Page 44 of Sit, Stay

Me: No you're not.

Callie: Probably not.

I'm still grinning when I pull into Larkspur's gates twenty minutes later.

Brooks is on duty again, and his eyes go wide the second he sees me.

"Morning, sir," he says, way too cheerfully.

"Morning, Brooks."

"Nice night?"

"Fine, thanks."

"You're wearing the same clothes as yesterday."

I glance down. Same henley. Same jeans. Definitely still smell like her perfume and last night's terrible life choices.

Wait. No. Best life choices. Excellent life choices.

"Observant, Brooks."

"Just making conversation, sir." He's grinning like he just won the lottery. "Have a good day."

I make it to the barracks without running into anyone else, which is a minor miracle. Quick shower, fresh uniform, and I almost feel like a functional adult again.

The motor pool is busy when I arrive—routine maintenance day, which means every vehicle on base is either being worked on or waiting its turn. Javi's got his head under the hood of a Humvee, and he doesn't look up when I approach.

"Don't say it," I warn him.

"Say what?" He emerges, grease smudged across his cheek, eyes bright with malicious joy. "Say that you showed up looking way too happy for a Saturday morning? Or say that you didn't come back to the barracks last night? Or maybe say that you've got a hickey the size of Colorado on your neck?"

My hand flies to my neck. "I do not."

"Made you look." He tosses me a wrench. "But you do have that freshly-laid glow. It's disgusting."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You spent the night at the pretty vet's place."

"That's classified information."

"It's written all over your stupid happy face." He leans against the Humvee, arms crossed. "How was it?"

"None of your business."

"That good, huh?"

I lean against the Humvee next to him, avoiding eye contact. "She's amazing."

"Oh man. You've got it so bad, Bingo."

"I'm aware."

"Like, terminal. Stage four. No hope of recovery."

"Are you done?"