My Sister's Best Friend (Best Friends 3) (6 page)

“I’m sorry I’ve got to leave, especially like this. I was looking forward to the next few weeks. Looking forward to getting to know even more about you.”

Biting my lip I fought to keep from crying. Not here, not now. Instead I threw myself into his arms and hugged him with every bit of strength I had. I didn’t care who saw, who knew how I felt, I couldn’t hide it anymore. My heart was breaking, the last thing I cared about was what other people thought.

After a moment he slowly pulled back then lifted my chin with his finger. Our eyes locked, messages of wanting and caring passed between us. I could see it there in the depths of those dark chocolate eyes.

Smiling slightly he leaned down and kissed me. Not like a friend, but like a man saying goodbye to a woman he wants. A woman he is going to miss. A woman he regrets leavings. My heart soared. He was kissing me in front of his family, not caring who knew. Telling them how he felt. I knew I’d been right.

We started to become lost in each other, His hands roamed down my back, pulling me even closer as if he never wanted to let go. I could have stayed there in that moment forever. That safe haven of bliss where I felt whole and happy, secure, and wanted.

Of course that wasn’t possible. His father coughed and said, “You need to get on the road son.”

My heart stopped. Mr. J was right, Nathan needed to get to his base. I couldn’t hold onto him. I had to let him go. Dropping my arms from his neck I stepped back, looking down at my shoes. Suddenly embarrassed, his entire family had watched us kiss like that. What must they think of me? Chrissy was smiling, Marla looked confused. Johnny seemed to be even more proud of his big brother, Elizabeth fanned herself with her hand and laughed.

It was Mrs. J that surprised me. She looked at me with a sad smile that let me know she knew how much I hurt.

“You need to go Nathan, you’ve got a long drive,” I said as I pushed him in the chest. I could feel his heart pounding. He needed to leave before I started balling my eyes out. Holding onto him wouldn’t work, nothing I could do would keep him here.

He sighed heavily, nodded and then squared his shoulders. Smiling one last time he kissed me on the forehead. “This is not over,” he said.

“It is for now,” I said, proud of myself that I could be rational at a moment like this.

Nodding again he smiled then turned to wave to his family before climbing into his truck.

Mrs. J came over and put her arm around me. “It’ll be okay honey, it will all work out, you’ll see.” That was Mrs. J for you, always positive. Always there for you when you needed her.

Nathan’s truck roared to life and he drove away with one last wave. Just like that my world emptied of all meaning and purpose. It was as if a giant hole had opened up and sucked all the happiness into some deep black void.

Unable to stop it any longer the tears spilled down my cheek.

Chapter Nine

Nathan

The cold October night and a fine mist greeted me as I left the command building for the Humvee to begin my rounds. So typical of the Northwest, just enough rain to make things uncomfortable but not enough to ruin anything.

Two months on the job and only now were things becoming instinctive, there was just so much to learn, so many things that were supper important.

As the security force for the Pacific Ballistic Submarine base we had to do things right the first time, every time. It was a different kind of pressure. Different than combat, but in some ways even more important. As the Sargent Major said, if we screw up in combat a couple of our buddies could die. If we screw up on this job millions of civilians could die. It put things into perspective. I’d made the right decision coming here.

Smiling to myself I climbed into the vehicle and told Carter to head out. My eyes scanned the fence line as we drove. Looking for that out of place item that could tip me off to an intruder.

“So are you going to the Marine Ball?” Carter asked out of the blue. “Captain Jacobs is pushing for us to go, so is Sargent Major Thompson.”

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. I hadn’t really thought about it but a picture of Ashley Parker in her prom dress jumped into my mind. “Maybe,” I added. “Yeah, maybe.” The Marine Ball was three weeks away, if I was going to ask her I should do it pretty soon. I hadn’t gotten home like I had hoped. Hadn’t seen Ashely since I left.

Why I wondered. I could have carved out time if I really wanted to go. Could have swapped duty days, taken leave, there were ways. Instead I’d holed up in the barracks. Studying, taking on extra days.

Admit it Nate, you’re scared to death. I still hadn’t made up my mind about re-enlisting or not. A part of me wanted to but I knew what I would be giving up.

