Page 4 of Christmas in Coconut Creek

“You never answered my question.”

“Pardon?”

“About the military. What’s wrong with it?”

My hand stilled halfway to my ear and I shifted toward him. “No offense, but a guy in the military is kind of a walking red flag. Screams inability to commit.”

“Being on Hook(Up) doesn’t do that itself?”

“You know, you’re making an amazing case for yourself."

Frankie lifted his faded black hat off his head and ran the fingers of his other hand through tousled hair. It curled in under his ears and flared out at the nape of his neck. “You had to have seen something you liked. Youdidswipe right,” he added smugly.

“I have a one-photo rule on dating apps. If I don’t like the first picture you get next-ed.”

“What is this, MTV?” He snorted.

“How old were you when that aired? Forty?”

His tongue plunged into his cheek and he looked up at the ceiling. “You’ve got a smart little mouth.”

Oh.

Something aboutthatunfortunately and unexpectedly pinched me where it shouldn’t have.

“Just saying.” I quickly recentered the conversation. “If you led with the military photo, and that was the only one I saw…” I shrugged.

“No zoom job?”

I sighed, looking away from him out the window. “I’ll never hear the end of that.”

“Nope,” he assured me. “And here I was, thinking women were looking for good humor andcommitment. You just want me for my body.”

“Says the man who’s opening line is”—I unlocked my phone and made my way back to his dating profile to read it verbatim—“‘Guaranteed admittance to the Mile High Club’. I mean, how much more forward could you be?”

“Okay, two things.” Both palms lifted in surrender. “One: that was one hundred percent my friend’s doing. He’s much more crass than I am, and under any other circumstance, I would have vetoed it.”

“And you didn’t because…?” I hung the last syllable in the air.

“Because,two: I’m a pilot, and it’s actually pretty witty when I’m in any other place besides an airport.” He cringed. “Noted.”

Damn it. That actuallywasfunny.

“If it were up to me it would have said something more along the lines of,‘How do I tell my roommate’s girlfriend that he and I are common law married and she’s technically the other woman?’”

“Is common law marriage even still a thing?”

“Not in Florida, but themilitary.” He nodded. “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”

“Jesus.” I shook my head, pinching my tongue between my teeth. “So, let me get this straight—you’re a thirty-five-year-old pilot with commitment issues, who’s lived with his roommate so long you two could jointly file your taxes?”

“Sweetheart, if I’m your dream guy just say it.” He jutted his thumb toward the back of the plane. “I think the bathroom door says vacant. We could make this thing official right now.”

As if by divine intervention, the flight attendant stopped next to our seats and leaned over the cart. “Hi folks, any snacks or drinks?”

“How’s it going?” Frankie smiled at her. “I’ll do a Coke and”—he took a second to look at all his options—“the white cheddar popcorn. Please.” Before I could tell the attendant my own choices Frankie spoke up again. “And the same for my fiancée.”

“Not his fiancée,” I quickly corrected, shooting him a glare with a playful shove to the shoulder.

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