Page 16 of The Bright Side of Brooding
Chapter Eight
Summer
Isprinkled one last handful of rock salt on the sidewalk and surveyed my work. The snow had melted after the last storm, but the temps would drop tonight and usher in more snow and ice. Should be fun. So I did what little I could to keep myself from slipping on the front steps when the time came to shovel tomorrow morning.
“Summer, wait a sec,” Rob Waverly called to me from his car, which he’d parked in front of Nicholas Masters’ house.
I had no idea how I hadn’t noticed before, but people came and went from the man’s house quite often. Frequently enough, it drew my attention now. Granted, I’d been careful to observe the cars coming into our little cul de sac in case Dennin returned, but doing so made me wonder how on earth I hadn’t noticed the unusual amount of traffic at the immaculate house three doors down. Probably because I kept to myself here, other than interacting with the older neighbor next door, Mr. Meier.
And honestly, it was only two or three cars most days, except weekends, which often resulted in the whole circle being jammed with cars. Like today.
“Hey. You know, you can park in my driveway next time, if you need to.” I gestured to the empty space in front of my garage.
“Thanks. It’s not usually quite this crazy. Nick ran a training day today because we head into rotation soon and I guess people wanted to see what he does in person—word has gotten out he trains a few of us.” He tugged the zipper of his jacket down and pulled off a knit cap. Unlike when they did PT on post, none of the ten or so people milling around and filing into cars wore the Army PT uniform.
“Understandably. You and Alicia are certainly fit—I can see how his results speak for themselves.”Not to mention the man himself.
“True enough.” Something in his eyes shifted, and his brow wrinkled. “You okay? After that guy and everything?”
We’d only seen each other at a distance since then. It’d been over a week—come to think of it, more like two. See? I hadn’t even kept track of the time very well. Life was good. “Totally fine. He’s a creeper, but he hasn’t bothered me. Hasn’t even stared at my chest at work since you told him off. So… thanks.”
“No need for thanks.” He crossed his arms and dipped his head. “I actually have something to ask you.”
He looked a little nervous, and my stomach dropped.Oh no. Was he about to ask me out? Not that Rob wasn’t the epitome of the gorgeous American soldier dream boat, charismatic and charming and nice, but I just didn’t feel it for him. Even the first time I met him, I’d thought “Wow,” but not, “Wow, sign me up.”
“Okay. What’s up?”
“Has Alicia mentioned anything about the competition coming up?” He tucked his hands under his arms and stepped side to side. He must’ve cooled down enough that the chill hit him—he only wore a light jacket, warm-up pants, and gloves. I wore my full winter get-up with huge coat, hat, gloves, boots, and the cold still crept in.
“Here, let’s walk to your car before you freeze. And yes, but nothing specific about it. Why?”
We cut across the circle since most people had zipped away, off to their Saturday agendas.
“The organization holding the competition requires a medical person on each team of more than two people. It’s overkill, but I guess it’s a CYA maneuver for them. So, we had Melanie, but she’s on emergency leave.”
I nodded, showing I’d heard him, but not following what this had to do with me. “Okay…”
“I’m wondering if you’d think about doing it.”
“Oh. Huh. Can you send me all the information and give me a deadline to decide?” I couldn’t remember exactly when the event took place or even where, just that it loomed out there in the not-too-distant future.
“Of course.” He flashed a big smile. “Seriously, it’ll be fun, not just work for you. In fact, if everything goes well, there’ll be almost nothing for you to do.”
Not exactly the right thing to say to a woman who liked to stay busy, but I could appreciate the sentiment. “I’ll think about it. Do get me the details.”
“Perfect.” Then he put a hand on my back and angled us toward the sidewalk where a man approached. “Have you met Nate Reynolds?”
“I have. Just once, very briefly.” Yes, I’d met Nate. He had an unforgettable air about him—charming and funny, but extremely capable. Totally attractive, if you liked that kind of thing. I’d seen enough to size him up and be desperately curious about his true feelings for Ariel, who was his close friend.
“Nice to see you again, Ms. Applegate.”
“Please, call me Summer.” My voice wobbled on my name because Masters stepped up beside Nate. No idea how I didn’t see him in the first place considering he had an inch or two on Nate and Rob both.
“Okay, Summer.” Nate gave me a charming smile. “You ever get tired of the hordes of people parking here, taking over the neighborhood?”
“I’m guilty of the same every other Sunday. I don’t mind, and fortunately I know Mr. Meier doesn’t care.” I nodded to one of the two houses between mine and Masters’.
“I’ve heard about your feast nights. Ariel has raved about your cooking,” Nate said genially.
