Unlikely Lovers (9 page)

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Missy hung up the phone and shook her head. After a few minutes, she picked up the phone again and called Andy. “Hey, Andy, mind if I swing by your place?”

“Sure,
that’d be great. I was just thinking about you, actually. I’ll order pizza.”

He sounded pleased to hear from her.

“Okay, I’ll be there soon. No anchovies.”

“
Got it, oh, have you talked to Jess today?” he asked before they hung up.

“Yes, have you talked to Cody?” she asked warily.

“Yes, it’s worse than we thought. We’ll talk when you get here.”

“Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I change.” She hung up
, slipped on a pair of loafers, ran a brush through her hair, and grabbed her purse and keys before running out the door. She was excited to see Andy. In a way she hated it she was transferring. Their relationship might have developed into something given more time.

She drove to the duplex and rang the doorbell. He answered with a smile. “How’s my girl?” He gave her a hug and ushered her into the living room.

“Your girl is worried.”

Unbeknownst to
Jessica, Missy had told Andy the secret weeks ago. He had agreed not to tell Cody.

“It’s up to Jessica to do that,” he’d said.

Like Missy, he’d worried about the reaction Cody would have after all this time. “I understand why you wouldn’t want to tell two guys you just met you were Army officers,” he’d said when she’d told him. “But Jess needs to tell Cody now. He’s in way over his head and I’m not so sure she isn’t. How long before she gets her orders?”

“Soon, I’m sure. She’s up for a promotion to Lt. Colonel, you know.”

“Whew…even more reason for her to come clean with him.”

Now
today, after the big homecoming, it was even more evident to Missy and Andy their friends were heading for disaster.

He handed her a Smirnoff Ice. He kept them on hand
these days, knowing she liked them.

“So what’s the scoop with Jess?” he began
as they sat on the couch.

“
She’s in so over her head. She pretty much admitted her feelings go way beyond a casual affair now. She’s worried to death about his reaction when she tells him the truth.”

“And she should be. I can’t believe she’s let it get this far without telling him.” Andy looked at Missy. “I’m glad you told me the truth and we aren’t even involved.”
He reached over and patted her hand.

“I kept telling her to tell him. She just kept putting it off, thinking she’d be with him as long as she could before her transfer orders came through. I don’t think she ever gave a thought to actually falling in love with him. She was coming out of a ba
d relationship when she met him, much like you were. Her boyfriend had cheated on her one too many times and she’d ended it. That’s why when she met Cody she only planned on it being a short term casual affair, almost like a rebound thing. She never dreamed it would ever be more.”

“How soon will her orders come through, do you think?”

“She’s not been here as long as I have, so she has time. Sometimes a transfer gets delayed for one reason or another.”

“Will she go to Iraq?” he asked.

“She and I have both done a tour, so probably not,” Missy replied softly.

“You never told me.” He put his arm around her. “
You’re so amazing, Missy.”

“It’s not something I like to talk about. But that’s where we were before we came to Fort Sill.” Missy laid her head on his shoulder.
It felt like such a natural thing to do.

“Cody stopped by here today. He’s in over his head as well, I’m afraid. I’ve never seen him so wrapped up in a girl before.”

“It’s sad really. And who knows, maybe he loves her enough it won’t matter when she tells him she’s an officer and not just a civilian worker on post. Maybe it won’t even be a big deal to him.”

Changing the subject, he said, “Hey, by the way, I looked at the map the other day and
Manhattan, Kansas isn’t so far. I could visit you there sometime.”

“I
’d love that.” She took a sip of her drink and looked at him, wondering if she’d missed out on a good thing by insisting they just be friends. “A weekend visit would be great.”

The pizza arrived then, ending the moment. After they
’d each eaten a piece, Andy continued, “Missy, you have to know how special you are to me. Our friendship’s been the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“You mean a lot to me too, Andy.” Missy smiled at her friend then saw something in his eyes she’d not noticed before.

“Do you think we could ever be more than friends?” he asked softly, taking her hand in his, gently caressing it with his thumb.

Her heart was racing by now. “I
’d love nothing more than to explore a relationship with you, but with me leaving, is it a good idea?” she asked breathlessly.

“We could try. I’
m not interested in anyone here, no one but you.”

“I
haven’t had any interest in dating anyone else either, so maybe we should give it a shot, if you can handle my being an officer and moving a lot.” She laughed and touched his cheek softly.

“I’d like to give it a try.” He looked deeply into her eyes and
in that brief moment she saw her future. It was with her best friend, Andy Reed.

“Well, then, consider yourself from this moment on officially the boyfriend of Major Melissa Roberts.” She teased as she leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“With pride and pleasure, Major Roberts.” He saluted her then drew her in for a passionate kiss, the first they’d ever shared.

Missy returned the kiss, a thousand thoughts swirling in her mind. When she pulled away, she smiled up at him. “Now how about another piece of that delicious pizza?”

“Really, that’s what you want right now?” He chuckled as he said, “Okay, I’ll get us another drink to go with it.” He walked into the kitchen and returned with two bottles. Handing the Smirnoff to her, his fingers gently brushed hers. She shivered.

“Cold?” he asked.

“No, getting hotter by the minute.” 

He grinned as he walked over to where she sat on the couch and took her in his arms for
the embrace they’d both waited a lifetime for.

