The Bodyguard

Chapter 23

"What happened?" I asked Jack in shock. Turning back to him, I notice that his smile is gone.

"I shouldn't have said that. I didn't realize it was still a sore spot for him."

"What do you mean?"

"Sorry doll, it's not my story to tell." I frown and turn back toward the door.

"I'll be right back." Jack smiles knowingly and goes to tend to other customers. I walk towards the door and cautiously peek my head outside. "Jamie?" I see him sitting on a bench. He doesn't move, but I know he's heard me. I walk over and carefully sit next to him. "Are you okay?"

After a few moments of silence, he finally answers me. "I guess I just needed some fresh air."

"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"It's not that. I just haven't really let myself think about her for a long time."

"Did she hurt you?"

"Something like that." I wait patiently, not wanting to pressure him into talking.

"I guess I should start from the beginning. You see, when we were over in Afghanistan, we lost a lot of good people. Our numbers were down, and we were basically cut off from everyone back home." I look over at him, and he's staring straight ahead, lost in thought. "Our ship was small, and our crew was even smaller. We'd been broken off into groups and spread out across the ocean to increase our perimeter."

"How many people were on your ship?"

"15 of us, all men. They didn't allow women to be SEALS back then."

"15 men? That doesn't seem so small."

"Trust me...When you're on a ship for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it's small. Imagine living in tight quarters with 14 other people. We ate every meal together, played hours of card games together and there really wasn't much privacy. We were bored out of our minds sometimes."

"So how did you meet her?"

"She was some girl we met at a local pub. We would get a few days off here and there depending on our shift, so we would take every opportunity for something different. A couple of us got drunk, and Jack suggested we play some type of stupid game with a few local women. I can't even remember what the game was. Truth or Dare, maybe?" He shakes his head and sighs.

"Lea and I were dared to make out with each other, as childish as that sounds. I remember turning to tell her we didn't have to do it, but she threw her arms around me and kissed me before I even got a word out. We kept seeing each other a little after that." He shrugged.

"I wasn't off the ship often, but she wrote me letters. We planned to start a family in the States once my service was over. I even bought her a ring. At the time, I thought i was ready for that-now I see myself as just a stupid 23-year-old. The day I decided to propose, I found her in bed with another guy. Instead of explaining herself, she told me to leave and never come back."

"Why would she do that? Didn't she love you?"

Jamie shrugs. "Maybe at some point she did, but I'll never really know. I found out some time later that she was seeing that guy on the side. Whenever I left to board the ship, she'd run back to him. Some women just love the idea of being with a soldier...and don't realize the actual commitment that comes with it. It's a lot of waiting around, being alone, wondering if they're ever going to come back home. I can't blame her for wanting more."

"Don't say that. She shouldn't have cheated on you. You stayed loyal to her, right?"

"Of course." He looks at me. "I just wanted to give her the world, she just couldn't wait for it."

"She's an idiot, then."

Jamie chuckles. "Well, I wish her all the best, wherever she is. I'm happy it turned out like this after all. I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

I watch him carefully. "You're very forgiving for a person who got cheated on."

"Aren't you the same?" We looked at each other and burst out laughing. The air instantly feels lighter. Jamie stands up and holds a hand out for me to take. "Thank you for coming out for me, Charlotte. We should head back inside now. Jack's probably wondering what happened to us."

"Okay." I take his hand and we walk back into the Tipsy Cow together, side by side.

"Hey, before you guys take off, we're hosting an event tomorrow night. It's a speed-dating event."

"Jack, why would we want to go to that?"

"Actually, it kind of sounds like fun."

"No, it really doesn't."

I pulled him aside, out of Jack's hearing range. "Hey, as someone who's about to become newly single, I think it would be nice to get myself back out there. Besides, since you've decided we're keeping things "professional"... don't I deserve a chance to go meet and flirt with some sexy, single bachelors?"

"No."

"Excuse me? Why not?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"It's not safe."

"What do you mean it's not safe?"

He shrugged. "It's just not."

"That doesn't even make sense. We're in the middle of nowhere, and we've been out in public all day. No one has even glanced at me."

"Charlotte..." He groans and drags a hand through his hair. "You really want to do this?"

"Yes."

"Fine, we can go then."

"We?"

"Obviously I'm coming, too."

"Great!" I smile at him brightly. This should be fun.

"I can't wait to see how you react when you get a look at all the "sexy, single bachelors" here Charlotte."

"What's that supposed to mean? And why are you smirking?"

"Come on, let's go home." Jamie walks out of the bar and waves to Jack when he calls out goodbye. What could he have meant by that?