“Reality check. Your high score was seventy-three.”
Aria laughed. “Okay, you got me. But that’s probably the closest I’ve ever gotten to a hundred. Hey, what time is it?”
Dex checked his smartphone. “Two thirty.”
“I’ve got to get going.” Aria started baby stepping off the ice.
“Don’t go, Aria. This isn’t right.”
“I have to. Come with me. You can wait in the office or browse around the store. Afterward, we can go out to an early dinner or something. The hour will pass fast. You’ll see.”
“Okay, I’ll go with you.” But he wasn’t going to like it.
Chapter 27
“I’ll see you in a bit.” Aria kissed Dex, left him in the showroom, and went up to the studio.
The professor set aside a grande-size Starbucks cup and rose from one of the guest chairs. “I got here a few minutes early, and your uncle gave me permission to come up and wait for you here. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” She sat at the piano and opened her music folder. “From the top?”
“Yes, please begin.”
Aria played the piano, but couldn’t stop peeking at the wall clock. Fifteen minutes down, forty-five to go. Between two pieces, she gave her fingers a few moments to rest.
“I see you’ve brought your soldier boyfriend with you this evening.” Jacobs stood looking out the window “Looks like he has company.”
Aria rose and stood next to the professor. Below in the parking lot, Dex stood talking and laughing with two girls. His animated story, whatever it was about, seemed to tickle them to the core.
“Well, isn’t he the entertaining one?” The professor’s mouth twisted into a smug curl.
“He grew up in this area. They’re probably old friends of his.” She went back to the piano and picked up where she’d left off. Her heart wasn’t in the music. It was in the parking lot below. How hard it was to concentrate on the task at hand.
Fifteen minutes to go. The hands on the clock moved way too sluggishly.
“Ah, the show is over. The girls got their kisses and left in a sporty little car.” Jacobs sounded way too pleased to report his gossipy morsel.
Aria bit her tongue. Everything in her wanted to jump up and tell him to shut up.
* * * *
Dex’s phone rang as he slipped behind the wheel of Aria’s car to wait for her. Major Greco. “Hey, boss. What’s up?”
“A mission.”
“Where and when?”
“Not over the phone. How soon can you get back to Bragg?”
The mission had to be urgent and sensitive. Dex deduced that much from Greco’s staccato response. “I’ve got a flight booked for around this time tomorrow night. Is that soon enough, or—”
“See what you can do about bumping it up. The sooner, the better.”
“Will do. I’ll get on it right away then call and let you know what I came up with.”
“Shoot me a text. I’ve got a lot of calls to make. Bye.”
Dex called the airline and changed his departure to five thirty in the morning, the earliest flight available, and slipped the phone into his pocket. At least that task was easy. Telling Ari would be another thing entirely. First deployments in a relationship, no matter the duration, usually hit women hard. Last thing he wanted to do was to make Aria cry, but it was inevitable. Still, he’d put it off until later tonight.
He texted Greco then cranked the engine and turned the heater up. The car would be nice and warm when Aria was through with practice.
Minutes later, Aria strode past the plate glass window toward to the exit, switching her purse from hand to hand while putting on her coat. Dex jumped out and opened the car door for her. “How’d it go?”
“Good. Can we go somewhere to eat? I’m hungry.” Her seatbelt whirred as she drew it across her lap and clicked it in place.
“Sure. Where to?”
Aria still hadn’t looked at him. “The pizza place down on Fullerton. They’re quick, and I don’t feel like waiting.”
“Okay, I know where that is.”
Aria’s silence during the drive made him uncomfortable.
Pepperoni pizza slices came to their table fast. Self-serve drinks eliminated any wait they’d have for a waitress to bring them.
“You’re too quiet. Did something happen during practice?” Dex sprinkled Parmesan on his second slice and lifted it for a bite.
“You tell me.”
“Excuse me?” He set his pizza back on the paper plate. “What are you talking about?”
Aria’s face turned red. “Never mind. I’m just not in a very good mood.”