It didn’t seem fair to get involved with Ashley until I did. Besides, I was here, she was there, we really couldn’t have any type of relationship this far apart. I couldn’t ask her to wait until I got out because I didn’t know if I was getting out. So many questions and nothing ever seemed to get answered.

“If you go, do you have a date?” Carter asked again. Man he was really obsessing about this.

“Maybe,” I said, keeping my eyes on the fence line.

“Does she have a friend, or a sister?” He asked with a short laugh.

I looked over at him, thought about Chrissy and immediately shot that idea to pieces. “No,”

“Oh,” he answered obviously feeling let down. Good, maybe he’d shut up about it now.

My mind drifted to other girls I had known, past girlfriends, one night stands, this was different. Ashley was in another league. The feeling I had about her were all jumbled up. She was a family friend. I knew her, or at least thought I did. Everything about her was cool. Her laugh made me smile. Even when she was being a pest she was always sweet about it.

Even her confession about wanting a family didn’t scare me. I wanted the same thing, kids, a ton of them I realized, surprising myself. I’d always thought that growing up in a big family had been a pain in the butt. However, now, after being away from it I missed it. The Corp filled a big part of the void but couldn’t fill it all.

The memory of lilacs and roses washed through me making my heart seize up. There was something about her that made me want to take on the world. I just wanted to be around her. Instead here I was patrolling a fence line looking for terrorists or environmental wackos. It was enough for me to question my intelligence. Deep in my soul I knew I should be home with her, preferably curled up in bed. I wonder what she looked like when she woke up. It was easy to imagine, messed up hair, twinkly eyes and a soft smile just for me. It was enough to make a man second guess every decision he ever made.

Later that night in my barracks room I stared at my phone. She should be home by now I thought. What if she’s got a boyfriend? She’s not going to want to come all the way over here just to go to a dance. What if she’s mad at you because you haven’t come home to visit? You can’t just call up a girl out of the blue and ask her out. Well you can, but not a girl like Ashley.

“You can’t put this off any longer,” I said to myself.

Without thinking about it I called her. The sharp double ring of her phone stabbed at me like a stiletto to my ear drums. Holding my breath I waited for her to answer. She couldn’t be asleep already could she?

“Nathan?” she said as she answered her phone with a hesitant voice.

“Hi Ashley, I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“No, No of course not. Is everything okay?” So typical of her, always worried about everyone else.

“Yes, everything is fine … “

“Are you sure, the last time you called like this it was to say you were leaving. Are you being deployed again?”

“No,” I said quickly then took a deep breath. “I was wondering if maybe you would like to go the Marine Ball with me on the tenth of November.”

“The Marine Ball? You mean like a real Ball, Cinderella and Prince Charming type of Ball?”

“No, well maybe sort of. Think of it as a Prom for Marines. It’s the Corps birthday, every year they throw a big dance. We wear our dress uniforms. Wives, girlfriends …. And dates,” I added quickly. “Get dressed up in ball gowns. It’s pretty fancy, but fun.”

“Really, with you? A Ball? I didn’t know that people still did that sort of thing.” She said. Her voice had risen and I could feel a little bit of excitement.

“Well, the Marine Corp has always been a little old fashioned. Very big on tradition.”

“How would this work, where would I stay, would I meet you there. How … “

“I’ve got it worked out. You could stay at a friend’s house. His wife Charlotte will be going. She’s really looking forward to having you. It will be her first one also, they just got married about six months ago.”

The phone reverberated with a deep silence. Had I lost her, had she hung up?

“Nathan Johnson, let me get this straight. You call me out of the blue. Two months without a word and you call me as if we talked yesterday at the grocery store to ask me to travel a couple of hundred miles to meet people I don’t even know to go to a fancy Marine Ball with you. Is that right?”

“Uh, well yes …”

“Of course I’ll go with you I wouldn’t miss it for anything. You tell me where and when and I’ll be there.”

My heart started beating again and I was finally able to breath.

“Give me her number and I’ll call to get the details,” Ashley said.

“That’s okay, I can tell you everything you’ll need to know.”

She laughed. “Nathan, I trust you with my life but his is way too important. What is her number, I’ll call tomorrow.”

Sighing I gave her the number. Once that was out of the way we settled in to talking, updating each other on what was going on in our lives. It was so easy and comforting. My cheeks began to hurt I was smiling so much.

