Page 17 of Wishing for Christmas
Clara managed to find an empty seat in the back of the bus. She wasn’t in the mood for small talk, and she wasn’t a military spouse. She had no idea what she would even talk about with these ladies. Just being around them made her uneasy—in a way she couldn’t explain, even to herself.
As the bus began to move, she closed her eyes for a moment to think. No, she wasn’t a military spouse, and thank goodness for that. She let out a long exhale. So how, exactly, did she get herself into this situation?
When the bus slowed, she looked up to see a gray jet making a slow taxi down the runway. Clara tried to spot Brent. He was nowhere to be found. She tugged on her necklace and fiddled with the tiny charm. What would happen if she didn’t find him? What if shewasin the wrong place? What if he left for his deployment thinking she never showed up at all? The thought of that alone broke her heart—for both of them.
She disembarked the bus with the others. Even more families were standing around, already waiting. They were holdingsigns, balloons, and American flags. Nobody else seemed to be confused. In fact, they all seemed rather excited about something.
She looked over at a young woman standing nearby. She was dressed in a fitted black coat with a pair of high-heeled boots. Her shiny brunette hair had obviously been professionally blown out, and she had a full face of makeup on. Clara glanced down at her own sensible shoes and tightened up her ponytail. She suddenly felt underdressed.
“Excuse me,” she said to the woman. “I think I’m in the wrong place. Where can I find Major Brent McNally?”
The woman’s face lit up, and a perky southern accent came pouring out. “Oh, you must be Clara!” She was holding a little girl on her hip, and two others stood beside her. All three girls had bouncing blonde curls. They wore matching red peacoats and huge white bows in their hair.
The woman shifted her toddler to the other hip as she held out her hand. “I’m Janie, and I’ve heard so much about you,” she drawled.
Clara looked at her, trying to place the unfamiliar name.
“Don’t worry.” Janie laughed. “You’re in the right place.”
“I don’t understand. You’ve heard about me?”
“Of course I have. My husband is Will.”
“Who?”
“Will! He said Brent talked about you the entire deployment. I bet you can’t wait to see him after all this time.” Janie bounced her daughter happily. “I know we’re excited to see Daddy. Right, LuLu?”
Clara shook her head. “After all this time?”
Janie gave her a tight smile.
Clara cleared her throat, trying again for some information. “I’m supposed to meet BrentMcNally.Here.”
“Of course.”
“To see him off before he leaves for his deployment.”
“Mm-hm.” Janie wiped some crumbs from her daughter’s mouth.
“Isn’t that what you’re doing here?” Clara pressed.
Janie immediately dropped the smile and turned to Clara, looking at her through narrowed eyes. She shook her head at her. “Honey, we did that last year.”
“What do you mean?” Clara’s eyes widened.
Janie laughed. “Look, I know you’re excited, but he’ll be coming off that plane real soon. You need to calm down, girl.”
“What do you mean, coming off the plane? You mean, he’s already back?” She gave a fake chuckle at the ridiculous idea.
Janie let out a ladylike snort. “Already? Well, I’m glad to hear the time flew by foryou.” She leaned over the older girls and made a quick fix to each of their bows with her free hand. “Lizzie and Gracie, I want you two to go hug your daddy as soon as he gets off, okay?”
The girls nodded with perfect sweetness. The adorable all-American family looked as if they were cut straight from a catalog page of expensive dolls.
Clara couldn’t be sure what was happening. Was this some prank Janie was playing on her? Perhaps this was a kind of weird hazing ritual for new Air Force girlfriends. She continued to stare at her.
Janie looked back at her underneath a judgmental brow. Something in her expression told Clara she wasn’t joking.
“You mean, he’s coming back—today?” Clara asked, her tone serious.
