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Chapter 5
- HARRIS -
I shut the door behind me and stare at the Christmas tree in my hands.It’s slightly lopsided, and kind of reminds me of that Charlie Brown Christmas special I used to watch as a kid.
I can’t believe she got me this.
That was possibly the nicest thing anyone’s done for me recently.
It’s not that unusual for women to give me things.Something about my uniform, I suppose, or the body I’m required to keep while I wear it.
They make me cookies a lot.And every time I deploy, they buy me teddy bears.I have no idea why that’s a thing.They say it’s so that when I hug it while I’m away, I’ll think of them.
And every time, I can’t help wondering, do they really think that I’m going to take a teddy bear into the action?Much lesshugthe damn thing?
Hell, I’d never live it down if someone saw that.
But every time a woman does something for me, it’s generally because they’re attracted to me.Or, if I’m honest, they’re attracted to the uniform.No military guy likes to admit that second part, but we’re all thinking it.
But this woman?I can’t quite figure her out.
She seems to be just genuinely nice with nothing expected in return from me.
Which, of course, makes the need to do something in return all the stronger.It’s just the way I roll.
I set the tree down on my counter and, at maybe just over three feet tall, it doesn’t quite work there.It reminds me of the Christmas trees my grandma used to get for her little condo she bought after my grandpa died.
Taking a cue from the memory of her, I give it a home in the corner of my living room, and I frown when it doesn’t quite look right there either.
I pull an old vintage ammo can from my closet and use it as a stand.It lifts the tree up to just the right height.
Only then do I spot the small card tucked beneath its prickly branches.
“If you need ornaments, we have plenty leftover.–Ava”
And her number.
She gave me her number.
If she were any other woman, I’d think that was her way of suggesting I call her.But if she felt that way, logic tells me that she’d have given me her number last night when I gave her mine.For that matter, she’d be right here with me having coffee rather than dropping off a tree and leaving.
I step back from the tree and can’t help noticing how much homier my place looks with it.And the smell.Nothing beats the smell of a Christmas tree at this time of year.
I reach for my phone.
“Thanks for the tree,” I tap in after entering her number.“It was beyond nice of you.”I’m half tempted to invite her over to decorate it until I recall how quickly she bolted away from me.
I wonder why.
“No prob!” she texts back.No typical smiley or winking emoji that most women I’ve texted like to close with.
Nah.She’s definitely not interested.
I frown at her reply and set down my phone.
As I do, the display lights, and my phone chimes.
I reach for it, and I’ll deny to my dying day just how much I want it to be Ava texting me back.But instead, it’s from Freya.
