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Bo was coming on really strong and literally had the worst moves in the world. The man was leaning close to her on the railing, like he was some stud looking to pick up chicks in a biker bar… and would have a better chance at doing so than Will.
“Did you bring the book?”
“Yeah, but I’m in no hurry, you know?” Bo said quietly. “The moonlight is nice, isn’t it?”
Will nearly laughed listening to the painful conversation.
“Is there someone special waiting for you back home?” Bo asked suggestively, causing Will to flinch, because he already knew the answer.
Widow.
“Bo, just how old are you?” Calista asked openly in a blunt manner, alerting him to the fact that she was notabout to be receptive to anyone’s attentions at all. If she didn’t fall for the younger handsome man, she sure wouldn’t look twice at him.
“Old enough to know how to make a woman happy… unless you’ve got a problem with me having a prosthetic limb?”
“Not at all,” she replied. “Look, you seem very kind, but I’m not really looking for anything but an escape from reality right now.”
“I can make you forget all your troubles…” Bo began again, taking a step closer, and seeing Calista back away set Will on edge immediately.
“Prowert, I believe the lady isn’t interested,” Will said firmly, his voice steady in the silence. He’d slipped, falling into his Army captain’s voice, giving an order and addressing the man by his last name – something they’d tried to give up putting them back in the ‘civilian’ world.
“Get your autograph. We have a big day tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir.”
“… And Bo?” Will began, needing to soften the blow. They weren’t in the Army anymore and he wasn’t his superior officer, just a concerned friend and employer wanting to help.
“Quit mentioning your leg, kiddo. I told you before that people don’t notice it until you say something. It bothers you more than anyone else – and if they are the right person, they won’t care you lost a limb, brother.”
“Yes, captain,” Bo acknowledged – but there was a tone there, too. The man resented it and they would need to talk later, away from Calista.
She seemed to sense that the air was tense, hurrying to sign the book and then handing it back to him.
“Here you go.”
“Maybe we can talk some other time,” Bo murmured quietly, almost as if he was going to ignore Will and try this again.
“I’m sure over the next six days we’ll talk a few times since we’ll all be working together on board.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I do – and while this is flattering, I could use a friend a whole lot more than anything else,” she said firmly, shutting him down… and Will nearly let out his breath that he didn’t know he’d been holding.
Bo finally left the two of them there in the darkness – and he was really glad she’d been firm but kind with him. It would have been crueler to toy with him or string the boy along.
“Thank you,” the captain said after a few minutes of silence.
“For what?”
“For being kind to him,” Will admitted quietly. “He’s a good kid that had a bad run and is struggling with how to handle it all. I really appreciate you being nice to him.”
“I didn’t know you were brothers.”
“Not in the literal sense,” he began and hesitated, wondering if he should tell her anything about him at all. This was such a mess, and he was opening himself up to heartbreak with a woman who would be gone in six days. “He was assigned to my squad in Iraq when we were all injured.”
… And Will walked off, before he could do something stupid.
6AYE, ME HEARTIES
