Soldier Mine (Sons of War #2)(19)
Entertained, I snap pics to send Katya and grab a plate full of food to take a break. The moment I sit down, Todd appears, shyly holding hands with a cute little girl in a ponytail. He slides onto the bench across from me. He’s grinning. It pleases me to see him happy after our rather awkward introduction about two weeks ago.
Following a quick introduction of the girl with him, he seems ready to fall into silence, albeit a chipper one.
“You ready for your first class Monday?” I ask between bites. Any dining etiquette my mother taught me was thrown at the window in the military, where a spoon is referred to as a shovel and time for eating is often limited to ten minutes or less. It doesn’t take a soldier long to put two and two together.
“Yeah.” Todd smiles. “I don’t know how you did it. She’s so stubborn.”
“Wasn’t me. Totally her decision.”
“Whatever.” He rolls his eyes.
I wink at him. “Glad you could make it. Is your sister here, too?”
“She’ll be by soon. Laundry day. I barely escaped.” Todd grins.
“Go get some food,” I say with a laugh.
He leaves with Maya, and I watch the adorable couple awkwardly join the masses plucking food from the buffet style banquet spread. Todd is truly happy, and it lifts my spirits to see it. The instinct warning me that I’ve never learned the source of their issue wants me to ask Todd about it, since he’s more likely to cooperate. But I know better than to upset him or worse, to provoke the motherly instinct of a woman who appears unforgiving if crossed.
I finish up and start to make my rounds when I run into Brianna.
“Hey. Glad you’re here!” I say cheerfully and give her a quick hug.
“Thanks.” She offers a smile. “Gets busier every year.”
“Just the way Baba likes it.” I motion to the tables of food. “Grab some grub!”
She glances towards the buffet, uninterested. “I thought we could talk.”
I’d rather say no, but today is supposed to be a holiday, one about appreciating our blessings and the people in our lives. The least I can do is listen. “Sure. Let’s talk.”
She leads me away from the crowds to the hallway marked for staff members only. Employees from the catering company are bustling to and from the dining area with stainless steel bins, deep bowls and fresh plates and utensils. We make way for them more than once before passing the kitchens into the relatively quiet section of the hallway.
Brianna has always been the ideal beauty to me with light brown hair and gorgeous eyes. She’s smart, sharp and attractive. The only real problem we’ve ever had, aside from the cheating issue, was that she’s always resented my family for being wealthy. It’s not something I can help, and I definitely don’t flaunt it. Her family isn’t hurting, so I’ve never really understood why she sees us the way she does.
Katya received the brunt of Brianna’s anger in school. I always racked it up to typical high school rivalry that somehow followed both girls into their early twenties. Katya was a partyer before my incident and never driven towards personal accomplishment the way Brianna was. It’s what drew me to Brianna initially – she’s always determined to succeed no matter what.
The bad blood between my sister and her got worse when Brianna and I became an item. At that point, I think it was a case of them becoming territorial. Katya has never wanted any woman near me, despite the fact I’m a few years older than she is. Add that to the already brittle relationship she had with Brianna, and to this day, I catch hell from my sister if I even mention seeing Brianna in town.
Then there was the near proposal, the cheating, the constant deployments … Katya regularly reminds me that Brianna didn’t visit me in the hospital once after the incident that took my leg and avoided Mikael’s funeral. It’s almost understandable. While my family does a lot for the community, we’re also very private. Sawyer came to Mikael’s funeral with about two dozen others.
I’m not quite sure why I’m thinking of Mikael right now. Whenever I see Brianna, I’m reminded of him. It might be another reason why I don’t want to let her go. However twisted the relationships were at one point, Mikael did care for her, too.
“I’m headed to New York for a job interview,” she says, more cheerful than I’ve seen her in a while. “It’s for a huge ad agency.”
“You’ll get it,” I reply. “No doubt.”
She smiles. “It’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Things between us have been a little strange lately. I’m not quite sure there’s even an us.”
“I’m not sure either,” I admit. “Sometimes I think we’re trying to hang onto what was and not looking at what we are now.”
“Maybe. Anyway, I wanted to be open about the job. And … I wanted to ask whether you’d be interested in going to New York with me if I get it … or if we need time apart or …” She searches my gaze.
“I’d never discourage you from following your dream job, Bri,” I reply. “I’ve always admired how motivated and smart you are. You deserve whatever you want in this life.”
She smiles, relaxing.
“I also think we should play it by ear,” I add diplomatically. “I’ve got to do at least two years more here before I can request a transfer.”