“No, it’s too late for ‘never minding’ right now. Something’s bugging you, I can tell. You barely looked at me in the car on the way over here. Did the sleazy professor do something to you, or say something out of line?” He was itching for a reason to kick the mess out of Jacobs.
“No, but he saw from the window and pointed out what a good time you were having with some girls in the parking lot. He said you kissed them before they left.”
“Oh he did, did he? For your information, I didn’t kiss them. They kissed me. On the cheek, by the way.”
The professor was trying to stir something up between them. Dex could sense Jacobs’s animosity from the beginning. Tonight, the sleazebag twisted an innocuous situation for no other reason but to plant ideas into Aria’s head, implying that Dex was a player looking to impress the girls.
“I saw you telling the girls something that made them laugh their heads off. I couldn’t help but think you were enjoying every minute of it.”
“I was.” Dex pushed his plate aside and leaned close to the table. “Did you know I was on the football team in high school?”
“No, you never told me.”
“Well, I was. Wide receiver. The girls you saw were juniors when I was a senior. What we were laughing about was the time I caught a pass, ran the field, then spiked the ball, and did a victory dance. Trouble was, I wasn’t in the end zone, but at the ten-yard line. Embarrassing moment, but in hindsight a pretty funny thing.”
“I guess that would be funny.”
“Yeah. So why aren’t you smiling?”
“Seriously, Dex. It seems everywhere we go, some girl is fawning over you with goo-goo eyes, giggles, massages, or kisses. How do you think that makes me feel?”
“I know a lot of people, and at least 50 percent of them are of the female persuasion. Why is that a big deal? You’re willing to push me aside every time the professor snaps his fingers. How do you think that makes me feel?” If she wanted to sling mud, he had a deep well of it to throw back at her.
Aria stared with eyes pooled with a deluge ready to overflow.
“Look.” Dex reached over and covered her hand. “The only girl I’m interested in is you. You got that? Yeah, I probably should have told my masseuse I didn’t want that mini-massage in the restaurant the other day, even though it really did break up some kinks in my shoulders. I’m a bonehead, okay?”
Aria’s quivering chin signaled an eminent cry. He had to do something to avert it.
“And the kissing thing?” Dex shrugged. “Okay, I didn’t think anything of it, but I can see how you would view it differently. So, I’m sorry for all that too.”
The dam broke and leaked over Aria’s lower lashes. “I don’t know why I feel so stressed out. The juggling act is wearing me down, and I don’t know how to handle it. My job, family, our relationship, music practice. I thought I was stronger than this. Much stronger. But I’m not.”
“Know what you need?” Dex hoped his smile would buoy Aria’s mood. “You need some serious TLC by the fire at Pop’s house. And I’m just the guy who can deliver it.”
She sniffled and dabbed the corners of her eyes daintily
with a stiff paper napkin. “Okay.”
* * * *
Dex drove to Pop’s holding Aria’s hand over the console. Quiet and pensive, she hadn’t said much on the trip other than to warn him about a car that wasn’t obeying a stop sign.
He gave her hand a squeeze. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Pop’s house was a welcome sight. Dex parked next to the truck, got out, and double-timed it to let Aria out of the car. “Here you go, babe.” He offered his hand, and she took it.
“Well, hello, Aria,” Pop said, smiling as Dex walked in the house with Aria in tow.
“Hi, Pop.” Aria stepped forward and gave him a hug. “Dex tells me you’ve had a nasty cold. Are you feeling better today?”
“Yup, I’m on the mend. The witchdoctor gave me a few prescriptions, and I’m hunky-dory. You’re looking beautiful as ever.”
“Aw, thanks. You’re so sweet. Is Dex treating you all right, feeding you with his good cooking while he’s here?”
“You betcha. Jason is a blessing to me.”
“That’s good. I’m sure you’re a blessing to him as well.”
Aria seemed to snap out of the funk in which she’d entered the house. Dex hoped it would stay that way.
