Bits & Pieces by Merline Lovelace

Author:Merline Lovelace [Lovelace, Merline]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781488037191
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2005-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 8

Jake cursed under his breath as he struggled to slip tiny silver studs into the minuscule openings of a white dress shirt. There were five of the blasted things, each one about the size of a small thumbtack. When the last stud stubbornly refused to fit into the hole right under his chin, Jake’s oath was more vocal and more audible. A giggle from the bedroom door brought his head whipping around.

“You didn’t hear that, Lisa.”

“No, sir!”

She gave a very creditable rendition of a military salute and wandered into the bedroom.

“Here, let me do it.”

Relieved, Jake leaned back against a long, brass-trimmed Korean chest and let his daughter’s nimble fingers slip the recalcitrant stud into place. When she smoothed down the crisp, pleated front of his shift and grinned up at him in triumph, Jake felt his heart turn over. God, she was beautiful. So fresh and open and loving.

“Thanks, honey.”

Lisa plunked herself down in the middle of Jake’s bed. “I’d better stay, in case you need me again. I remember how Mom used to have to help you into your monkey suit.”

Jake grinned at his daughter’s reflection in the wide mirror above the chest. “As many times as I’ve worn this dress uniform over the years, you’d think I’d have learned how to manage it by now.”

His fingers fumbled with a length of dark blue satin, trying to achieve a roughly symmetrical bow tie. Lisa giggled again when he tugged his first and second attempts loose and tried a third time.

“Maura says she always wears comfortable clothes that express her personality. I bet she won’t be buttoned up to the neck and choking in a tight tie tonight.”

“No, I bet she won’t.”

Jake felt the first flicker of anticipation for this evening’s formal function lick at his veins. Up to this point, he sure as hell hadn’t been looking forward to getting all gussied up and spending the evening socializing. In fact, he’d considered canceling out completely. The investigation had all but demoralized his team, and he’d had to exert every leadership skill he possessed to recharge them. His interview with General Palladino a few days ago hadn’t exactly contributed to his own festive spirit, either. But his sense of duty wouldn’t let him cancel. A dining-out was one of the Air Force’s few formal traditions. It was a time when officers and senior civilians suited up in fancy dress and gathered to celebrate their common fellowship.

Most of his subordinates and their spouses would be there tonight. So would Maura, although she’d been less than enthusiastic about going to a party in the midst of their frantic preparations for the next test shot. Until Lisa’s casua1 reference to her dress, though, Jake had considered the function more a duty to perform than an adventure. Now delicious visions of what his free-spirited Maura might consider appropriate formal attire danced through his mind.

His mood considerably lighter, Jake began to look forward to the evening. He pulled up decidedly unregulation red suspenders and handed Lisa a dark blue satin cummerbund to hook for him.

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