Monday morning rolled around again and it was a rainy and dismal day. As Jessica prepared for her return to the office, she relived the special moments of her weekend with Cody, each and every one over and over again. She realized with each passing day her time here would end and they needed to have that talk. For some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She’d been awake most of the night, rehearsing the words over and over in her head.
I have to do it and soon.

Karen greeted her with a smile as she entered the office
. “Welcome back, Major. How was your trip?”

“Busy, Karen. How were things here?” she replied with a smile.

“About the same as always, Colonel Anderson called for you again a few times from Texas. You’d think he’d have gotten the message by now.” Karen made no secret of her dislike for Jessica’s former boyfriend, even if he was a Colonel.

“Dan called? Gee, I haven’t thought about him in ages. Guess he really wasn’t all that important to me after all.” Jessica went into her office to begin her day. She looked at the huge stack of papers on the desk waiting for her attention.
If I intend to keep my lunch date with Missy, I’d better dig in.

At noon, Missy entered the
office, smiling from ear to ear, her pretty face glowing.

“What’s with you? Get laid last night or something?” Jessica teased her friend, knowing that couldn’t
possibly be the reason for her obvious glee.

“As a matter of fact…” Missy was actually blushing.

“Not you and Andy…after all this time?” Jessica looked at her friend in utter amazement.

“Yes.
We’re going to try a long distance relationship.” Missy was ecstatic and it showed in every feature of her face.

“Why now? Think of all the time you’ve wasted
,” Jessica asked, still reeling from her friend’s startling announcement.

“I don’t consider it wasted. It was time spent building a friendship that has every possibility of turning into more. He was getting over a failed love when we met and I didn’t want to be the rebound girl.”

“I’m happy for you, but now you’re in the same boat I am,” Jessica said as they walked to the commissary.

“Well…not exactly. Andy knows.” They had reached their favorite lunch spot.

“He’ll tell Cody,” Jessica said worriedly as they sat down.

“He won’t. That’s your call.
But he agrees with me that you need to tell him.”

They both ordered taco salads for a change then Jessica asked, “What was his reaction?”

“He understood why we kept it a secret at first, but he’s glad I told him. You just need to get it over with. Cody loves you, I’m almost certain of that. Surely he’ll be all right. He might be pissed off for a while. But don’t you think he’d get over it?”

“I know
I need to tell him and get it over with, but I just can’t. I want to enjoy my time with him as long as I can. If I tell him now, he’ll be gone. And I’ll be alone. I’m not so sure I’ll ever enter into a relationship again, after Cody.”

“Is there any possibility the two of you would ever consider marriage?”

“We’ve never talked about it,” Jessica answered. “Why would you ask me that?”

“Well,
you’re so sure that it’s going to end…what if there’s a chance it wouldn’t?” Missy urged her to consider.

“Missy, all I know is right now, I can’t live without him.”

“I hate to say it, but you’re in love with him whether you admit it or not.”

“You could be right. I’m going to miss you and our little chats when you leave Fort Sill.” She looked at Missy sadly. “I should be used to this by now.”

“I’ll only be a phone call or a text or an email away. You know that. And we can visit each other on weekends occasionally. Although my weekends are going to be pretty tied up I think.” Missy blushed again. “Andy’s planning on visiting as often as he can.”

Happy for her friend, Jessica asked for the details. “What made you decide to get together
now?”

“It was strange, really. Right about the time I was wondering if I’d made a mistake by insisting we only be friends, he asked me if we could ever be more,” she
explained.

“Sounds like some weird kind of karma, doesn’t it?” Jessica laughed.

“All I know is that it was perfect after that. I don’t know why I waited so long.”

“Maybe it wouldn’t have worked out this way if you hadn’t. You guys formed a close bond as friends first and gradually grew to be lovers. Not like Cody and me, who went straight to the bedroom and became friends later. Maybe that
’s where we made our mistake.”

“
You don’t know it was a mistake.”

“You’re right
. I don’t know it was a mistake. Let’s go back. I have a lot of work to catch up if I want to go home tonight.”

“Okay, think about what I said, though. You need to have that talk with Cody as soon as possible.”

“I will.” She sighed at the mere thought of that conversation.

They returned to their offices and Jessica worked straight through until four when she received a message telling her that her transfer was being delayed by four months.
That buys me some more time, she thought
.
That would give her at least six more months with Cody
.
She walked to Missy’s office to give her the news.

“Well, it gives you more time, but I still think you need to come clean. And the sooner the better,” Missy told her.

“I know, it’s just so hard, now that it’s gone on so long.”

“
And the longer you wait, the harder it’s going to be. I’m heading out now, I have a date with Andy.” Missy began putting files away and locked her desk.

“I’ll get my things and walk with you.” Jessica went back to her
own office to lock up.

The women continued their conversation as they walked to their cars.

“What are you doing tonight?” Jessica asked.

“Dinner and a movie, I think, nothing exotic like a hotel,” she teased as she opened the door of her Camry and threw her purse inside.

“Have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that.” Missy laughed.

Jessica waved as Missy drove off then got into her own car. She drove home, changed into gray sweats, watered her plant, and sat down waiting for a call from Cody. When he hadn’t called by seven, she warmed up leftover meat loaf, popped a potato in the microwave, and sat down to catch an episode of General Hospital
.