Baltimore 03 - Did You Miss Me?

exhale was audible. She pressed her lips to his knuckles before lowering their hands back to the console. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered.
    ‘For what?’ he asked, his voice rough, raspy.
    ‘For helping me get through this awful day.’ Her eyes stung and she blinked to clear them. He said nothing in response, just brought her hand to his lips as she’d done his. Kissed her knuckles. As she’d done his.
    But when he lifted her hand to his face, he turned his head so that he nuzzled her palm like it was a soft blanket while keeping his eyes on the road.
    ‘You smell so good,’ he murmured and she remembered breathing his scent from her own hands and how it had calmed her.
    ‘So do you.’
    He kissed her palm again, then rested their joined hands on the console, not letting her go. Minutes went by, the two of them in a quiet, warm cocoon.
    But it’s cold outside . Ford is out there . The thought snuck through her relaxed defenses and she was about to start talking again to banish it.
    Except he started talking first.
    ‘Her name was Jo Carter,’ he said.
    ‘Jo Carter?’ That made her smile. ‘Really?’
    His mouth curved. ‘That’s how we met. Her name was Joella Priscilla Carter. I got a package addressed to Jo Carter, USS Theodore Roosevelt . A lot of people called me Joe when I was younger, so I figured it was a typo. Until I opened it. It was a care package from her best friend with . . . feminine things. The Girl Scout cookies were cool, but the rest . . .’ The face he made was comical. ‘Makeup and panty hose and . . . hygiene things. And, um, other things. Rather unexpectedly naughty things.’
    Daphne laughed softly. ‘Oh dear. I imagine that was a bit of a . . . jolt.’
    He coughed. ‘Oh yeah. Especially when my buddies saw me frowning into the box. They had a lot of fun ribbing me about that . . .’
    ‘Pocket rocket?’ Daphne supplied helpfully.
    Another rich laugh burst from him. ‘I prefer the term “personal massager”.’
    ‘Tomato, to-mah-to. So what did you do?’
    ‘Well, I ate the Girl Scout cookies, and then—’
    She laughed again. ‘Joseph! You ate her cookies?’
    ‘They were Thin Mints,’ he said, like that explained everything. ‘Plus, she owed me for all the shit I got for that . . . pocket device. I looked her up and hand-delivered the box, just to see her blush. But she didn’t blush at all. She said, “Hot damn, my bunk’s gonna rock tonight. ” ’ He grinned at the memory. ‘She made me laugh that night and every time I saw her after that. And . . . and I knew she was the one.’ His grin faded. ‘She was . . . everything.’
    Daphne’s eyes started to sting again. ‘She sounds wonderful.’
    ‘She was. She was a helicopter pilot, damn smart.’
    ‘What were you?’
    ‘Pilot. Flew a Prowler.’
    ‘You were a fighter pilot? Really? I’m surprised you went into the navy and not the family business. You’re an engineer, right?’
    ‘Yes. My dad wanted me in the business, never entered his mind I wouldn’t want the same thing. He had my future all planned out, from the day I was born. When I was a kid, I hated that. It chafed, you know? Feeling like you had no control of your destiny.’
    ‘I do know,’ she said. ‘Although mine came from the opposite end of the socio-economic scale. My mama cleaned rooms at one of the hotels in town. She wanted more for me. That’s why she was so upset when I got pregnant.’
    ‘Understandable,’ he said. ‘My struggle with my dad must seem petulant to you.’
    ‘Different,’ she said, and he gave her a disbelieving glance. ‘Okay, petulant works.’
    ‘It’s just that I wanted to be someone other than Jack Carter’s boy. My dad is a great guy, a great dad. But . . . he throws a really long shadow and I’d lived in it my whole life.’
    ‘You wanted to throw your own shadow,’ she said and he squeezed her hand.
    ‘I wanted it so much that I applied to the Naval Academy without Dad’s knowledge. Or any of his connections. I got in on my own. It was one of the best days of my life.’
    ‘And your dad?’
    ‘He was so hurt.’ Joseph shook his head. ‘And then I explained. And because he’s a great dad, he listened and remembered pulling himself up by his own bootstraps. After that, he bragged to anyone who would listen.’
    ‘He’s so proud of you.’ Daphne watched his chest expand. ‘As he should be.’
    ‘Thank you. That means a lot.’
    They finished