“Yes, sir.” Will cleared his plate and took my empty one to the sink. I hurried from the table, standing behind him as he loaded it into the dishwasher.
“You know who did it?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re going to tell on your classmate?” It hardly seemed like the loyal thing to do.
“A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.” His jaw did the immovable thing that signaled his mind was made up.
“You’re not at the academy anymore, Will. Are you sure you want to do this? You’re in flight school with these guys for the next couple of years. Aren’t you supposed to look out for one another?”
“You think I want guys like this in with me? Being active duty doesn’t change that it was wrong. I tried to stop them, but Bateman wouldn’t listen. That’s a piece of Fort Rucker history that they defaced.”
It’s a bear.
“No one got hurt, and nothing is damaged. It was a harmless prank. Do you know what Daddy will do? You could get them kicked out over a silly polar bear with a few too many PT belts wrapped around it, not to mention they’ll all know you told.”
“William?” Daddy called.
Will’s spine straightened like Daddy had pulled an invisible string. “I can’t expect you to understand, Lee-Lee.” He bent down, his lips brushing my cheek. “You’d better get to class. I don’t know how long this will take with your dad.”
“Remember I have work later. Can I see you tonight?” I needed him to banish the memory of a pair of blue eyes that wouldn’t go away. I also needed to resubmit the paperwork to have minor construction work done at the library. Class, work, then Will. Best plan ever.
He grimaced. “I know you told me last week, but I still hate you working. What if it’s too much?”
“It’s seriously the most heart-happy job I could ask for. Now, tonight?”
“I’ll do my best.” His grin stole away my annoyance of what he was getting ready to do, and I returned the kiss he gifted me, knowing it wouldn’t go any farther with Mama ten feet away. He left me standing in the kitchen.
“That’s the kind of man a woman can be proud of, Lee.” Mama rinsed her own plate. “You’re lucky to have him. Not everyone puts such value on morals.”
I received her message—leave it alone. “I’m headed to class, Mama. Thank you for breakfast. I’ll see you next week?”
Her mouth pursed. “A whole week?”
“We agreed I’d stay here for school and rent that townhouse, but you have to give me a little wiggle room. I’m almost twenty-one.” I kept my voice level. Emotions would only earn me a raised eyebrow and a lecture that I wasn’t ready to be an adult.
Her gaze flickered to the framed family picture behind me, like it always did when she thought about her. “A week it is.”
I hugged her, letting go after one of her signature pats on my back. “I love you, Mama.”
Handbag over my arm, I stopped to brush my fingers over the framed picture in the entryway. Peyton stood in the middle, her pixie face radiant with excitement, dressed identically to Will, on her left, in their gray West Point uniforms, while I hugged her right. Her arms connected us, hopefully approving of what we’d evolved into.
“What would you do, Peyton?” I whispered. “Two hundred twenty days left. What would you have done?”
I missed her so much. A black hole blossomed in my heart, sucking out every breath I’d taken since she’d died, as if I was watching them lay her in the ground. She would’ve known what to do, but she hadn’t needed to make a decision. She’d been free, wild, uninhibited, and paid with her life before she’d even realized there’d been a price. A wretched pang of envy stabbed through me, washed back by the sinking feeling of guilt. She was gone. I was here. I took a couple of deep breaths, pushing the grief where it belonged, in the past.
I almost made it out, but Mama’s voice followed me through the front doorway. “Lee! You take your medication right now!”
“Yes, Mama.”
Chapter Four
Jagger
You’re drowning me, holding me under the rising tide of your impossible expectations.
Every curse word I’d ever heard came to mind as the instructors jumped ship. Literally. My heart pounded in my ears, and I had the split-second desire to bail with them. Fuck that. This was my dream, and had been since I’d seen rotors against a blue sky thirteen years ago. I could do this.
Dunker training was a heaping slice of hell.
The pistons released, and the mock helo sank. Water soaked my boots, rushed past my knees, into my lap, and then up my chest. Wait. Wait. Not yet.
The pool water hit my collarbone, and I sucked in all the air my lungs could hold. I gripped the seat, my fingers digging in as the water rose over my nose and head. Then they tilted my world on its axis and pitched the aircraft to the right, spinning me upside down. Water forced its way into my nose. This shit sucked.
We stopped moving—it was go time. I fought the panic threatening to force out all my air and concentrated on the harness. My fingers slipped. Double shit. Calm down.
A few concentrated movements and the harness came free. I was out of the seat. Hand over hand, I righted myself, made my way to the window, and popped the seal. My lungs screamed, and I released a small amount of air, relieving the pressure. I pulled myself through the window, making sure I cleared the gigantic helmet. I pushed off the outside of the aircraft and kicked my way to the surface, streaming air from my nose.