Pop smiled. “Since you kids are here, I think I’ll disappear upstairs.”
“Oh, no,” Aria said. “Please don’t feel that way. We’d love to have you with us. It’s barely six o’clock. Maybe we could play a game. Do you have Scrabble? That would be fun, don’t you think?”
“Aria, you’re a gem, and I love you to pieces. Dex is lucky to have you. But it’s time for me to take my cough medicine, and it sends me into la-la land. It’s better I go upstairs, put on my headset, and watch a movie that I won’t remember tomorrow.” Pop let out a silly laugh. “Enjoy what little time you kids have together.”
Pop leaned forward and tapped his cheek.
Aria kissed it. “Enjoy your movie.” She smiled as Pop trudged up the stairs.
Dex stood by the balustrade. All seemed well, like it always did when Aria came to Pop’s house. “I’ll start a fire. There should be popcorn in one of the kitchen cabinets. I don’t remember which one though.”
“Okay, I’ll go look.” Aria went to the kitchen, and Dex headed toward the fireplace.
* * * *
Aria opened the upper cabinets one by one and skipped those nearest the sink that were filled with dishes, bowls, cups, and glasses. She’d helped Dex put them away a time or two.
“Aha. There you are.” Aria grabbed a package of popcorn from a cabinet full of goodies and started toward the microwave.
A magazine lay facedown on the table. She stopped and pressed her palm to it. “Let me guess. Popular Mechanics, Men’s Health, or something about apple farming.”
Aria flipped it over.
She gasped.
The popcorn envelope hit the floor with a smack.
Jasmine looked up from the front cover. Eyelids half-mast, fingertip provocatively touching her lip, she stood on a beach, hair blown back, with the string of her barely there bikini bottom pulled low on her hip with a manicured hand.
All That JAZZ! The header screamed in bold letters. See page 13 for more, followed in smaller print.
Hands trembling, Aria picked up the magazine and flipped to page thirteen. Its folded-over corner brought a sob to her throat. Jasmine’s photo spread filled three whole pages. Thongs, skimpy underwear sets, a practically see-through nighty. Not much was left to the imagination.
Crunching the pages, she gathered the whole thing in a stranglehold and marched into the living room.
Dex rose from squatting in front of a kindling fire. “Did you find the—”
“I can’t compete with this!” Aria shook the wadded magazine toward Dex then threw it at his feet.
“What the heck are you talking about?” Dex picked up the magazine and flattened it into shape.
“Her.” Stepping close, Aria poked Jasmine’s picture. “I can’t compete with her. Not an ounce of fat, no cellulite on her butt or thighs. She’s—”
“Definitely photoshopped. And I don’t know where you got this, but I’ve never seen it before.”
“It was on the kitchen table, and if you’ve never seen it before, who dog-eared page thirteen to save the place? Pop?”
Dex flipped to the tabbed page, took a quick look, and whipped the magazine into the fire. Flames shriveled the glossy pages and turned the edges to ash. “I still don’t know how that got into the house. But I’ll tell you who I can’t seem to compete with, and that’s Jacobs.”
“That’s absurd. I’m going home. I just can’t deal with anything else today.”
“Hold on.” Dex gently grabbed her arm before she could turn. “Let’s both take a breath and calm down.”
Aria wiped tears off her cheeks. It would take more than a few breaths to calm the storm in her heart. She stared at the floor. Her head hurt from emotional overload. She didn’t know how to think or feel anymore.
Long, silent seconds passed.
“Aria.”
“Yes?” She looked up into Dex’s eyes. An aura of sadness hung over him.
“I think we need to press the pause button on our relationship.”
Her breath caught. “You mean break up?”
No matter how angry she’d been, the thought of breaking up was almost more than her heart could bear. A moment ago she was ready to walk out the door, but certainly not forever.
