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I stepped below him, watching as the junior Marine quickly made it up, reaching in and “helping out” the pilot.
On the way down, his foot slipped.
I tried to catch him, but I wound up as a human cushion for his hard fall, his oxygen tank slamming into my face so hard that it rocketed my head into the concrete below us, bouncing my head painfully around my helmet.
And then, before I could even blink—let alone make sure my guy was okay—everything went black.
12
HATTIE
“Mom, Dad,” I said, poking my head into the office after closing.
“Hey, sweetheart, what’s up?” Dad asked, his eyes still on the computer screen.
Mom looked up from the inventory list she was comparing to the rows of flowers on the tables in front of her, giving me a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You look tired, baby. You should go upstairs and get some sleep.”
I fought the urge to tell her she should do the same. That kind of comment rarely turned out well for me when I aimed it back at them. “I will. But, first, do you mind if we talk about something?”
Dad’s gaze flicked to me, and he took off his glasses. “Everything all right?”
“Not really, no. I think I’m making a mess of things with Thatcher.” I stepped farther into the room and plopped onto the couch. When mom sat beside me, I heaved out a sigh. “You guys know he’s leaving right?”
“Yes,” Mom said, giving my arm a quick squeeze. “We wondered what you planned to do about it but didn’t want to meddle.”
I smiled sadly.
They were a lot different than Thatcher’s mom, that was for sure. My parents’ lives were consumed with the store. They probably wouldn’t have time to meddle in my life even if they wanted to.
And I wasn’t mad about it. I got plenty of their love and attention since I’d always been so involved in the business. It was just funny to see the difference.
“Well, the thing is, I didn’t want to start dating him in the first place because I knew I couldn’t go with him when he left. I didn’t want to sign up for future heartbreak, you know?”
They shared a look and Dad snorted. “That clearly didn’t last long.”
I thought of the way Thatcher had patiently remained my friend for a couple of months before I’d finally agreed to be his, and a genuine smile touched my face. “No, not long at all.”
“He’s a great man, Hattie. We’re glad you found him. Are you two fighting because he’s leaving?”
“We’re not fighting,” I said, “but we had a little difference of opinion over him getting out of the military. Or, I guess I should say abigdifference of opinion.”
Mom frowned. “Hattie, the man has spent nearly a decade in the military. You can’t ask him to get out.”
“I didn’t. I wouldn’t do that.” My heart rate picked up speed, feeling validated that asking that of him would’ve been a terrible idea. “But he says he wants to. He says he can join the civilian fire department here in Bluffton and start a new career there. That way he wouldn’t have to leave town.”
Dad shrugged. “That sounds like a great idea.”
My mom’s mouth dropped open and she turned to him. “Really?”
“You don’t think so?” he asked.
“Of course, I don’t.”
“Well, why not?”
“Because that’s a lot of pressure to put on Hattie. What happens if they break up? He’ll blame her for having given up his career.”
My dad waved a hand, dismissing the notion. “Oh, please. The man knows what he wants. I’ve gotten to know him well enough over the last few months to know that much. If he wanted to be a Marine more than he wanted to be with Hattie, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.”
