AllFreeNovel
Share Us
* * *
Hey fellas…
Well, you tried. I’ll let you know if my leave gets approved because I’d love to see you guys so you can slap me upside the back of my head for old times’ sake.
Mary wrote – and I think I already blew it.
Tell your wives that I appreciated the advice and maybe someday if I can get over my nervous mouth, my dork-side, and my epic loneliness… who knows? Maybe someday I can use the tips they gave me.
Till then,
Ghost
CHAPTER4
MARY
Mary staredat the emails that were sent to her. The first one was an expensive entire book series to download that she could send to her iPad to read any time she wanted… and that was such a sweet and unexpected gift.
The second email was much longer and had her laughing nervously, because he just kept going and going.
There was no way this was actually him!
He couldn’t bethisnice,thisoutgoing, andthissimilar to her – could he?
It was stunning and a little offsetting, because it made her wonder if maybe he was a hacker and somehow knew stuff about her… it was uncanny – even down to the conventions!
She had been to Wizard World, GenCon, and had even been to Star Wars Celebration. No, it wasn’t Star Trek – but she loved those movies, too. Most of the conventions were about meeting your favorite characters, shopping through tons of booths, or looking at costumes… and yeah, it was a favorite but tiring escape.
Getting up from her sofa, she immediately went next door with her iPad in hand, brandishing the email… and knocked.
Karen opened it and smiled, only two seconds before Jace was right there beside her. She looked at the two of them, but nothing would come out.
“Mary, is everything okay?” Karen asked, glancing at Jace.
Mary swallowed nervously and felt panic choking her as she looked at them. Handing the iPad to Jace, she hesitated… only to see Jace laugh and shake his head.
“Is that really him?” Mary asked in a hoarse whisper. “Is this for real or some sick joke?”
“Why?” Karen said in alarm. “What did he say to you?”
Jace looked at her, the iPad, and then nodded.
“Yep. That’s him. I promise that I’ve never met anyone so chipper, outgoing, and comfortable with who they are. Ghost is like a big dork with a heart of gold… and he’s a really good guy.”
“He’sreallylike that?”
“What? A huge fan? Yeah, he’s got stickers inside his footlocker, and I know he’s met one of the Star Trek captains before, because he was beside himself to get an autographed picture.”
“You’re kidding me,” Karen muttered, looking at Mary and then at Jace, her face pinched with frustration. “I am so sorry. I had no idea and thought…”
“No, that’s awesome,” she whispered in disbelief, looking at them in shock. She had always been taunted and mocked by her ex-husband for her hobbies, because he claimed they were stupid… but this guy, this stranger, was just like her? “I just… yeah… I need to think.”
“That’s…awesome?”
Karen and Jace looked at each other, smiling.
“Are you going to write him back? I’m just curious for when I get back to the base. I mean, you don’t have to tell me, but since I fly out in the morning… I thought I’d ask because I’m nosy,” he admitted.
