Chapter 33

That emphasis of the “we.” That couldn’t be him and his ex-wife.

My heart began to pound faster. But I held my wild feeling of hope in firm restraint, telling myself firmly not to be silly. I had been hurt once through silly optimism. I wasn’t going to let that happen again—so easily.

“I’m stationed here now,” he continued, still in that quiet, casual way.

“Oh, yeah.” I said, forcing myself to sound politely interested. “What do they have you doing?” I grinned. “Or can’t you tell me?”

He looked at me then, smiling slightly, and shrugged.

“Nothing too confidential.” And with that he told me that he was training fresh Marines in several courses on survival, and gave me some of the details.

“Ha!” I cried. “Well, that’s a benefit of being a survivor yourself.”

He looked at me seriously, and shook his head slowly.

“Not really,” he said.

“What? I don’t understand. I mean, you survived, right?”