Blind Promises

12. A Terrible Idea

San Diego was gorgeous in April. It was warm, the late afternoon sun still kept any chill there might have been away, perfect for dining outside. Lieutenant Childs was determined to take them to a place not far from base. It was trendy and cute, Gwen was taken by the darling exterior but the crowd was overwhelming. Even in the middle of off hours there were too many people for her comfort, but she was good at acting, she also took the corner seat. Rich looked at the menu like it was in a foreign language, Liam was patiently waiting, Childs was practically bouncing, he was ready to give recommendations.

Gwen leaned over and spoke to Liam, "I think a burger is a safe choice. They have fish and chips, steak and fries, pot pie, lamb of various types, chicken sandwiches, sliders, they have salads too, probably not even orange except for the one with oranges in it, quinoa salad, ahi, mixed greens, porch caeser, which I have no idea what that is."

"I'll pass on the salad. A burger and fries will do." Liam smiled at her constant stream of words. Oh yeah, he thought she was total batshit. Great impression. A server came and took their drink order, Rich was still looking at the menu with trepidation. He asked her, "Can you decide what I want, too?"

Gwen looked at him for a moment, "Are you serious?" She couldn't always tell with Rich. It felt like he was making fun of her more than half of the time.

"Yes, dead serious."

Childs' frenetic energy finally came to a head and he launched into the conversation, "I can tell you exactly what is good! Do you like blue cheese?"

"No, not even a little." Rich made an awful face. She was with him on that one but she thought they'd probably just hold it if he was so opposed. "Okay, the Hog and Heff is what I recommend for you, if you want a burger. The fish and chips are awesome but I doubt it's enough to fill you up. I recommend getting a pretzel and lamb skewers to start for everyone."

Rich looked at him, "You order."

"What are you having, Gwen?" Childs asked her. She saw an old favorite on the menu, it had been forever since she'd had that particular delicacy so she decided, "I'll have the fried green tomatoes, extra feta."

"Really? I would never have guessed!" The kid was hyped up, it was like he was four and had eaten a whole package of Pixie Sticks or something. Liam said, "She's full of surprises." Childs flushed again. What the hell? Gwen looked at Rich with a pinched expression, he was looking back at her bemused. She sighed.

The server brought their beer and her tea, she hoped the alcohol would relieve some of the tension in Rich, he was on edge and making her nerves worse. Steven ordered the appetizers and the main dishes. That was all taken care of, nothing left to do but chat, her least favorite thing.

They were talking about things she knew little about which she was just fine with, it left her time free to check up on Cooper. He was laying between her chair and Liam's without a care. Dang it. She watched Rich out of the corner of her eye, he kept looking around casually, except it wasn't casual at all. After a day with him, she knew it was anything but. Gwen kicked him under the table. "Stop," she mouthed.

"No," he mouthed right back. It was his job, she knew they had to be careful but it was too obvious and incredibly unnerving. Liam was having a conversation about WWII-era fighter planes with Childs at that moment, it was rude to interrupt but the tension had to be broken. Gwen turned to face him and slid a hand up his cheek so he'd bring his head toward her, it was incredibly intimate and personal, probably way over the line. Once he was close enough that their heads touched, she whispered, "I'm going to use the restroom, I've got to get out of the crowd a minute. Rich is driving me crazy eyeing everyone, I'll be back after he's had time to stew."