shadows lifting from his eyes. It was his old laugh, a deep chuckle that made his eyes crinkle, and it made her smile. Sure, they text messaged and Skyped and she'd sent him a bunch of care packages full of paperback mystery novels and those weird health bars he liked, but that clearly wasn't enough. He needed some R&R, and a couple of days in Banshee Creek would help take away the exhausted look on his face.
They reached the porch, and Abby took her keys out of the utility belt and opened the door.
"You can drop off your bag..." Her voice trailed off as Mike pulled on her arm.
He dropped his bag on the floor of the porch.
"I can't stay, Abby," he said. The laughter was all gone, and his eyes were steady and serious. "I have to go."
"Go where?" she asked sharply. The Army was Mike's whole life. He had, she well knew, nowhere to go. "You just got here."
"Arlington," he said. "My commanding officer got me a new assignment. I just came to... "
"Arlington, as in Virginia?" she blurted out. This was a surprise. Mike's assignments were usually overseas.
"Yep." He nodded, looking less than happy. "Back in the old U.S. of A."
"That's great news," she said, meaning every word. Arlington wasn't that far away, a couple of her friends commuted there every day. It was a bit of a hike, but doable. "But it's not exactly a surprise. I bet you finished your tour of duty and met with a couple of bigwigs who instantly offered you a job."
"Well, not instantly," he demurred.
"Yes, instantly," she laughed. "You're the kind of person people hire, Mike. You reek of reliability."
He looked a bit taken aback. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
"Sometimes it is." She looked at his duffle bag and frowned. "And I think today is one of those times. Did you just leave base?" She asked the question, even though she knew the answer. "Like less than twenty-four hours ago?"
He wouldn't meet her eyes. He was suddenly fascinated with her supermarket chrysanthemums.
"You didn't take a break or anything," she continued. "No vacation, no R&R, or whatever you call it."
He started to reply, but she cut him off with a gesture.
"Don't bother lying. You're no good at it, and I know your habits. When I went to Germany to visit Cole, he practically had to drag you to that convention we went to in Munich."
He looked offended. "Not everyone's into Star Trek, Abby, especially not in German, and I went to hear you sing. That counts as recreation."
"Barely," she huffed. "Cole said you never went off base and never took a break. Just work, work, work and then more work."
"Nothing wrong with work."
Abby's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Work was like a religion with Mike. "Cole said that the higher-ups had to force you to take leave."
He opened his mouth to protest, but she help up a hand.
"They did, didn't they?"
"That's none of your—"
She interrupted him. "How long, Mike?"
He gave an exasperated sigh, but didn't answer her question. Poor Mike.
"Hear me out," she continued. "After you start your new job you'll rent an anonymous apartment, which you'll fill the with IKEA furniture, Tom Clancy books, and frozen dinners."
Mike looked offended. "There's nothing wrong with frozen dinners. They help manage one's protein intake."
"Yeah," she replied, rolling her eyes. "And I'm sure you have an app for that."
He looked at the floor guiltily.
"You'll run five miles every day, eat a granola bar for breakfast, then take the Metro to go to work at the Pentagon. You'll have a turkey sandwich for lunch with a bag of baby carrots, then return to your perfectly neat apartment in the afternoon, heat some mac'n'cheese concoction, and settle down to watch old JAG episodes."
He chuckled, but it sounded a bit forced. "Well, the mac'n'cheese will be organic, and I'll probably watch NCIS reruns instead. JAG is too unrealistic."
Abby shook her head, NCIS , for pity's sake, she couldn't allow this. She had to save Mike from his self-imposed exile
They reached the porch, and Abby took her keys out of the utility belt and opened the door.
"You can drop off your bag..." Her voice trailed off as Mike pulled on her arm.
He dropped his bag on the floor of the porch.
"I can't stay, Abby," he said. The laughter was all gone, and his eyes were steady and serious. "I have to go."
"Go where?" she asked sharply. The Army was Mike's whole life. He had, she well knew, nowhere to go. "You just got here."
"Arlington," he said. "My commanding officer got me a new assignment. I just came to... "
"Arlington, as in Virginia?" she blurted out. This was a surprise. Mike's assignments were usually overseas.
"Yep." He nodded, looking less than happy. "Back in the old U.S. of A."
"That's great news," she said, meaning every word. Arlington wasn't that far away, a couple of her friends commuted there every day. It was a bit of a hike, but doable. "But it's not exactly a surprise. I bet you finished your tour of duty and met with a couple of bigwigs who instantly offered you a job."
"Well, not instantly," he demurred.
"Yes, instantly," she laughed. "You're the kind of person people hire, Mike. You reek of reliability."
He looked a bit taken aback. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
"Sometimes it is." She looked at his duffle bag and frowned. "And I think today is one of those times. Did you just leave base?" She asked the question, even though she knew the answer. "Like less than twenty-four hours ago?"
He wouldn't meet her eyes. He was suddenly fascinated with her supermarket chrysanthemums.
"You didn't take a break or anything," she continued. "No vacation, no R&R, or whatever you call it."
He started to reply, but she cut him off with a gesture.
"Don't bother lying. You're no good at it, and I know your habits. When I went to Germany to visit Cole, he practically had to drag you to that convention we went to in Munich."
He looked offended. "Not everyone's into Star Trek, Abby, especially not in German, and I went to hear you sing. That counts as recreation."
"Barely," she huffed. "Cole said you never went off base and never took a break. Just work, work, work and then more work."
"Nothing wrong with work."
Abby's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Work was like a religion with Mike. "Cole said that the higher-ups had to force you to take leave."
He opened his mouth to protest, but she help up a hand.
"They did, didn't they?"
"That's none of your—"
She interrupted him. "How long, Mike?"
He gave an exasperated sigh, but didn't answer her question. Poor Mike.
"Hear me out," she continued. "After you start your new job you'll rent an anonymous apartment, which you'll fill the with IKEA furniture, Tom Clancy books, and frozen dinners."
Mike looked offended. "There's nothing wrong with frozen dinners. They help manage one's protein intake."
"Yeah," she replied, rolling her eyes. "And I'm sure you have an app for that."
He looked at the floor guiltily.
"You'll run five miles every day, eat a granola bar for breakfast, then take the Metro to go to work at the Pentagon. You'll have a turkey sandwich for lunch with a bag of baby carrots, then return to your perfectly neat apartment in the afternoon, heat some mac'n'cheese concoction, and settle down to watch old JAG episodes."
He chuckled, but it sounded a bit forced. "Well, the mac'n'cheese will be organic, and I'll probably watch NCIS reruns instead. JAG is too unrealistic."
Abby shook her head, NCIS , for pity's sake, she couldn't allow this. She had to save Mike from his self-imposed exile
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