5. Adaptable Person

5

ADAPTABLE PERSON

" Y ou're prompt," Raine said the next day.

Aster was shocked she'd texted him last night.

"A bad habit of mine," he said.

"It's never a bad habit to be punctual. I think we are too laid back of a society as a whole."

"I agree with that," he said. "I don't want to put it on the parents because mine sure the heck weren't much of parents and I turned out decent enough."

He wasn't sure why he said that.

"I can tell by your frown you wished those words didn't come out of your mouth, but I'm glad they did. I've been told before I make people feel comfortable. Parents and children alike often confide in me and it's hard work to make that happen."

"I'm sure," he said. "I wouldn't want your job."

"That's sweet," she said. "Sorry. You're frowning again. But I really appreciate it. So many times I've been dismissed for my career. It's nothing glamorous like saving lives."

"You're teaching our youth," he said. "I probably have teachers to thank for what I learned rather than my parents."

At least when he was younger.

"I'm sorry your parents weren't around."

"They were around," he said. "Just disconnected. No biggie. It's not like we were abused. Again, not sure why I said what I did. You're going to think I'm some kind of wuss with a flower name."

She smiled. "I did look your name up. I noticed it was a kind of daisy. Did you get picked on about that as a kid?"

"No," he said. "I was the biggest kid in my class most times. The older I got, most knew not to mess with me. Plus my name could mean star too. Boys don't normally ask the meaning of names. Where I came from, kids were named all sorts of things and people spell it any way they want."

She laughed. "For as small of an area as this is, I see that too. I always feel horrible when I pronounce or spell a child's name wrong, but I've got to try first to remember if I got it right or wrong."

"That's a good way to look at it. Is there any place special you want to go?"

"I'm open for anything," she said.

"There is this pub not far from here. They've got good food and drinks. You said drink, but I got thinking you might be more of a wine drinker."

"I drink wine and the occasional beer. I could do a fruity drink when I'm with the girls too. I'm a pretty adaptable person overall."

"Me too," he said.

They walked to his truck and he felt bad she grunted when she pulled herself up to get in.

"Brooks has a truck like this. Ivy and I laugh about different ways we have to pull ourselves up and it's a form of exercise." She flexed her arm, but he couldn't tell anything with her jacket on. "Builds muscle."

"It's good for the job," he said. "I bought it when I moved here."

"Where are you from?" she asked.

"Beaumont, Texas."

"I don't notice an accent," she said.

"I worked hard to get rid of it and traveled a lot for the past sixteen years."

"So you're thirty-four or thereabouts?"

"You're good at math," he said.

"I assume you went into the service after high school."

"I did. Don't take offense to this, but school wasn't my thing."

"No offense," she said. "It's not everyone's thing. I tell my students that not everyone is made to go to college. That people are needed in trades and the armed services. Someone has to do that work and they are compensated well for it."

"Most of the jobs are," he said. "If you go to trade school. As I said, not for everyone."

His father made decent money doing maintenance at the oil company but not like those in the field. Aster didn't want to work on an oil rig. He wanted to get away from Texas and his family even though he hated leaving Daphne.

"No," she said. "And you went into the Army. What did you do there? Construction?"

"I did everything," he said. "I was a fixer."

"I don't know if I like the sounds of that." He turned his head to look at her confused expression.

"It's not like you think. I'm the guy that could fix anything broken. I was in charge of supplies and equipment and making sure everything worked the way it should be."

"That makes more sense," she said.

"Did you always want to be a teacher?" he asked.

"I did. Brooks didn't care for school all that much and went to a community college for two years and then worked as a security guard before getting into the academy. River was the smart one of us. He got a full ride to Yale. Not medical school, but his undergraduate."

"Good for him," he said.

"Yeah. He's great. Both of my brothers are, though if you know Ivy then you know Brooks is a little rough around the edges."

"Could be why some of my short answers aren't bothering you."

Raine laughed. "I've had good practice too. Ivy said that Lily had once said Zane was the same way, but he's not now. I understand the comment about the women wearing off on you."

"That's pretty much it," he said.

"So what brought you here if you don't mind me asking? Were you just ready to leave the service like Zane and Luke? Fate that Zane reached out needing help?"

"You don't know?" he asked.

"Know what?" she asked. "Ivy doesn't know we are on this date. She likes to talk and if something was interesting to say even in passing she would. That is how I knew Zane hired someone he was in the service with, but nothing more."

"Oh," he said. "It might explain why no one has said a word to me." That or they were afraid to.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about," she said. "If it's a secret and only Zane or Lily knew, neither of them would say a word and I'll understand if you don't want to."

"Not a secret," he said. "Just that I was shot and almost died six months ago. I couldn't go back into the Army. I wasn't medically cleared."

Her jaw dropped. "I'm so sorry. That had to be devastating. Can I ask where you were stationed when it happened or don't you like to talk about it?"

He normally didn't, but around here no one asked either.

For some reason he wanted Raine to know some of it and he didn't know why that was.

"I was home on leave," he said. "I went to the grocery store and stopped an attempted abduction of a teenage girl. She got away, I got shot in the chest."

He turned his head when he parked his truck in the parking lot of the pub. There were tears in her eyes and it was the last thing he wanted.

"That's both heroic and horrible at the same time."

"I want to say I did what anyone would do, but I know that isn't the case," he said. Which was why the girl's father gave him two million dollars for saving his only daughter's life.

He hadn't wanted to take it, but he'd later found out it was the owners of the oil company his father worked for. Two million to them was like two hundred to him.

Just one more thing he had to get away from once his parents found out the money he was given.

They enjoyed it when he came home and did things, but living there, they weren't leaving him alone.

Not his parents. Not people who recognized him either.

He didn't want to be a hero or be labeled as one. He did what he thought was right and wanted to move on.

Doing what was right changed his life in so many ways. Some good, some bad. Some just different.

He needed the time to adapt to a lot.

Carrington's father was grateful his daughter was saved and felt guilty that Aster's military career was ruined.

They gave him enough to get a clean start. He didn't want any of it, but they weren't taking no for an answer.

He'd be crazy to not touch it when it was sitting in the bank in his name. They'd gotten his name and social security number and everything else they needed from his father.

"My brothers would have done that," she said. "All my coworkers, their spouses would too. Not just those who served at one point or worked in law enforcement now, but all of them would do what was right. Just like you did. Talk about a true hero."

"Which is why I left," he said. "There was nothing there for me anymore. There never was. Just my sister. When Zane found out, he reached out and asked about my plans. Then offered me a dream job that I'd be crazy to turn down."

"I'm glad you didn't," she said. "Now you can start over and learn to live your life. Take some adventures."

"I've lived," he said, frowning. He wasn't sure why she said that.

"You survived," she said. "There's a difference."