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“Agreed. This is really your first date since your divorce?” Was that good or bad? “How long ago since that was final?”
“Five months. We separated more than a year before that.” Erin dropped her gaze to the menu underneath her hands.
Her divorce being so recent threw him a little off balance. “Sounds like you were married a long time.”
“Nearly twenty-five years.”
“Do you have kids?” It seemed a safe conversation starter.
“Two daughters. Madison graduated from college last year. She and her husband live in Austin, Texas. Piper is studying international business with a minor in Spanish and leaves next week to spend her junior year in Spain.”
“That’ll be a great learning experience. I spent two years based in Vincenza, Italy. My Italian isn’t exactly fluent anymore, but it’s passable.”
“She had four years of Spanish in high school and two in college but wants the immersion experience. I think it’s also her way of dealing with the divorce. It’s been hard on them too.”
“I imagine it’s not easy, regardless of their age.”
“What about you?”
“Bethann and I met the summer before my junior year at West Point and married two months after graduation. I also have two kids. Megan is a nurse and works for an internal medicine group. She and her husband, Reece, were already based here. My son, Jace, was finishing his training when I was offered my current position. Jace’s wife, Alex, was hoping for the 173rdin Vincenza, Italy, where he was born, but he picked the 82ndAirborne. We were thrilled to have everybody together. With everything going on in the Middle East for the past two decades, I missed a lot of time with my kids due to deployments. Bethann encouraged Jace to come here as much or more for me than for herself. I’m glad she did.”
“Considering the possibilities with the Army, you’re fortunate to all be together. Is your son-in-law in the 82ndas well?”
“No, Reece is in a different unit.”
“Is that aspecialone where its members typically stay at Bragg, I mean Liberty?”
He picked up on the way she said special. Asking without coming right out and asking. “I was based here for almost a decade earlier in my career. I haven’t adjusted to the name change either.” He dodged answering.
Erin checked out the pizza their server delivered to the couple at the next table. “Any interest in splitting a pizza?”
“Sounds great. What would you like? The Margherita, barbecue chicken, meat lovers?” he read the specials from the menu.
“Those all sound good.”
The server set down a water glass for Erin. “Are you ready to order yet?”
“We’re still deciding. Any recommendation on the pizzas?” Graham asked.
“My favorite is the barbecue chicken pizza. Though I add pineapple,” the young woman serving them said.
“That sounds good to me,” Erin said agreeably.
“With pineapple?” Graham couldn’t help but ask.
“We can do half and half if you’re one of those people who thinks putting pineapple on pizza is breaking some kind of regulation about toppings.”
“No,” he laughed, already liking Erin’s sense of humor and how she put him at ease. “I just hadn’t thought of it on barbecue chicken pizza. We’ll give it a try.”
“Would you care for an appetizer, salad, or garlic knots?” the server asked.
“I was thinking about the mixed greens salad, but that pizza looks like a lot.
“We can split the salad too,” Graham suggested.
“Perfect,” Erin agreed.
“When I stopped in the USO to do some reconnaissance”—Graham grinned at outing himself—“they mentioned you’re only here for a short time. Something to do with writing research. Is that something you’re writing for the USO?”