“What I’m saying is we need to back up and regroup. Go into a holding pattern.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“We’re hurling accusations at each other, and that’s not good.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
Dex caressed a stray curl dangling down across her temple. “Maybe we’re rushing things, and you need some time and space to get your bearings.”
“But, Dex.”
“Shh.” His finger crossed her lips with tenderness. “Time and space. Everything will be all right. You’ll see. Now, I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Your father called while you were in the studio. The unit is being called up, and I’ll be heading back to Bragg first thing in the morning.”
“Oh, no.” Her whole world was crumbling. “How long will you be gone?”
“I don’t know. Your dad wouldn’t give any details over the phone.”
Aria wept. “So what do we do now?”
“I don’t know, but I think you should go home. We’ll figure something out when the time is right.”
* * * *
Watching Aria’s car leave Pop’s property hurt worse than Dex imagined. He closed the door, sure that he couldn’t feel emptier.
Pop stopped at the bottom of the stairs and took a cursory look around the living room. “Aria leave already?”
“Yeah. She left.” He followed Pop into the kitchen. “Hey, what do you know about that magazine that was on the kitchen table? The one with Jasmine’s pictures.”
“Oh, yeah.” Pop palm-slapped his head. “One of your old buddies stopped by, Corey, Corbin, Kevin, or something like that, and left that for you. Figured you’d get a kick out of seeing that Jasmine finally hit a cover like she always wanted. He said he wasn’t sure if you knew. I was gonna take it up to your room, but forgot.”
“Okay, thanks. At least now I know how it got there.”
“Uh-oh.” Pop’s gaze flitted to the front door. “Did Aria find it?”
“Yeah, she found it all right.”
“Oh, no. Is that why she left?” Pop looked as though he could kick himself in the pants.
“Don’t worry about it. Everything’s okay.” He wished. “Think you could drive me to the airport in the morning?”
&nb
sp; Chapter 28
“Two stinking weeks of relentless heat. And for what?” Dex slapped the blood-sucking mosquito buzzing his neck and took a swig of water from his canteen. Warm and hardly refreshing, at least it was wet. “So what do you think of this Walters character, LT?”
With Zook and Stanly standing guard nearby, Ethan Walters leaned back against a tree, slid down, and sat. Specialist Sanchez stopped near the man’s feet, hung his M-4 on his shoulder, and offered him a pack of cookies or candy from an MRE. Scowling, Walters pushed it away and mumbled under his breath.
“What an ingrate.” Edward peered at Ethan Walters through eyes narrowed to slits. “Some dignitary. The idiot should have stayed in Washington behind his mahogany desk, shuffling papers and planning golf dates with his buddies. If he’d done that, he wouldn’t be out here now mucking around the jungle of Costa Rica, having to be rescued from rebel forces by a Special Ops unit.
“You got that straight, and his constant complaining is getting on my nerves. We’re either walking too fast or too slow, it’s too hot, and he deserves better food. Oh, and according to him, we need to do something about the bugs.”
Edward gave a silent laugh, shook his head, and stepped away to talk to Peanut.
Dex sank down to his haunches. Muggy air filled his lungs with every breath.
What a waste the last couple of weeks had been, waiting while negotiators tried to bargain for Walters. Everyone in the unit knew he’d have to be taken by force. But now the skirmish was over, they had Walters, and none of the men were injured. So far, so good. A couple more hours and they’d be home free.
“Dex.” Edward shook his shoulder. “Break’s over. Tell Jackson he’s got point, and Alvarez to bring up the rear. I want Marcus to stay close to Walters. The rest of us all know what to do. Let’s move.”
Dex trudged through the dense jungle. Walters followed with Marcus close behind.
Someone, or something, rattled the bushes to his right. Dex turned and shouldered his rifle.
A howler monkey appeared in a tree fifteen feet away. He locked a big-eyed gaze on Dex, the gnarly branch he’d landed on still bobbing.
Dex lowered his weapon. In his peripheral, Peanut and Corporal Jackson broke their aim from the monkey and scanned the perimeter, ready to fire if necessary.
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