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“It’s ‘whiskey drowns,’ but you ladies do help chase my blues away. I have to say that the best concert I ever went to was Bruce Springsteen. Both times I’ve seen him. I also got to see Toby Keith and Rodney Atkins when they did tours with the USO in Afghanistan. Got my picture taken with Rodney. That was pretty cool.”
“I bet so,” Elizabeth said.
“You look a lot like Rodney in his early videos.” Wren shook a finger in his direction.
“Except I’m taller, and he’s richer.”
“And he can carry a tune.”
“Well, I’m happy being an American soldier,” he sang. “What about you, Elizabeth?”
“The first concert I remember going to was Kenny Chesney with my boyfriend who loved country music. I think I recognized two of the songs. The first concert that I picked was the Backstreet Boys.”
“Really? I had you pegged as a New Kids on the Block groupie,” John eyed her.
“No, the Wahlberg brothers didn’t do it for me. I was totally in love with Kevin Richardson.” That felt like a lifetime ago. “That was a great question, Ariana.”
“What is the most interesting or beautiful place you’ve ever visited?” Ariana asked as Wren poured sangria.
“Refill?” Wren held the pitcher over Elizabeth’s glass.
She nodded, debating whether to answer truthfully or make something up. John went first, telling them about the animal safari he and his team had done.
“You were in Chad? I didn’t know we had any troops there,” Elizabeth said, buying herself a little more time.
“Shhh. Can’t really talk about it.” John held a finger to his lips, giving a coy smile. “What about you?”
“Maui.”
“I’m jealous. Hawaii is on my bucket list,” Wren said. “Was it totally beautiful?”
“It was. I’d never seen anything like the clear blue water and palm trees.”
Ariana sighed. “Who did you go with?”
“I’d just started dating my ex when he earned an incentive trip for being top in sales. It was all expenses paid for two people. I was twenty years old, and, other than the occasional trip to Atlantic City with my family, had never really traveled. It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”
“Work trips with my ex meant stays in cheap hotels.” Wren rolled her eyes. ”Usually, we were at remote places where the fanciest restaurant to spend our food per diem was something like Polly’s Diner. I’d love to have gotten to sit on the beach sipping fruity drinks instead,”
“It was definitely a taste of life like I’d never experienced,” Elizabeth admitted. “The company hosted a sunset dinner cruise. Dolphins swam alongside the yacht as we went out. Another night they had a private luau. For one of the day trip options, we sailed out to a coral reef where we snorkeled with fish and sea turtles. It was all pretty perfect.” Even with Adam. Which was why she had accepted when he impulsively proposed. That perfection sure had not lasted. “What about you, Wren?” Elizabeth picked up her glass of sangria and shifted the focus as memories escaped.
“I got to see the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore. That was cool, but it’s not tropical paradise. Maybe someday my prince will come.”
Elizabeth shivered involuntarily. This wasn’t the time to explain about Adam not being her Prince Charming—or even close. She forced herself to focus on every word of Ariana’s details of a trip to Puerto Rico to shut out the memories.
“You mentioned your bucket list, what’s something on everyone’s bucket list?” Ariana transitioned.
“Mine is Hawaii, or any place with a beach and palm trees and drinks.” Wren lifted her glass like a toast.
“I want to get married and have kids,” John said without a hint of joking, affirming what he’d said the night they’d gone to Mi Casita.
Wren laughed. “That’s not a bucket list item.”
“It’s something I want to do before I die. Bucket list.” He held up his hands, one still holding a fork.
“That’s just life. Bucket list are things like trips and experiences,” Wren insisted.
“Okay, I want to come home from a deployment and have my wife and kids there to meet me.” He threw out a challenging stare.
