Chapter 3

Rory parked at the breakfast joint, glad it wasn’t busy. She didn’t want them to have to wait for a table. Having to deal with the police had delayed breakfast and meant she was very hungry.

She liked Harry, which probably wasn’t wise. Every guy she’d dated seemed challenged by the fact she was a Marine and then doubly challenged by the fact she worked in intelligence. She didn’t like to bring it up. Guys just didn’t understand that she was still a woman, and the military didn’t define her. Sure, she had a kind of badass job, but she still liked soft things like flowers, and she really enjoyed having a man who treated her nicely.

Her stomach twisted as the information she’d learned popped into the front of her mind. If she told anyone or showed them the file, she would be in deep trouble. Few people had clearance to see the files, and though she had clearance, she needed permission to look where she had been looking. It was all messed up, and she had no idea what to do.

Harry got out of his car and headed to the front of the restaurant. She pushed away the worry and hopped out, trying for a big smile so he didn’t think her worry was something to do with him.

“This place looks good and smells good, too,” Harry said.

“It’s nice. And not expensive,” Rory said.

They took a seat in a booth, and she noticed that he’d changed shirts. “I guess I should have changed.”

He shook his head. “No, you still smell nice. I smelt like a dog who’d been through the garbage.”

She laughed at his words and shook her head. “I didn’t notice.”

“Trust me, you wouldn’t have sat across from me in this booth.” He pulled out a menu and then looked up at her. “So, what are we getting to eat?”

She put the coupon on the table and read the details. It was a big breakfast. Two eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, and gravy sounded perfect.

He nodded. “That sounds great. I’m really hungry, and that price isn’t bad.”

“I’m frugal. I’ve been waiting to use this coupon since it’s for two.”

His lips tilted up in a smile. “I guess that means you’re not dating anyone.”

She shook her head. “Nope. I’m single.”

“Same.”

A thrill shot through her. She liked that he was single. He seemed like a good guy. Would he get turned off by how frugal she was? “You probably also noticed my car is old.”

He nodded, trying not to wince at how bad the engine had sounded. “Yeah, I heard that engine. It sounds like it needs a tune-up.”

She shrugged. “It does, but I don’t want to spend thousands of dollars to fix it when it’s not worth that much. I’ve done what I can to sustain its life, but I don’t know how much longer it will last. It passed inspection, or did last year, but I fear what will happen next year.”

He blinked at her. “You switched the registration when you moved?”

She shrugged. “I hadn’t moved the registration from Texas to any of the places I’ve lived. And then I was in Virginia for a while, but I didn’t move it then. Registration became a big mess because I would have to drive it back to Texas or register it in another state. When I moved here, I discovered that if I sold the car, it would have to have the smog test, meaning it had to be registered here.”

“How long until you have to get it inspected again?” Harry asked.

“About ten or eleven months.”

Harry nodded, and the waiter came over to take their order. They both got coffee. He drank his black, but she added two packets of sugar. He didn’t tease her about the sugar, which she took as a positive sign. For some strange reason, guys thought making fun of her for adding sugar made them a better person. She no longer reacted, so they wouldn’t get the satisfaction of ruffling her feathers.

Their food was delivered fast, and they both dug in. When she was halfway done with her meal, she glanced up and noticed he was staring at her. Because she’d lived through so much self-conscious trauma, she sat up and wiped her mouth, hoping she didn’t look like a fool. His lips curved into a smile.

“What are you smiling about?” Rory asked. She wanted to take the words back. The need to defend herself came way too easy. She’d been working on it, but with everything she’d been going through, she was slipping.

“You’re cute. ”

“How can you say that? I’m shoveling food down my throat like I haven’t eaten in weeks.”

Now he was really laughing. “It’s cute. I like you, Rory. I mean, I know we just met, and we don’t really know each other, but I have this feeling about you.”

She shook her head and sat back. “Boy, you either are a really good smooth talker, or you’re for real. I can’t figure out which one you are.”

He leaned in a little, his eyes staying on hers as a serious look came over him. “I’m for real. I’m very simple and straightforward. I won’t lie to you about my feelings or what I think.”

She sat back, wondering if she could believe him. “I haven’t had too many people in my life be real.”

“I know we haven’t spoken about our jobs or things we’ve lived through, but I think we’re moving in that direction.”

She narrowed her eyes, taking him in. When she’d first met him, she’d figured he wasn’t military. He just didn’t fit the regulations. Now, she wasn’t sure. He didn’t work with one of the alphabet agencies. That was fairly obvious. Now that she’d spent some time with him, she realized he was too regimented to be a civilian.

Dating military men was difficult. She liked her job and didn’t want to leave it just because someone she was dating had to move to a different base. She could end this now. But did she really want to end something that seemed to have the promise of a good future?