When I got to work the next day I gave First Sergeant Tomas some lame excuse about pulling a hamstring during an intense workout. There was no way I was going to survive the morning company run. So I was sitting at my desk with the Santa suit that I’d been working on after Jason left my apartment.
I was so happy I felt like I was in a seventh heaven, which is something I have never thought before. Even the daily grind and stress couldn’t get to me. I thanked First Sergeant Tomas for giving me a five-page letter to type, and didn’t even flinch when his wife came into the office and gave me the evil eye. I’m used to spouses and girlfriends shooting me eye-daggers when they realize I’m female and spend a lot of time with their significant others on base or in the field. But hey, I have my own First Sergeant to fawn over.
“Is that First Sergeant Stewart’s Santa suit?” First Sergeant Tomas, or Top, asked when he stepped out of his office.
“Yes,” I said. “I was going to call him and tell him it’s ready to pick up.”
“Let me call him,” Top said. “My wife has a friend that she wants to introduce him to; she thinks they’ll hit it off. We were going to ask him to lunch.”
My seventh heaven just went to hell.
I wasn’t in the best of moods when Jason showed up at the office, and it didn’t take long for him to pick up on it. “The suit looks great,” he said, as if making a piece offering without knowing why.
“You’re welcome,” I said coldly.
“I told you she does great work,” Top said like a proud father. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to run down the hall to see the CO before he takes his three hour lunch with his wife.”
“What’s wrong?” Jason asked after hearing Top’s footsteps fade down the hall. “What did I do?”
“Nothing yet,” I said. And right on cue, the First Sergeant’s wife walked in; however the woman behind her didn’t walk in as much as prowl in. She looked like a pampered kitten with a purpose. I doubt she’s done a hard day’s work in her life. Her hair was long and blonde and her nails were long and pink. The poster girl for the perfect princess that every guy knows mom will approve of. The way she held her chin high and her blue eyes low spoke silent volumes. Without saying a word, with just one look, she said. “You may bow.”
I couldn’t help but wonder if my relationship with Jason was going to be nothing more than a fond memory. When I glanced up at Jason out of the corner of my eye I expected to see him drooling and tripping over his own tongue. He wasn’t. He was still looking at me.
“Jason, this is Diana,” Linda said. Jason finally turned his eyes away from me. “Diana, this is Jason. He’ll be joining us for lunch.” I saw the light click on in Jason’s eyes when he realized what was going on—blind date!
“Can we invite Melody to come with us?” Jason asked. “I was going to take her to lunch as a thank you for her work on my Santa suit.”
“That would be wonderful,” Linda said without the slightest trace of sincerity. “Unfortunately, the reservation is for four. It would be difficult to add a fifth.”
