Sunrise Point

Luke asked.
    “Some sergeant who was permanent at Benning. I think she might’ve dated him once. I spent a few days in the brig until my boys tracked him down. And that damn Imogene wouldn’t finger him! He admitted he might’ve slapped her.” He laughed bitterly. “Might’ve slapped her. To hear the boys tell it, he punched the crap out of her. He bragged about it at the bar but wouldn’t confess to the MP’s. And why she wouldn’t want him behind bars—I have no idea. I never saw Imogene again.”
    “I think we should explain, since Jack got half the story,” Luke said. “The wrong half.”
    “I’m not explaining anything to anyone,” Coop said. “I’m more inclined to move on.”
    “Not this time,” Luke said. Luke rested his elbows on his knees and leaned a little closer to Coop. “I think there’s a trait the three of us sometimes share and that’s taking the easy way out—”
    “You don’t say that to a veteran soldier who’s been to war,” Coop said.
    “Okay, let me put this another way,” Luke said. “The place you’re in right now, where it’s too easy for someone to just assume the worst about you. I’ve been in that place more than once and it sucks. I think Colin can probably relate—”
    Luke was cut off by the bark of a laugh coming from his brother. “Me?” Colin said. “The guy who got caught by his brothers chewing up oxycontin like candy? Yeah, there’s been a time or two the worst was assumed about me, and a time or two they were right. I gotta agree with Luke here. We might not get it all straightened out between you and Jack, but I don’t see how that matters much. Here’s what I think matters—that you stand down, Coop. Hold your position—you got framed. You might’ve been a suspect, briefly, but you were never a convicted felon. Don’t let anyone run you off.”
    “Please don’t,” Shelby said. “You don’t have to make any commitment here, Coop—we understand this is a stopping off place for you. But please don’t leave before you’re ready just because one person doesn’t understand the circumstances.”
    “The most respected person in town,” Coop muttered.
    “Jack’s a good guy,” Luke said. “But he’s been known to run into conflicts here and there. He’s also been wrong. And when he’s wrong, he’ll usually man up. It’s worth giving Jack a little time on this.”
    “Maybe you didn’t hear me,” Coop said. “I’m not in the mood to explain myself to him, to try to make him understand. I’d rather just get my beer elsewhere.”
    “Sure. Reasonable. I’m just saying it’s too soon to pack it in. Just because you’re angry at being judged.”
    “ Falsely judged,” he clarified.
    “Let’s talk about it in a few days,” Colin suggested.
    Coop looked down for a moment. Then he took a pull on his bottle of beer and leaned back in his chair. “I thought I was done with this,” he said.
    “Any knowledge of what’s happened to Imogene?” Luke asked.
    He shook his head. “Nor any curiosity,” Coop said. “Ever have the experience of meeting the wrong person at the wrong time and having a whole lot of stuff just go to hell?”
    Luke, Shelby and Colin all looked between each other. Then it was Luke who laughed—Luke who had married pretty stupidly, got his heart really trashed, almost didn’t get over it in more than a dozen years, almost didn’t get over it in time to give himself to Shelby, the best thing that ever happened to him. He reached for Shelby’s hand and held it. “Don’t know what you’re talking about, man.”
    * * *
    Tom talked to Darla almost every evening. He told her she was more than welcome to come for the weekend, he’d love to see her, but unfortunately he’d be working both Saturday and Sunday.
    “Will you have evenings free?” she asked.
    “I will,” he said. “I’ll work all day, so I won’t be a party animal, but I don’t work in the dark.”
    She laughed at that and said, “I have so much reading to do, it might be nice to just spend the evening together. It sounds like both of us will be working hard all weekend and evenings will be ours. Should I bring some movies?”
    There would be baseball. But he said, “Sure.”
    Tom didn’t want to, but he couldn’t help but notice that Maxie was a little stressed about Friday night dinner. She made salmon, rice and more asparagus from her fall harvest and although there were none of the evil things involved—like bread,