Before I knew it an hour had passed and I could hear her stifling a yawn on the other end.

“I’d better let you go,” I said.

“Oh,” she said, sounding a little disappointed.

“I’ll call you next week to make sure everything is worked out.”

“Okay. Um I’m really glad you called and I’m really looking forward seeing you again. Have you decided what you’re going to do? Long term that is?”

“No, not really. How about you?”

She paused for a moment then started telling me about maybe wanting to explore Physical Therapy. Before I knew it another hour had passed as we discussed our futures and our inability to make a decision.

Finally, after two and half hours that seemed like ten minutes we said our goodbyes.

I leaned back in my chair and folded my hands behind my head. I looked at the picture off Ashley in her prom dress, framed, sitting on my desk. “She said yes,” I said with a huge smile on my face.

Chapter Ten

Ashley

Charlotte Travers turned out to be exactly like I imagined her. Barely over five feet and a ball of pure energy. Long brown hair and a smile that could light the world. She hugged me when she answered the door, hurrying me out of the drizzle into their small house.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Charlotte said giving me another hug. “I was so worried I wasn’t going to know anyone there. Thank you so much for coming. I was thinking of backing out but it would have crushed John, it’s a pretty big deal I guess. Taking your wife to a Marine Ball. All of this is so new to me. The commissary, working my way through the Naval Hospital bureaucracy, John being gone for days on end, now they expect us to go to a fancy Ball.”

She’s nervous I realized. It made me feel more relaxed. I wasn’t the only one going through this. I’d been on edge since Nathan called. Walking on cloud nine, but on the edge of cloud nine, ready to fall off at any moment.

“Thank you so much for helping me,” I said. I really meant it. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”

She stepped back and looked at me, nodding her head. “I’ve been trying to set Nate up with a couple of friends of mine, they’ve been bugging me all month. But he’s always declined, now I see why.”

I smiled and tried hard not to blush. The thought of Nathan turning down opportunities to date other women because of me sent warm waves of pure pleasure through me.

“Come on, let me show you to your room. You can hang your dress and we can get started. This is going to be so fun. Like playing dress up and we get to be the princesses. John and Nate will be home around six. They plan on getting ready at Nate’s barracks room. They’ll be in a bit of a rush, something came up at work but he promised me they would be here in time.”

We spent the afternoon getting ready, I had bought a new dress, blue to match Nathan’s scarf that I was determined to wear tonight as a shawl. The combo matched perfectly. Spaghetti straps and a tighter, more form fitting shape. I thought it looked older, more adult than a prom dress. It was important to me that Nathan see the real me, not some high school kid, but a woman, full grown.

Charlotte helped me put my hair up and I helped her. The woman couldn’t stop talking. I learned about how she and John Travers had met at local nightspot and a short three months later they were married.

“My family about had a cow,” she said, “It was too fast, He’s a Marine, you barely know him. All the usual. But when you know it’s the right one, you know.” Her eyes twinkled as they met mine in the mirror. Somehow I don’t think anyone could ever talk Charlotte Travers out of getting what she wanted.

“Come on, your turn. “Where’s your make-up,” she said as she jumped out of the chair.

The clock on the bedside table quickly edged closer to six and my stomach threatened to rebel. Would Nathan think I looked acceptable, what would it be like seeing him again? I couldn’t wait and dreaded the moment at the same time. A conflict that could not be resolved always made me upset.

At a few minutes before six I heard the front door open and a deep male voice yell. “We’re home, you guys ready?”

Charlotte stuck her head in the door and asked, “You ready?” She was wearing a soft pink gown that highlighted her figure. John was a lucky man. Taking a deep breath I nodded, adjusted the scarf just right and ran my hands down my dress one last time before I joined her in the hall.

We walked together to the top of the stairs, neither talking. Turning the corner I saw Nathan at the bottom of the stairs looking up. My heart stopped dead in its tracks. The man was scrumptious. I knew he wouldn’t have liked being described that way, but he was. He made my heart melt, I wanted him. All of him, forever.

Tall and straight he looked like a wall against danger, a safe haven. My mind flashed back to the garden bench and the way I felt in his arms.

