Page 15 of A Spark of Luck
“Not seeing each other sorta.” She swiped her hand in a stop motion.
“Sorta? What does that mean? Why are you so worried anyway?”
“Because I slept with him.” Okay, shouting that out was not what she planned, but, Lord, she hadto tell somebody, or she was going to bust. She had no idea what she was doing.
“Go you, honey.” Jackie grinned and sat back in a flowered chair Cait recognized.
“Are you at your parents?” Cait set aside her whole need to talk. “Why are you there?”
“My grandfather died.”
“Oh, Jackie, I’m so sorry. I know you and he were close.” She peered closer at Jackie’s face and noted the lines of strain.
Jackie grimaced. “It’s a bit of a conundrum, right? The old guy was ninety-four, and it was time. But I miss him. Current update, I am still not speaking to my parents or my brother, and rubbing up against this lifestyle is making me crazy.” Grief filled her face.
“Is it going okay?” Jackie’s parents were a whole different breed, and Cait had never been impressed with them.
“I wouldn’t say that. But the funeral was a fine, stilted affair typical of them and nowhere near the verve of the old man. I’m packing now.”
“Where are you off to?”
“Texas.”
“Texas? Uh, why? Vacation.”
“Nope. There’s a small town near Amarillo that needs a doctor, and I’m going to see if I’ll be a good fit.”
Cait’s mouth dropped open, then she hid her surprise. Jackie was always the one who wanted to travel, wanted to dive into the next humanitarian crisis. “What’s wrong?”
Jackie rubbed her face. “Nothing, Cait. I’m burned out. I need something different.”
Cait sat back against her pillow. “I can understand that. Afghanistan is a tough place.”
“Which leads me back to your SEAL? Are you avoiding the conversation?”
“No, I don’t know what to say. He brought dinner to me in my quarters after a long, ugly day and one thing led to another and we…”
Jackie put her hands together in a prayer motion. “Got it on? Got naked? Please tell me he’s a good kisser and it didn’t last two seconds.”
Cait blushed. “Stop.”
Jackie widened her eyes and kept her hands folded together. “Please,” she whined.
“Okay, he’s a good kisser, and no, it didn’t last two seconds.”
Jackie threw herself back against the chair. “Oh, thank God. I might have to be nice to him for that.”
Cait snorted out a laugh. “It was stupid, Jackie.”
“It was human, Cait. You know there is nothing wrong with letting go.”
“Around here there is.”
“When are you seeing him next?”
“I don’t know. That’s the problem. He got called out right after our little, ahem…moment and I think they went out on a mission. He hasn’t been back.”
“Now that sucks. Killed my fantasies as well as yours I’m thinking.”
