

There were a half dozen cars in the nursery parking lot, with another two out back beside her parents’ cars. She parked next to a display of mums in vibrant fall colors, including a russet shade that made her itch for a plot of dirt. Maybe she could fill the tiny balcony of her apartment back in Augusta with giant pots of them; maybe that would be enough to satisfy the yearning.

She found her mom watering hanging baskets, and together they located her dad in the office. “What brings you by, kiddo?” he asked, looking at her over the reading glasses his computer work required.

“I want to take you and Mom to lunch.”

Her parents exchanged looks. “Hmm. Wonder what prompted that,” Beth said, tapping her index finger against her lips. “Couldn’t be because you’re going to miss dinner with us again tonight in favor of seeing Ben instead.”

“Nah, can’t be that,” Neil agreed. “Couldn’t be because she’s suddenly missing us, could it?”

Beth shrugged. “Couldn’t be because she has a new car she wants to show off, could it?”

Avi gave her a chastening look. “Do you and Patricia talk every single day?”

“Sometimes twice a day,” Beth replied with a grin. “She told us Monday she was getting it ready for you. Isn’t it gorgeous?”

Gorgeous.
She could almost hear Ben’s voice from last night and she blushed a little. “Absolutely. Can you guys go?”

“Sure,” Neil agreed. He saved the file he was working on and closed the computer, called to Linda that they were going out for a while, then followed Avi and her mom to the Mustang. “Man, I have good memories of this car. I’ve got to admit, one of the first things I liked about George was the car. It was every guy’s fantasy, at least every guy I knew.”

“And here I thought I was your fantasy,” her mom retorted before opening the passenger door and stepping into the backseat.

Avi rolled her eyes. “Please, your child is listening. Dad, you want to drive?”

He looked tempted for a moment, then shook his head. “I’ve driven it my share, and I’m sure you’ll give me another chance.”

Secretly happy he’d turned her down, Avi slid behind the wheel. “Okay, where are we going?”

“I vote for Bubba’s.”

Avi twisted to face Beth, surprised that her mother even knew of the place. Avi had heard of it for the first time herself Monday evening, when the margarita girls were talking about the appeal of cowboys, and it hadn’t sounded like the sort of place her fifty-something mother would be the least bit interested in. “Bubba’s? That’s a cowboy bar, Mom.”

“I have been to a few bars in my lifetime, little girl. Besides, they have the best burgers in town. They have an onion burger—the Oklahoma kind, you know, with heaps of onions mashed in with the meat while it cooks—that’s incredible.”

An onion burger did sound good. It had been so many years since she’d had a genuine one that it would be depressing to add them up. “All right, Bubba’s it is.” With a smile for the sweet rumble of the powerful engine, she pulled out of the parking lot and pointed the Mustang west.

Lucy had just taken her lunch bag from the shelf behind her desk when her office door swung open and three of her favorite margarita sisters sashayed inside—at least, as much as Fia was able to sashay. Pleasure warmed her from the outside in. “What are you guys doing here?”

“Little Sister had a doctor’s appointment,” Jessy said, “and we came to make sure it went well.”

“Did it?”

“We kicked ass and took names,” Jessy boasted.

“Well, Jessy did,” Fia added.

Patricia stood between the two women, her arms around their waists. “Before the doctor even had a chance to dismiss Fia’s complaints, Jessy informed him of our reason for being there and laid out exactly what we expected of him. He turned as pale as a ghost, bobbed his head, and swore he wouldn’t give up until he finds out what’s wrong.”

“She was scary, Lucy,” Fia said, grinning broadly. “To be so short, she makes one hell of an impression.”

Jessy preened under the praise. Even being short—the same height as Lucy—she looked pretty darn impressive in white blouse, black pants, and four-inch heels. Add in the forcefulness of her personality, and Fia had the best advocate she could ask for.

Leaving her chair, Lucy circled the desk and hugged them. It came naturally with Patricia and Fia; they were used to giving and receiving hugs. Jessy had never been as touchy-feely as the rest of them, but she was getting better. “I’m proud of you all.”

“Thank you. Now put that salad away”—Patricia gestured toward the small lunch cooler Lucy hadn’t opened yet—“and come dine with us. We’re going to Sage—my treat. Are you in?”

Sage was one of Tallgrass’s newer restaurants, and one that didn’t fall into Lucy’s budget except maybe for a special occasion. She couldn’t possibly turn down such an invitation. “Let me get my purse.” She grabbed it from the lower desk drawer, stuck the salad back on the shelf, and followed the others outside. Stopping in the open door across the hallway, she said, “Hey, Jane, I’m going to lunch.”

“I’ll pick up your calls,” the other secretary replied with a wave.

They took the elevator to the first floor, then Jessy strode ahead to the double doors. “I can walk to the car,” Fia said with a bit of a grumble in her voice, but Jessy’s only response was a wave over her head. There was a hint of relief in Fia’s eyes. “I hate being such a burden.”

“You’re not a burden,” Lucy and Patricia declared at the same time.

Patricia offered more reassurance while Lucy thought about how hard all this was for Fia. She was the youngest of the margarita sisters and, until recently, had been the fittest. She worked as a personal trainer, though her bad days now outnumbered the good. She’d worked out hard, not just because she had to be strong and buff for her job but because she truly loved the effort, the results, the energy invested, and the energy gained in return.

