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“That’s right,” Roxy said. “Grace isn’t around anyway.”
“No,” he said. Though Rob told him that Roxy had hoped the two of them would get something going, he’d never really seen that. He’d been looking for signs of it too, but it wasn’t materializing.
“I talked to Grace a few days ago when she was here,” Roxy said.
“You did?” he asked.
Grace had never said a word to him. She was waiting for him when he landed, then just climbed in and they flew home.
“I did,” Roxy said. “She was inside when I got there. She’s nice and all. You struck gold with her, didn’t you?”
He frowned over the choice of words. He and Roxy had a lot of talks over the years when they were stationed together.
She’d been from a similar background as him. Her parents were farmers though. Full-time farmers and she didn’t want that life. She wanted something different and more exciting.
Her boyfriend, who ended up her fiancé, had worked on heavy machinery. He’d said he could get a job anywhere and would follow her.
Lincoln had been shocked they hadn’t gotten married while she was in the service and wondered what was stopping it. At that time, she could have had him with her, but Roxy kept putting it off.
He was even more shocked to find out she never married. He’d only reached out to her as a shot in the dark because he remembered the man who should have been her spouse by now, could have worked anywhere.
Maybe Roxy was looking for someone to strike gold with. It’d been conversations they’d had too. That it’d be nice to have someone take care of her like he’d said he was going to do for Lara.
He wondered if Roxy commented to Grace about Lara. One of those drunken nights he’d said more than he should.
Roxy had latched on and then would ask him more questions. Though he’d always thought they were friends, maybe, looking back, Roxy was thinking or feeling more. It had just never been a thought in his head.
She was taken and you never poached on another man’s woman.
When she was single and moved here, he didn’t look at her that way. Guess it was true that when you slapped someone in the friends category that was where they stayed.
“I’m not looking for gold, silver, or even coal,” he said, grinning.
They were in the break room. Roxy would be leaving soon.
“You know what I mean,” Roxy said.
“No,” he said. “I don’t. If you mean she’s a great person and we love each other, then sure. I’d say we both struck gold.”
“You didn’t say you were in love with her,” Roxy said. She had a smile on her face, but it was a forced one. Her eyes were telling another story. A little bit of desperation and hurt in them. Thinking back, maybe that look was there before too and he never caught it.
“I didn’t know it was something I had to say,” he said. He went and got a bottle of water out of the fridge. He’d be talking during the tour. More than he normally did. Egan loved it. Lincoln enjoyed it, but wouldn’t say he loved it.
Then he thought back to the flights he had in his past with passengers, and yeah, this was much better.
That was what he considered striking gold. His career and his job. Not the woman he loved. He’d never look at her that way and was pissed that Roxy used those words the more he thought of it.
It’s like she was trying to remind him of his past. That Lara came from money and only wanted one thing. Someone to take care of her.
And didn’t Roxy make a comment or two about Lincoln having to go with Grace away for a week? Roxy didn’t know what that was all about, just that it was last minute and she’d made comments as if Grace couldn’t be alone. That she couldn’t handle it.
That was the farthest thing from the truth. Grace could have handled it well and didn’t need him, but he was glad he was there for her. For him too.
He needed to be there for her more than she needed him for her.
It was scary as all fuck, but he couldn’t change the way he felt.
“That’s right,” Roxy said. “Guys don’t talk about those things like women do.”