His uniform was the world famous dress uniform of a United States Marine. A black tunic with red piping, sky blue pants with red stripes down the side. White belt and white gloves. His white hat was tucked under his arm. A Bronze Star and four gold medals hung on his chest as testament to the things he had done and the places he had been. I felt myself become dizzy just looking at him.

Two gold chevrons adorned his upper arm indicating his recent promotion to Corporal. I knew how important they were to him. He had tried to hide his pride in his achievement but I could tell during our last phone conversation how much it mean to him.

“I know, right?” Charlotte whispered to me. “Something about a man in uniform, it can make a girl go weak in the knees. You’ve got to love it.”

I didn’t acknowledge Charlotte, my eyes were locked onto Nathan’s, did he approve? His eyes burned into mine with a fire lit from behind. My insides turned to mush. He wants me I thought. He actually wants me.

Taking another deep breath Charlotte and I descended the stairs each of us focused on the man waiting for us below.

“Miss Parker,” Nathan said, taking my hand in his. “You look amazing. You’ve grown into such a beautiful woman, it’s hard to remember the little girl who threw water balloons at me.”

I couldn’t stop myself from blushing. I’m sure my cheeks turned fire engine red but I wouldn’t have him take those words back for anything in the world.

John cleared his throat, “Um, You look wonderful too honey,” he said as he bent down to kiss his wife on the cheek. He was tall and slim, only an inch or two less than Nathan. Like his friend he wore Corporal chevrons. Charlotte smiled up at him and wrapped her arm through his. The smile on her face told the world that this was her man and she was happy, as happy as a person could be when they had everything they needed in life.

I smiled at Nathan as he helped me into his truck. Tingles, lots of tingles. I couldn’t stop smiling.

The guard at the front gate examined Nathan’s military ID and my driver’s license.

“Have a nice night Corporal,” he said with a smile as he waved us through.

Naval Base Bremerton was like a different world, old trees and older buildings. It reminded me of a college campus nestled next to a shipyard.

“The Ball is on this base this year,” Nathan said.

“This isn’t where you work?” I asked.

“No I work on Bangor it’s about 10 miles from here, but where I work we can’t have visitors and the Olympic lodge is perfect for things like this.

He pulled into a parking spot to the right of a large white building that looked like it could have come out the movie Gone with the Wind. Thick pillars held a portico before an ornate entrance. My heart skipped and a hundred butterflies took flight in my stomach.

“Hold it together Ashley,” I mumbled to myself as Nathan opened my door for me and helped me down. Slipping my arm into his, we started for the party, my heels tapping the asphalt of the parking lot. The night cool air nipped at my bare shoulders sending shivers up and down my spine. I was already loving everything about the night.

Two Marines stood at attention holding the front door open for us. A princess, this is what a princess feels like I realized. I knew it was only for one night, tomorrow I would go back to my waitressing job in a small town. But tonight, tonight I was a princess.

Nathan handed over our tickets then escorted me inside. 

I tried to swallow and felt faint. All the men looked so sharp, so perfect in their uniforms. The woman looked happy and glad to be alive. As if they felt special and I realized they did. Their gowns were colorful and sophisticated. These were men and woman who sacrificed a lot, money, time, and in some cases blood. They deserved this and they were determined to enjoy themselves. I was able to take a breath at last. I would fit in. Charlotte had assured me everything would be okay, but I couldn’t really relax until I saw it for myself.

Nathan looked at me and gave my arm a quick squeeze letting me know that everything would be ok. John and Charlotte were already seated at the table for eight. Soft music from a live band drifted across the ball room dance floor.

“Here Ashley,” Charlotte said indicating a seat next to her. Nathan pulled out my seat for me then joined me on the other side. Special, that was the word for the night, Adult, grown up, and special.

Two other couples joined us within a few minutes. A young Private named Carpenter with his date Kristi and an even younger African American private named Eric McDonald and his date Charlene.

“You ready for your big moment McDonald,” A large man asked as he walked up to the table. His Barrel chest was filled with medals, his left arm decorated with enough gold braid to make a small rung.

I flashed Nathan a questioning look. “Private McDonald is the youngest Marine in attendance tonight. Later Sargent Major Thompson as the oldest Marine will be given the first cut of the cake, he will pass it to McDonald here. Symbolizing the passing of traditions from one generation to the next.