“They’re cute.” He couldn’t help but smile. “It’s nice to know that some people get their happy ending.”
She glanced up at him, her brow wrinkling. “You make it sound like it’s a rare thing. Don’t you think you’ll ever find your happy ending?”
“I don’t know.” He leaned against a light post and pursed his lips. “After the things I’ve seen overseas, I’m not sure it’s wise to expect one. There’s a lot of hurt in this world. The people in Blessings have it so good.”
She went silent for a long moment. Mentally, he wanted to kick himself. He needed to learn how to leave the scars from his military service at home. People didn’t want to hear about those kinds of things. But he hadn’t yet learned how to separate the military man from the civilian.
“Well, I’m glad you can appreciate how lucky we are living here.” She put her hand gently on his arm, eliciting goosebumps up and down his back. “Not many people realize what a precious thing it is. But unlike you, I believe you’ll find your happy ending. You’re a good guy, Joseph. You deserve to be happy.”
He didn’t have time to respond to her kind words. The carnival worker waved them onto the platform as he filled the next three carts of the Ferris wheel with people. They soon found themselves sitting together in a swinging cart, their thighs brushing. His stomach dropped as the Ferris wheel began to turn and raised them high into the air.
“Are you okay?” Michelle looked down at his hands gripping the lap belt.
“I’m not a huge fan of heights,” he responded through his teeth. It was higher up than he’d expected. The people down below were looking a little too much like ants for his liking.
“Then why did you come?” She gave him an exasperated look. “We could’ve skipped this one.”
He swallowed hard. “Because you wanted to. And that was reason enough for me.”
She shook her head, but smiled at the same time. Looking down over the edge, she pointed at the elderly couple in the bucket two rows ahead of them. “Oh my goodness, they’re kissing! Can they be any cuter?”
He wasn’t going to take the chance and look over the edge, so he was going to have to take her word for it. Instead, he examined her face, appreciating the soft curve of her lips as she smiled happily. She’d always been pretty. Even as a young boy, he’d noticed her. He’d also admired her courage to be her true self. She never hid her intelligence. Never tried to dumb herself down to fit in. She’d always seemed so sure of her future and where she was going.
Joseph had none of that. He’d entered the military straight out of high school hoping to gain some of that same assurance of the future, but had found it lacking. And now, he was back at home, still floundering. Still spinning his wheels. Living life in the shadows of his family home.
“You’re graduating in the spring, right?” He turned from her to focus on his shoes, the funnel cake and soda he’d eaten earlier sloshing around in his stomach as their cart rocked. “What’s next for you?”
“I want to get a job at a
school in the Kansas City area.” She laughed, the sound like the soft tinkle of piano keys. “Let those inner city kids teach me a thing or two. Eventually get into administration and help make a difference.”
“Wow.” He shook his head. “That sounds amazing.”
“Well that’s the plan, at least. My parents say they’re happy I’ll be close to home again, but I’m not so sure. They already turned my room into a home gym slash craft room. I guess I’ll be getting my own apartment.”
He laughed, imagining her parents sewing quilts and running on a treadmill at the same time. “You might be better off. I’ve never lived on my own. It was always the barracks for me.”
She grimaced. “I’ve been told they’re worse than college dorms.”
“Probably,” he added with a shrug. “But I survived the hazing as a junior enlisted. Nothing like an ice cold shower in the AM when a private decides to turn off the water heaters.”
He felt her shudder. “That’s definitely not for me. I like my showers boiling hot, thank you very much.”
A comfortable silence fell between them as the Ferris wheel turned. He would glance over at her now and then, trying not to stare. This day had turned out to be more fun than he’d expected. Michelle was a good sport.
“Can I ask you a question?” She was watching him now, the irises of her eye turning liquid blue in the last remaining rays of the day. There was a thoughtful expression on her face, her nose crinkling in the cutest way.
“Sure.”
He hoped she wasn’t going to ask to take the Ferris wheel again. One time was as much as he could handle.
“Why are you doing this for me?” She made a face as if she’d eaten something sour. “You didn’t sound very impressed when you learned about my silly school-aged crush on your little brother. What do you get out of this?”
He harrumphed and flashed a smile. “Good deeds make the world go round.”
“Seriously.”
He loosened his grip on the lap belt and gestured. “I’m a soldier. I need a mission. Yours sounded good enough to get me out of the house. Plus, Garret has terrible taste in women.”