Page 97 of Ripped & Shipped
“I appreciate you keeping my bad repute in good standing.”
He shakes his head—still smiling. This must be a record. I wonder if his face is starting to cramp since he’s so unaccustomed to having a smile going for this long.
We play Monopoly for the next hour, laughing, talking, and hanging out like real friends. I whoop his tooshie. Not literally, of course, but Iamthe queen of Monopoly, and I especially gloat over those dark blue properties: Park Place and Boardwalk. They are full of hotels. I’m basically a real estate mogul, and I stripped the soldier of all his cash every time he landed on my sweet holdings.
When I win, I stand and do a celebration dance, waving my arms overhead and doing hand rolls while I chant, “Uh huh! Uh huh! Who’s the winner? That’s this girl!”
Chris cracks up at my antics. I plop back down on the floor, smiling. I should feel embarrassed, but I don’t. Not even a little. Somehow, in the strangest and most unexpected turn of events ever, Chris has become one of the people I trust most in the world.
“You play a mean game, Ella Mae.”
“I play to win, Soldier.”
“Me too,” he says, and I can’t help the tingle that courses through me at his words.
We’re cross legged on the floor. Well, he’s not. He’s laying down on his side with his legs extended, and his head propped in his hand.
He stretches his arms overhead. “I’d better get a move on. I’ve got a lot of work to do tomorrow. I’ll see you in a few days for our next photo shoot.”
“Let’s switch things up and go out in town, since we’re trying to sell this thing locally.”
“Sounds good,” he agrees. “I’ll pick you up for dinner. We can go grab Mad River burgers and then get some ice cream. We can stroll down Main with our cones. That should give everyone something to talk about.”
“Are you ready for the backlash of this?”
“I fought overseas. I can handle pretty much anything.”
A cloud of memories crosses in front of his eyes. It’s so poignant I almost feel like I can see them too.
I don’t know what makes me say the next words out of my mouth, but I know him, and maybe that’s enough.
“Whatever went on, I’m sure of one thing. You did your best. And you did what you were trained to do. You don’t slouch, Soldier. You’re honorable and you have people’s backs. Things happen that are out of our control. We have to accept that whatever went down in life wasn’t always our fault.”
Chris stares at me. His eyes are stormy and serious, but his face is soft. He’s not mad, but my words struck a chord.
“Thanks,” he says. “That means a lot. More than you know.”
I smile at him. He’s shaking his head like he can’t believe something.
“What’s up?”
“This,” he waves his pointer finger back and forth between us. “It’s kind of crazy, right?”
“Yeah. It is. But a good kind of crazy, like when you think you’re going to owe taxes, but somehow you get a return.”
“Yeah.” He nods. “Exactly like that.”
Chris stands. I walk him out.
We stand facing one another, unsure how to actually say goodbye. Finally I reach out and give him a hug. I step forward and wrap my arms around his massive body. He stands there for a moment, not responding, and I rethink my life choices. But then, a beautiful thing happens. Chris lifts his arms, and he pulls me near. He wraps his big arms behind my back and holds me. I lean my head on his chest. Neither of us moves. But he gently rubs my lower back with his hand.
“Thanks for asking me to stay,” he murmurs into the top of my head.
I look up at him, his face is so close.
“Best unplugged night ever,” I tell him.
It’s the truth.
