Page 92 of My All American Girl

“This is definitely one of the better parts of flight training. It beats drinking rainwater out of a ditch during SERE.”

I felt like I was in a dream. Sitting across from Dean Ryker in London and eating a fantastic meal was not something I ever imagined I would be doing. I remembered looking at the poster of him and imagining what it was like to be him. To me, he was the coolest man on the planet.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

I was not about to tell him the truth. It was too embarrassing. “I was just thinking about how cool it is here,” I said, shrugging.

“London definitely has its charm,” Dean agreed.

“I can see why you wanted to live here,” I said. “It’s exciting.”

“Would you want to live here?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Too soon to tell. I know I can be sent anywhere in the world. I haven’t really thought about my next base. I think I assumed I would be stationed somewhere in the States, Pensacola maybe. That would be cool.”

Dean nodded in understanding. “Pensacola has its charm too. The climate is warm, the ocean’s right there, and the sunsets? Well, you’d be hard-pressed to find better anywhere else.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You make it sound like a vacation getaway.”

He chuckled, then became serious. “Every place has its perks. And its drawbacks.”

“I take it you’ve been to a lot of bases?”

He nodded. “I’ve been to a lot. My stay was longer at some than others. I was in Pensacola for about eight months. I liked it.”

“But you bought a bar in Mississippi?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I kind of just fell into that with Jude. He’s a good buddy. It worked out now that we’re stationed there.”

I grinned and lifted my wineglass in a toast. “I’ll drink to that.”

We finished our meals, enjoying every bite. I didn’t know if it tasted any different here, but the location was everything.

After the meal, I slumped back in my chair, patting my stomach. “I’m stuffed.”

Dean chuckled. “How about a walk to help digest all that food?”

“I think you might need to roll me,” I groaned. “I seriously overdid it.”

Dean snorted in laughter. “I’d say you earned it after today. You deserved to celebrate.”

I finished my glass of wine while he paid the check, eager to see what came next.