The Purple Heart Read Online Free PDF Page B

him
work.
    He was so muscular, and I was enjoying
my view immensely. He raked. I asked questions. He answered. I
flirted. He flirted back. We both laughed. He raked some more.
Before I knew it, it was time to leave for lunch. Time just didn’t
exist when I was with him.
    “ I have to go now. Will you
be all right here? Do you want to come with me? I can drop you off
at the base so you can take care of anything you might need to
there. Or if you’d like, you can join us for lunch.”
    “ No, thank you. I’ll be
just fine here. I’d like to finish up the yard. Do you mind if I do
some other things around here? I noticed they could use a man’s
touch.”
    “ Be my guest. I love you.” Immediately, I realized that my innocent comment might sound
totally out of line. My eyes got wide, I felt the blood drain from
my face, and my mouth dropped open but nothing came out.
    “ Good to hear.” He gave me
that amazing smile, and any strangeness was suddenly at a zero
level. He leaned in to kiss me gently. Hum and
tingle.
    Aiden walked me to my car, and watched
as I pulled down the drive. He looked lost when he waved goodbye to
me. He was out of sight in a moment, and I strangely found myself
missing him already. I definitely thought about him the entire
drive to lunch, feeling like I was in high school with a crush on a
cute boy.

Chapter Three:
Cheryl
    I was driving to a local diner, which I
frequented with my girls at least once a week. It was close to
Gina’s ballet studio, so Cheryl and I join her there often for
lunch or dinner.
    When I arrived I searched for them.
They were sitting in the back in the greenhouse room, so it took me
a few minutes to locate them. Gina liked to sit where it was sunny;
she didn’t like to feel closed in.
    She was sitting very close to Cheryl.
It was so obvious they were a couple. I’m sure there were people at
the diner, and other places, who had issues with their
relationship. That always infuriated me. They were one of the
sweetest, most down-to-earth couples I knew. Their relationship had
outlasted many of the heterosexual ones I knew. Their marriage was
forever, whatever that meant. I was positive if there were
an afterlife, you’d find them together even then. I sometimes
wished everyone would just stop all the prejudice. It seemed to me
that everyone should be past it by now.
    “ Hello, ladies. Am I
late?”
    “ Hi, Sydney!” Gina pulled
me into a hug and planted a kiss on my cheek.
    “ No, you’re right on time.
I ordered you a diet with a twist of lime, just like you always
order.” Cheryl knew what women wanted. That’s exactly how she swept
Gina right off her feet. The second they met it was true
love-at-first-sight. Their chemistry oozed out of them, and there
was no way anyone could overlook it. They had been with each other
for many years now, yet the bond was still as strong as ever. I
wondered if what I felt for Aiden was even remotely close to what
they had experienced when they had first met.
    “ So no office time for you
anymore?” Cheryl questioned me like she was my mother.
    “ I only have one
case . Why go into the office?” I sounded just like her snarky
teenager in my reply.
    “ So, who is this guy, a
general’s son?” I could see Cheryl was going to grill me on
everything today.
    “ No, nothing like that.
He’s this very handsome decorated soldier.”
    “ Handsome. Hmm.” Gina’s
eyes gleamed when she said it, and she shot Cheryl a cute
look.
    “ I didn’t say handsome. I
said highly . Highly decorated soldier.”
    “ No, you didn’t, you said
handsome. I heard you.” Gina voice was sing-songy, like a young
child ready to start singing the kissing in a tree song.
    “ Cheryl, please tell her I
said highly. Please make her stop.”
    “ Sorry, I can’t do that.
You said handsome.” Cheryl had an evil grin on her face. It was
Gina and Cheryl’s favorite game. They had a blast messing with me.
I didn’t mind one bit because I laughed a lot