For Love or Duty by Beth Rhodes

Author:Beth Rhodes [Rhodes, Beth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bethanne Strasser
Published: 2012-06-04T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

“Oh, my God, Valerie.” Cheryl’s eyes were wide as she sipped the glass of zinfandel. “That is so romantic.”

Valerie set her own glass firmly down on the table in front of her. “Romantic? If I’d been a nobody, we probably would’ve had sex after that first date and never have seen each other again. How is that romantic?”

Her friend shrugged. “Well, good point, but still. He doesn’t take his relationships lightly, even the ones he knows aren’t going anywhere. Sooo, you’re thinking about sex, huh?”

“No,” Valerie spoke too quickly then laughed. “Well, jeez. Aside from wanting to have a career then do it right and get married first, he can be charming. He’s good-looking, and I actually like him. Liked him.”

She bit her lip at the admission and a tear stung the back of her eyelids. You’ve been rejected. Get over it.

Standing, Valerie finished her wine in one swallow. The fridge held chilled merlot, and with a shrug she refilled her glass and set the bottle on the counter.

“Oh, honey. You fell for him.”

“You know what I really liked?” She didn’t turn to look at Cheryl but gazed through the window over the sink to the neighbor’s fenced-in yard out back. “Despite the charm, the egotism, and his undeniable fixation to take our relationship to a physical level, I never felt any pressure to be with him. He didn’t make me uncomfortable by being big and overbearing.

“This is my punishment, isn’t it? For all those years of sticking my nose up.” She did turn then and flipped her hair over her shoulder, imitating a younger version of herself. “What,” she mimicked in a younger, falsetto voice. “A captain? Well, I nevah. You run along now, soldier. I don’t play with little boys.”

Cheryl laughed but rose from her seat and wrapped comforting arms around her.

“The stupid thing is, I’m not interested in a lifetime commitment with a soldier. The separation, the worry. Kids who grow up without a dad most of the time. You know it wasn’t fun.”

“I don’t know, Valerie.” Cheryl set her glass in the sink and wandered over to the doorway. “You had it rougher than some because your mom left. She wasn’t happy. Did you ever stop to ask yourself why? Maybe it didn’t have anything to do with your dad’s career at all.”

Valerie scowled. “Now you sound like my therapist.”

“You see one?”

“Did. A long time ago.”

And she’d hated it, every fifty-minute session her dad had forced her to attend. But it came back to her, and as her perspective broadened, her appreciation for the torture did too.

“Until now, I’d never met anyone who made me rethink my position on the matter. It’s neither here nor there, now. Kevin made his mind very clear. I’m not in the running for significant other.”

A pout appeared on Cheryl’s face. “I’m a little bummed. My two favorite people in the whole world. I had high hopes.”

“Come on. Let’s watch a girly movie, something funny.”

“I can’t. I’ve got an early lab in the morning.

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