Page 3 of Forever Focused

Michael stepped forward, interrupting the conversation.

“Mr. Walters, uh, Houdini, sir?”

He could see the man tense as Poppy’s mother, Abby, gave him an obvious look, arching an eyebrow. He turned and looked at him, waiting.

“Yes, Michael? What do you need, son?”

“I know I’m young – and I know I’m not who you would choose for Poppy, but someday I’ll be back, and we’ll be having a whole different conversation about your daughter. I just wanted to thank you for not busting my lip in front of my parents and my dumb sister.”

“Why, you little… Grow up,” Houdini said bluntly, extending his hand toward Michael. “Grow up, learn to be a man, make a few mistakes, get your butt handed to you in a fair-fight, and if you decide we need to talk again? Then we’ll do so – man to man. Am I clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

CHAPTER 2

* * *

POPPY

“Be bigger than the world expects you to be,” Poppy whispered to herself, trying not to let the biggest scar on her heart show. Just because she was still trying to decide what she wanted to do with her life, her career, that shouldn’t have been the deciding factor that put a halt to her relationship with Michael. They did have one, or she thought they once did.

It had been three months since he left for the Air Force Academy, since he broke her heart, and she was trying to fill the emptiness with anything at all. The last thing she wanted to do was be trapped in her memories, and that was where she was floundering secretly.

Michael had been her first kiss and my last, she thought sagely, staring off in the distance distractedly. They had been circling each other at one of the Flyboys Christmas parties they held at the hangar – and she always just considered him ‘Madison’s dorky brother,’ but something changed last year.

He had taken her hand and walked her out into the evening air, without a word – just the two of them. She remembered the cool breeze, both of them holding hot cocoa and taking a seat beside each other at the end of the runway, underneath the moon.

“What are we doing?” she’d smiled shyly, and his very presence seemed larger than life as he gave her this cocky, self-assured smile that made her heart turn over in her chest.

“Kindling a spark, maybe?”

She would never forget those words, nor the feel of his lips ten minutes later when he leaned toward her, kissing her. He’d been so sweet, so engaging and tender, that she couldn’t help but want more, and that spark turned into a secret wildfire. If they went to church, she always caught his eyes watching her. At softball games in town, bonfires, and the Flyboys picnic… Michael was always in the distance. He would be gazing at her like the sun rose and set simply because she was there. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine it would all fall apart because she wasn’t ready to commit – and he was already committed to the Academy.

“Whatcha doing?”

Poppy looked up from where she’d been staring off into space at Dixie’s café, her slice of cheesecake completely untouched, only to see Michael’s mother, Glory, standing there with her mom, who looked concerned.

“Are you done pouting?” her mother asked simply, smiling.

“No,” she replied, not holding back – and heard Glory laugh as the woman pulled out a chair, taking a seat like it was nothing.

“That looks good.”

“Sure does,” her mom added, also taking a seat, before turning and waving over Dixie – who arrived with three more slices of cheesecake… and sat down too.

“What is this?”

“An intervention,” Dixie said gently, smiling and passing out the slices of cheesecake. “I’ve had one for me…”

“And me,” her mother admitted, shocking her.

“And me,” Glory admitted. “Life sucks sometimes, and you have to dig down and use your resources. Someone breaks your heart, then you have options – you get mad about it, or you find a way to steer it.”

“Or break his face?”

“Not when it’s your kid.”

“Fair enough,” her mom chuckled, taking a bite and winking at Poppy. “Just thought I would toss that out there.”

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