True Blue - A Second Chance Romance (Complete)

Chapter 13

"Lance, what are you doing here?"

Having finished a pick-up game of basketball, Finn, Campbell and their fellow soldier Max were hanging out in the common room when the blonde knocked on the open door.

"Trying to find you." Lance glanced at the other two men.

Finn introduced Campbell and Max. After a round-robin of handshakes, Campbell asked what they were all curious about. "How did you get on the base?"

Lance puffed out his chest a little. "Oh, because my firm works with you army fellows, a few of us have a special pass. It saves all the paperwork. The military loves its paperwork." The four men chuckled in agreement.

"Is Emily with you?" It spilled out of Finn's mouth. He scrambled to cover up his fumble but Lance was already talking as if it was a perfectly normal question.

"Yes and no. She's talking to the opposing counsel on a case...I mean hearing. I get them confused. I slipped out when she wasn't looking." Lance smirked like a little boy who was doing something naughty. "Emily is much better at these things than I. It's one of the reasons my father hired her. She knows military procedure inside and out."

Campbell and Max turned their heads in curiosity. Finn asked the obvious question. "Why?"

"Don't ask me. She's always been a bit obsessed with the army. Was way before I met her. Must love a man in uniform or something." Campbell shifted beside Finn as Lance continued. "But she gets a little too involved if you ask me. Remember last year there was that dust-up in Conbadar? Well, you'd think Emily had family there. She was upset for weeks."

The three soldiers shared a look. They remembered it alright. Finn's shoulder was still recovering from the bullet wound. And Max, well his scars were not physical and would take longer to heal. Their unit had been stranded behind enemy lines for three days and out of commission for more than two months in the aftermath.

"I didn't know it made the news over here." Campbell had a worried look on his face. Finn wondered if he was thinking about how much Lily knew. Being a military wife didn't give her clearance to all his missions and Campbell had tried to downplay this particular horror show.

"Barely. Most of us had no clue what she was talking about. I knew nothing. But Emily was obsessed. She gets that way."

"What am I obsessed about?"

The four men turned in unison to regard Emily. She was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, straining against the jacket of her navy blue suit.

"Emily," Lance bounced. "You found us."

"Yes Lance," she pushed off the door and entered the room, a twinkle in her eye. "I followed the trail of bread crumbs."

Lance looked down at his chest and dusted off some non-existent specks before looking up at her and laughing. "Oh right. Did I mention I wanted to find Captain Wainwright?"

Emily turned her pleasant face at Finn. "Mission accomplished I'd say."

Finn felt a pull at his stomach as she regarded him. He couldn't believe Emily was here. On the base. Many times he had fantasized about her showing up to his barracks, having tracked him down, promising it was all a misunderstanding, telling him she had been searching for him all this time. It was surreal. He blinked, fully expecting Emily to disappear.

She didn't. Emily was grinning at him. She opened her mouth and Finn found himself holding his breath.

"And a few other fine fellows I see."

Again, Campbell stepped in when Finn was frozen in place. "Emily Montgomery? I've heard so much about you." Campbell extended a hand and Emily took it.