Page 266 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

“Sure you’re not,” Gertrude said dryly.

Gracie rolled her eyes.

“It’s perfectly normal to have regrets about your life.”

She grunted. “Some of us obviously have more regrets than others.”

“You think I don’t have regrets?”

She made a face. “What? Miss Perfect who always follows the rules to a T? What regrets could you possibly have? Did you let a kid get away without paying the proper fine for an overdue book?” It was a nasty thing to say, and she felt a twinge of guilt when she saw Gertrude’s face shrivel and draw into itself like a turtle going into a shell. “I’m sorry,” she amended. “Don’t mind me. I’m just ticked right now.”

“Despite what you think, I’m not perfect,” she countered testily. “I made my share of mistakes. And I have my share of regrets.”

This piqued Gracie’s interest. “Such as?”

“I really don’t see how any of this is relevant to the situation.”

“Oh, no, don’t keep me at a distance. Tell me a regret that you have. I thought the purpose of you being my mentor was so that we could learn to trust each other. How in the heck am I supposed to trust you if you never share anything?”

Gertrude looked thoughtful. “I suppose that’s fair.” Her eyes took on a faraway look as she adjusted her suit. “I wasn’t always this old and severe.” She chuckled wistfully. “In fact, I wasn’t half bad looking.” She gave Gracie a sly look. “At least as attractive as the next girl.”

Gracie let out a half laugh. “Gertie, I do believe you have a smidgen of a sense of humor in you,” she joked.

Gertrude ignored the jab and went back to her narrative. “I was working on my graduate studies when we met. He was smitten with me from the very beginning. It took me a little longer to come around, but when I did …” Her face went pink, and she pushed back her hair in a self-conscious gesture. “Anyway, we had a whirlwind romance …” she cut her eyes at Gracie “ … that would’ve impressed even you.”

It was hard to imagine that Gertrude would have had any kind of romance, much less a whirlwind romance, but she certainly wasn’t going to say as much. She was trying to break herself of blurting out the first thing that came to her mind. When Gertrude paused a little too long, Gracie scooted in closer. “What happened next?”

“He wanted to get married, but I wasn’t ready. I was too caught up in my studies. We decided to postpone things. He took a job out of state. For about a year, we tried to maintain a longdistance relationship, but we eventually drifted apart.” A pained expression overcame her face.

Gracie put a hand on her arm. “What happened?” she said gently.

She smiled regretfully. “By the time I realized what I had lost, he was engaged to someone else.”

The futility of it all got under Gracie’s skin. She made a face. “Why didn’t you go after him … tell him how you felt?”

She shrugged, and Gracie was struck by how bony her shoulders were. For the first time, Gertrude looked vulnerable. “I did go after him,” Gertrude continued. “But …” she cleared a frog from her throat “… but it was too late. He’d fallen in love with the other girl, and he didn’t want me anymore.”

Tears pressed against Gracie’s eyes. “I’m so sorry.” Gertrude was much more complex than she realized. “What happened to the guy?”

Gertrude pressed her lips together into a grim line. “He married and had a family.”

“And you?”

She sat up straight in her seat, her voice growing practical. “I did the only thing I knew how to do. I locked my heart and poured myself into my work.”

“Is that why you became a relationship angel?”

She shrugged. “I suppose that’s one of the reasons.” Her voice was distant, and she was staring into space.

“Has it helped?”

She shook her head, as if coming out of a fog. “What?”

“Has it helped?”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Well, I’m wondering if helping other people find love has helped to ease your pain.”

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