The Military Wife (A Heart of a Hero, #1)(37)

Bennett had only met Allison twice, but she’d struck him as the quintessential officer’s wife. Welcoming and friendly, but with a steel backbone. “Has he tried counseling?”

“Did you?” Her eyebrows rose. When he didn’t answer, she continued. “You know how these things work.”

Unfortunately, he did. Darren was probably attempting the common “stuff your problems in the closet and nail it shut” method of dealing with his issues. Worked better for some men than others. Or maybe his closet had gotten too full and the door would no longer close.

“Drinking too much?” Bennett asked.

“I’m not sure, but he doesn’t look good. He’s a shadow of the man I remember.”

Fuck. Maybe he should reach out. Not that he had any great wisdom to impart, but at least Bennett understood what he’d been through better than some base shrink. And Darren wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing with a group of strangers.

“I’ll call him when we get back.”

“That would be great.” She touched his arm. The muscle jumped instinctively and scared her hand away. Good.

“I still don’t understand how this undefined business venture has anything to do with Darren.”

“I went to a support meeting of base wives. It was enlightening. Several of the wives lamented the lack of job opportunities. They want to contribute. I felt the same way when I was in their shoes, but now I’m in the position to do something.” An infectious enthusiasm lit her voice.

“And you want to start a business that employs them.”

“Yes. Exactly.” She snapped and pointed.

She understood better than most what military wives faced—the good, bad, and tragic. It was a noble reason, but nobility and success weren’t natural partners when it came to actually making money.

“You graduated with honors, didn’t you?”

“How did you—?” She gave a little shake of her head. “Double major: marketing and business. After Noah and I married, I couldn’t find a job that I wasn’t grossly overqualified for. They could smell a military wife from a mile away.”

“Why the black mark for being a military wife?”

“When husbands move, so do wives. Why spend the time and money to train someone when she might leave at any moment? I don’t blame them. I really don’t.” She sighed and flopped to her back. “But it was frustrating. I wasn’t cut from the same cloth as Allison. She’s the perfect military wife.”

“I don’t know. According to Noah, you were perfect.”

Her gaze darted to his and then away. “No. I wasn’t perfect by any stretch.”





Chapter 10


Past

“Redecorate or something. I see a bunch of the wives taking a kickboxing class during morning PT. Allison coordinates all sorts of charity shit you could help with.” Noah ran a hand through his hair. “Why can’t you just be happy?”

His hair was longer than normal. Their most recent deployment had been in Afghanistan. To fit in with the locals, many men grew their hair and beards out. Noah’s blond hair fingered him as a foreigner no matter how long it was.

His usually epic patience with her must have been at a breaking point. He’d cursed. Of course, she’d heard him curse before, but never at her. Anger and unease took up equal space in her chest.

“I’m not wired to take kickboxing and fritter away my day on charity work. I’ve worked since I was sixteen. I put myself through college. I busted my butt for two degrees that I’m not even using.” She gestured toward the wall where she and Noah had proudly hung her diplomas after they’d moved in. Her pride had turned to bitterness over the last two years.

“You’ve had opportunities.” His voice was almost accusing.

“Selling people mattresses or working the register at a department store? Really ambitious stuff.”

Noah plopped down on the couch and put his head down, his hands linked behind his neck. “What do you want me to do about it? The SEALs are my life. It’s what I’ve always wanted. Do you want me to give it up so we can move to a bigger city? Is that what you want?”

Great. Now she felt like a slug that crawled out of the muck after a big rain. “Of course not.” She sat next to him and put a hand on his knee, squeezing slightly. “I get frustrated and there’s no one else to talk to around here. No one that I have anything in common with.”

He slouched backward on the couch, his arm across the back. She took the invitation and snuggled into his side. Fighting with Noah left her feeling queasy. He was so good and noble and she … wasn’t.

“You haven’t even tried to make friends, Harper Lee.” His voice had lost its sharpness.

“Ugh. I was never good at making friends. And it’s only gotten harder.”

“Will you do one thing for me?” He tipped her face toward his.

They’d been married almost two years, but because they spent so much time apart, in many ways they were still getting used to living together and sharing their lives. She was struck by not only how handsome he was but also the kindness in his eyes. How could she deny him anything?

“I’ll try.”

“Invite Allison over for coffee. Spend some time with her. If you still don’t like her then—”