Then she’d hurt her leg. Next it was her foot. After that her arm. Fatigue became a problem. She lost weight. Sometimes she couldn’t drive. Sometimes she could hardly stand. She’d had to cut back her hours at the gym and move to a first-floor apartment. She didn’t have any family besides the margarita club to count on. And, until today, none of the doctors she’d seen had taken her seriously.

Lucy hoped this new doctor liked a challenge and hadn’t just said what Jessy and Patricia wanted to hear.

As Jessy pulled up under the portico in Dalton’s pickup truck, a smile curved Lucy’s mouth. If the doctor had just been bluffing them, he was in for a very rude awakening, because he hadn’t seen anything until he’d seen Jessy Lawrence with her hair on fire.

Ben was tired when he stepped out of the Spine and Orthopedic Center at Hillcrest into the muggy evening. He’d changed into shorts since Avi was picking him up to go to dinner. He was scanning the street for her father’s pickup when a whistle sounded to his left. Sitting in the drive was a vintage red Mustang convertible, and driving it was—

He walked over to the car and rubbed one hand over the polished chrome. “Nice car, gorgeous.”

“Thanks, Doc. Hop in and we’ll take it for a spin.”

He opened the door and slid inside, settling comfortably into well-worn leather, giving the restoration an appreciative look. “I never really considered what kind of car you would drive, but this suits you perfectly.”

“I was never this imaginative. I had a Honda, a VW, then a Nissan. When I deployed last year, I sold the car rather than leave it in storage, so shopping for another one was going to be first on my to-do list when I got to Fort Gordon.”

“But you came across this beauty and couldn’t resist?”

She checked to make sure there was no one waiting behind them, then turned to face him. “Actually, this was George’s. He’d said he wanted me to have it, so Patricia has had it in the shop, getting it checked out and ready.”

“Very nice of him. And her.”

“It was. Is. I was shocked. I thought she might want to give it to you or your sisters, but…” Her shrug was accompanied by a faintly questioning look.

“Avi, it wouldn’t matter even if we were his blood kids. If he wanted the car to go to you, of course it should go to you. Like I said, it suits you perfectly.”

Her grin warmed him. “What? I’m wild, racy, and fast?”

“You’re a classic beauty and very cool.”

“Thank you, sweetie.” After their conversation about his use of the word, she’d claimed it as her own endearment for him. He liked it. “How was your day?”

“Long.” He cranked his neck around, earning a few small pops. “I wish I could do OMM on myself.”

She checked for traffic, then pulled out onto Utica. The breeze dropped the temperature from sultry to comfortable within a block. “That sounds naughty.”

“It stands for osteopathic manipulative medicine. I can improve practically anything that ails you by adjusting various spots and/or doing muscle energy.”

Stopping at a red light, she contorted herself into a grotesque position, head bent, arms flopping above her head, shoulders twisted one way, hips the other. “Can you fix this?”

Leaning across the small console, he kissed her, and she melted back into place. “You’re a miracle worker,” she said breathlessly. “Soon as I get something to eat, I’m taking you home and letting you show me all the OMM you know.”

Home.
It didn’t mean anything the way she used it. It was just a substitute for
your place
,
your loft
,
your condo
. But for just an instant, it made him feel…complete.

“What are you hungry for, Doc?”

Something he didn’t have in his life. Everything. But food…that was no big deal. “What did you have cravings for while you were in Afghanistan that you haven’t had yet?”

“Um…Is White River still in business?”

“Could you imagine Tulsa without it?”

“I hope I never have to.”

They made the drive to North Sheridan mostly in silence. With the top down on the car, the wind would have snatched away anything they might have said. But that was okay. Some moments were meant to be quiet, to be fixed in his memory so they would last a lifetime.

The restaurant didn’t look like the best seafood place in Tulsa, but looks, in this case, really were deceiving. They joined the line of customers waiting to order, then found seats in a booth.

They were only a few miles from the airport. Ben watched as a big jet came in for a landing, then looked at Avi, fiddling with the paper sleeve her silverware had come in. A line from an old song popped into his head:
leaving on a jet plane
. Because he knew it wouldn’t leave him alone, he asked the question those lyrics automatically prompted. “How does the car change your schedule? You’ll be driving it back to Augusta, won’t you?”

Her smile faded. “Yeah. I hadn’t really thought about it.” She set the paper down and folded her hands together. “My leave ends at midnight a week from Sunday. I was supposed to fly back the Friday before because I need to get unpacked at the apartment and get settled in and because I didn’t know I was going to meet you. Now…I can leave Saturday morning and get there late Sunday afternoon.” Hesitantly she said, “Or I could still leave Friday, and you could go with me and fly home Sunday evening. I could show you a little of Augusta and Fort Gordon. Kind of a road trip/vacation.”

He didn’t say anything right away. A road trip across the South with Avi sounded damned appealing: beautiful scenery all day, making love and sleeping all night. But it wouldn’t just be making love. It would be one long drawn-out good-bye, and that was going to be hard enough as it was.

Besides, he wasn’t sure he wanted to see her in her new home, that he wanted actual images to provide the background when he thought about her. Would it be easier to know her apartment was large and homey or that she slept on blue sheets or that she reported to work in a stark brick building? Did he want to know where she would go for her runs or who lived next door or where she would head for entertainment that didn’t include him?

“I don’t know,” he said slowly. “It might be easier for us both to…” To end it quickly, like ripping off a bandage.
It’s been nice, I love you, good-bye, and have a great life.