“One more, and that’s it.”
He winked at me and slid off the bench. I watched as he made his way up to the bar. It didn’t take him long to flirt with a girl standing there. I rolled my eyes and chuckled. Some things would never change.
After another hour and one more beer, it felt like I’d had six. There was no way I could drive home.
“I will have to Uber, these beers were pretty big,” I said, feeling the buzz big time. I wasn’t drunk, but I was not driving.
“Nah, I’ll give you a ride. Still haven’t heard from Blake?” he asked, a worried look etched on his face.
“No. So strange.”
Jarod got up and took my arm.
; “I think I’m just going to call Nash,” I said. “He and Kaelynn can come, and Nash can take my car home. No, wait, I’m supposed to go to Blake’s tonight. Or was it my house?”
Laughing, Jarod took out his keys. “Listen, I’ll take you home. When Blake gets there he can ride back with me and get your car.”
“You’re okay to drive?”
He nodded. “I only had the one beer.”
Now that I thought back on it, he had nursed that one beer.
“I drank too much. I feel stupid.”
“Nah, come on. You probably needed a good night out.”
Jarod spent the drive home talking about his new job. He was excited about it, and I was happy for him. I hoped he could settle down and adjust to the private sector with no issues.
Unlocking my front door, I walked in.
“No alarm to shut off?” Jarod asked.
“No. I have one, but I never use it.”
I dropped my purse to the floor and headed to the sofa. My head was pounding, and my body felt heavy. I always felt like this when I drank beer, which was why I hardly ever did.
“Jesus, I feel like I had a lot more than I did.”
He laughed and sat down across from me on the love seat. “Those IPAs are good and strong.”
Grinning, I dropped my head back against the sofa and looked back at him, my face turning serious.
“Are you doing okay? Settling in and all?”
He nodded. “Yeah. It’s different, and I’m sure it will take getting used to. The missing adrenaline is the hardest part.”
“No nightmares or anything?”
“No, I’m okay, Morgan. I promise you.”
I pressed my lips together. “It’s just, I know what y’all went through and Mike never wanted to talk about it and . . .”
He stood and came to sit next to me. We faced each other, and I took care to slip back some away from him. I don’t think he had realized how close he had sat down next to me. When he reached for my hair and rubbed it between his fingers, I wasn’t even sure he was aware he was doing it.
“I’m not Mike, Morgan. If I need help, I’ll reach out. I had a therapist in the army. He helped me a lot.”